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View Full Version : Possible scenario for BTA bleaching?


yheartsp
11/29/2009, 10:45 PM
BEFORE

http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af330/yheartsp/rossy.jpg
picture taken 23/9/2009

AFTER

http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af330/yheartsp/28112009113.jpg
http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af330/yheartsp/28112009114.jpg
http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af330/yheartsp/28112009118.jpg
pictures taken 29/11/2009
( pictures shown are not when the anemone is at it's biggest, it is just getting ready to poop, however the point is the color of the anemone :P)


Details

This anemone has moved to a position with minimal light and flow, and has stayed there ever since i got it ( 2 months plus ). The anemone hosts a pair of maroon clownfish, ( female 3.5 inches and male 2 inches ) . It is housed in a 187 gallon tank with no corals near it.

Lighting : 2x250( 20k )w metal halide

Flow : around 24x turnover with vortech mp40w

water parameters

Salinity 1.025
calcium 460ppm
Alkalinity 9dkh
pH 8.2
Magnesium 1350ppm
Nitrates 0.1ppm
Nitrites 0
Ammonia 0

I do not test for phosphates but the last time i tested it was close to zero.

The anemone is fed piecies of shrimp / squid every 1 or 2 days.

Is it plausible that when i first introduce the anemone to my tank, it expelled it's zooxanthellae due to stress and light shock ( as it was under much weaker lighting at the LFS) , so it hid under the rock to hide from the light. But i continued feeding it every one or 2 days so it didnt feel the need to allocate much zooxanthellae inside anymore.

because if this is the case, i should probably cut down feeding to once a week or so?

shroutk3
11/29/2009, 10:53 PM
More likely that your clowns are hosting too aggressively, try putting a barrier over it to give it a chance to recover without being harassed.

yheartsp
11/29/2009, 11:04 PM
More likely that your clowns are hosting too aggressively, try putting a barrier over it to give it a chance to recover without being harassed.

Hmm maybe i should remove them and put in the sump.. Do you agree with my above scenario then? :rollface: thanks for the quick reply ~!

puter
11/30/2009, 04:58 AM
More likely, in my opinion:

The anemone moved to a shaded area due to the sudden exposure to higher light levels.

The anemone expelled its zooxanthellae due to being in an area of low light. If not for the harassement of the clownfish the anemone would probably not have remained in that location.

It will not "repopulate" zooxanthellae levels until it is in an area where it receives adequate light. At that time, it will repopulate the zooxanthellae levels and color back up regardless of how heavily you feed.

I agree that the anemone needs to be protected from the clownfish. Don't stop feeding it.

Cheers,

Mark

elegance coral
11/30/2009, 07:06 AM
I agree. Don't stop feeding it. It's receiving very little, if any, nourishment from its zooxanthellae. It may not even have any zooxanthellae left. I also believe that the clowns are way to big for that one little anemone. In the wild, they usually have multiple anemones to share the lovin from the clowns. This keeps any one anemone from getting beat up.

yheartsp
11/30/2009, 02:07 PM
Alright guys, i just got a HUGE golden BTA for the maroons to share the love :bounce3:

it's not harassing the rose anemone as much anymore. so it'll give it time to recover. It is supposed to move out and reach for more light? How many times a week should i feed it? 2 ? 3 ?