Pita the RBTA....Brenda any ideas?

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Grins

Girl Reefer...we do exist
May 1, 2007
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Charlotte, NC
Jeni suggested I start a new thread about my rbta that I have so deservedly named Pita (if you aren't familiar with the accounting term PITA used in business for troublesome clients a clue is the acronym starts off as Pain In The ____).

Anyhoo, a recap for Brenda, a much welcomed anemeone expert from WWM and other locales...

I bought a small rbta back in October of 07. It took 3 hours to acclimate and wasn't settling in well by attaching so I ended up rigging a very silly looking contraption to get it to place it's foot down. That worked, it moved slightly and was happy and eating silversides from this place in the tank. It went floating one last time a few days later before moving to a final place and was happy and larger here December 8. Basically it stayed put for 10-11 weeks, was eating every 2-3 days and growing.

Then I upgraded my MH bulbs from 10,000Ks to 14,000Ks December 22. Five days later is when I posted that I had entered anemone "H E double hockey sticks". I tried using a tiny clay pot for the foot (both on the ground, and in the rock work), I've tried staying up all night watching it float and frantically keeping it away from the Koralias. I've tried turning those off, I've tried helping it find what seems like good places and it will stay in them for 3 days tops then off it floats. I've even tried putting the flower pot and clear containers over it overnight just to keep it still so I could sleep peacefully.

I've found it stuck to the side of the powerheads a few times. Both when it was uncovered and even when covered with gutterguard which I had hoped was a good solution but you'll see that didn't work out. Didn't work out anymore than the stockings I tried did. In fact, there are no covers on them now and it has survived it's contact just fine. It's mouth is not gaping, it's foot is intact and inflates but it has not been happy.

My tank specs: http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/blog.php?b=185
My livestock: http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/blog.php?b=181
My corals: http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/blog.php?b=182

My water:
SG 1.025 (by refractometer)
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Phosphate 0
pH 8.4
Calcium 420
dkH 10
Magnesium 1240

To answer some expected questions:
  1. The water parameters have been consistent since before the anemone started to move at Christmas.
  2. I do have (2) 250 watt MHs. They had 10,000K bulbs until I changed to 14,000Ks (and the fixture was lowered to account for the loss).
  3. It has not taken silversides since it started moving the week of Christmas
  4. The tank was first set up in early March of 07.
  5. I peform a 10-15% water change every 7-10 days.
  6. I dose a 2 part solution daily but use no other additives.
  7. The only medication I have used in the tank was a single dose of Salifert's FWE after a very minor occurance of planaria. That was dosed after the problems occured and was used with an immediate round of carbon run through a canister for over a week after.
  8. One of the Koralia's base broke around the time of the experiment with the gutterguard and the flow was obviously different for about 10 days while I substituted a MJ1200 while Koralia was sending a replacement.
  9. It has been in the same spot for 3 days now in the top part of the back of the tank.
And lastly some photos from today.

Taken from the top:



And the FTS, you can't see it in this but it is behind the rock between the slimer and pagoda.



So Brenda (or anyone else)...any ideas? Giving it to someone else isn't out of the question but before I do that I'd sincerely like to be sure I've tried everything I can to give it a good home. As big of a pain as it has been I really do like it and have not completely given up on it settling back in once again.
 

clown-lover

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May 26, 2007
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Fargo, ND
So I am assuming the last attempt at the gesha setup didn't work to keep it in place? Have you 1) Thought about returning to the 10k lights and 2) tried lowering your lights even further?

From my readings 'nems move when they aren't happy and will continue to move until the find a spot that suits their fancy. So when it is moving is it trying to move higher in the tank? Or is it just moving willy nilly?
 

daayda3

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Sep 21, 2006
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wow... did you redo your rock, grins? nice tank!
 

bdavis27701

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Sep 28, 2006
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N.E. Ohio
I do have (2) 250 watt MHs. They had 10,000K bulbs until I changed to 14,000Ks (and the fixture was lowered to account for the loss).
I am not a MH expert but why would you lower your lights when going from 10K to 14K. Its supposed to be just a bluer light not less. Maybe you are giving to much light with the MH lowered and the PITA is trying to get out of it.
 

Reefscape

I shoot people with a Canon
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Nov 8, 2006
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Blinky
Would have to agree with Brenda there..There is no need to be adjusting the lighting height when switching different colour temp of bulbs..If anything, they should be raised higher than normal when fitted, and lowered down over a period of time so the tank inhabitants can acclimatize to the new bulbs....

Just my thoughts...

Niko
 

Grins

Girl Reefer...we do exist
May 1, 2007
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Charlotte, NC
They weren't lowered right away, but rather after the trouble began, and they are now 8 inches above water so it is hard to believe that would be the trouble. They were previously 12" or so above. But if you think I'm wrong I'm not against raising them again...just not wanting to do it unless general consensus is to move them back up because I don't want to stress the thing out with more change.
 

bdavis27701

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Sep 28, 2006
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N.E. Ohio
I was told to keep my MH atleast 11 inches above the water. Like I said, I am no expert on MH lighting. Just trying to toss some ideas out there.
 

bdavis27701

AC Members
Sep 28, 2006
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N.E. Ohio
Hopefully your anemone does better. My new bubble-tip was just eatten by my Dardanus crab. He ate the whole thing except the foot in one day while we weren't home. He even ate a hole in the middle of the foot-looked like a donut. Just dropped the crab off to my buddies fish store tonight in hopes of keeping another anemone.
 
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