Twisted BTA - Help!

[CarmieJo]

My BTA is twisted! I just looked in the tank and there are at least a couple of twists in the stem of the anemone, near the foot. I have turned off all the circulation the tank except for the powerhead on the side where the water flow would cause it to un-twist. Should I try to un-twist it by hand? I will post a picture in a couple of minutes.

[CarmieJo]

Here is a picture:

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f198/CarmieJo/DSC_2552.jpg

[graveyardworm]

Have you read this article? Anemone Adventure?? by Jon Gossett - Reefkeeping.com (http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-03/nftt/index.php). Hope it helps.

[CarmieJo]

I'm reading it right now.

[graveyardworm]

I had an LTA do the same thing, but it was a new purchase and probably not a healthy specimen to begin with. Sadly it didnt survive. BTA's however seem to be a different animal and capable of recovering from far more trauma.

[CarmieJo]

This guy has grown from about 3" when I got him in April to 10" across, is hosted by my maroon clown and is the centerpiece of my tank. I hope it will be OK.

[graveyardworm]

I wish I could reference more experince with whats going on to help, but I cant. Hopefully it works out, it sounds like you've put alot of effort in keeping it happy. I would document it as well as you can, and see if you can attribute whats happening to something. Test all parameters, review any changes you might have made recently.

[CarmieJo]

No changes to the tank or the parameters for some time. Tested on Thursday to see if I needed to dose Ca and everything was within normal limits.

[graveyardworm]

Not sure if this puts you more at ease. Karen's Rose Anemone's | And their care (http://www.karensroseanemones.com/funnyquirkyroses.htm)

[CarmieJo]

At least Karen's sounds more hopeful. :) In the meantime I have moved my powerheads to create gentle circular flow in an attempt to gently untwist it. I was already mixing SW for my weekly water change and will see if that makes any difference,

[iglowce]

iono how to solve it.. but i wish u luck and ur specimen a healthy life

[NaClFinatic]

Good luck with it. Keep us posted.

That Reefkeeping article sure is interesting stuff!

[CarmieJo]

On a somewhat positive note, all of the ones I have read about that have twisted off have been condys.

[CarmieJo]

Here is an image from about 3:00 this morning. It had partially deflated and was re-inflating but still is twisted.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f198/CarmieJo/DSC_2572.jpg

Right now it is open but positioned so I can't see the column.

[CarmieJo]

I had to go out for a bit and when I came home it was doing an onion impression.
http://www.talkingreef.com/forums/gallery/files/2/0/3/DSC_2581.JPG
I don't think it is still twisted but you can see that there are marks near the foot.

[Seahorsedreams]

*pokes Saxman in the ribs*

[saxman]

that's really odd...as mentioned BTA's can take a pretty fair amount of abuse and recover. i think the anemone has untwisted itself, based on the last pic, but it's tuff to say for sure.

has the anemone moved around much? it's possible that since its foot seems to be attached in such a small crevice, that in it's normal "sessile movement", it became twisted and possibly couldn't untwist easily.

the critter looks healthy tho, and none the worse for the wear...i'd simply keep an eye on the base and watch for signs of tissue necrosis.

i have a huge Sarcophyton that twisted like that, and it eventually untwisted again...go figure.

[CarmieJo]

It was attached to this piece of LR when I got it. I stuck it almost dead center in my tank and it has never moved. It is open now but I still can't see the column.

[CarmieJo]

Here is the latest image. As you can see it appears that the column is bruised. It is open and seems to be acting normally.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f198/CarmieJo/CopyofDSC_2595.jpg

[lanesreef]

Good luck with that guy. As you saw with mine about 3 weeks ago he was fine for the longest time and then started to shrivel and get fat, repeat. Finally he just up and died. Hopefully you will have better luck. He looks really healthy up top...a feature mine did not have during the 'dying stage' so that may mean good things!

[CarmieJo]

Thanks Seth. I will keep you all posted on how he does.

[keyozoxmfc]

ohh that looks a lot better though. doesnt look twisted

[graveyardworm]

Very Nice!

[JustDavidP]

Carmie...

Sorry I didn't get here sooner. I don't often have a chance to get online over the weekends.

My BTA did this once. I can't say exactly what happened, but I can say that it was the same day that my boneheaded brother fed it with a boiled cocktail shrimp (seasoned with Old Bay none the less) while visiting my house.

I assumed that he had an upset tummy :) He was twisted for two days, even after he "expelled" the shrimp that same evening. After the two days passed, it uncurled, and was okay thereafter.

How's the anemone today?

Dave

[CarmieJo]

My BTA seems to be recovering. There is a raised ridge around the column that was not there before but the bruised area is clearing up.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f198/CarmieJo/DSC_2607.jpg
However it is standing upright and is fully extended.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f198/CarmieJo/DSC_2615.jpg

[Seahorsedreams]

That stalk looks very healthy. Very beautiful BTA.

[keyozoxmfc]

great to hear that!

[JustDavidP]

Good deal! I'll tell you, they can be extremely fussy...and also tough as nails.. does that make sense?

If you have a mature system, they can thrive. They can even take the occasional injury or swing in water. In a new system, even in pristine conditions, they can wither and fail.

Dave

[Explosif]

glad to see its fully recovering!

[CarmieJo]

It's very odd, I've had this BTA since April or May and I never saw it twist before. Now it has happened 2 more times.

[lbaskball45]

How long do you have to wiat before introducing an anemone? 6months? 1 year?

[Rob]

usually 6 months is fine, but it depends on the type. a BTA can usually go in after 3-4 months, but others like Sebaes or carpets might need a bit longer