Sick BTA, E. Quadricolor, Possible Chemical Warfare – 12/2/07
Dear Crew,
<Hello Andy, Brenda here>
It’s been a while since I
rapped at ya. I have a question about the health of my BTA. I have had
it for 7 months or so, during which time its color has gone from tan to
a deep red. It is paired up with a Gold Stripe Maroon Clown, and they
have a good relationship. I feed it about once per week with (I rotate)
Mysis, small pieces of table shrimp, and chopped oyster, all soaked in
Selcon. It has always readily taken food and remains open and pointed
upwards most of the time.
I have a 110g display (30" high) with
6x54W T5 HO (4x10000K and 2x460nm actinics) that is on about 12 hours
per day (I use a timer). I plan to swap out at least the 4 10000Ks with
14000Ks when I replace my bulbs. The BTA is attached to LR very near the
bottom of my tank. Since day 1, it has been in this same location, with
minor realignments from time to time. I have previously posted a
question to WWM about its position at the bottom of the tank and my
lighting, as I was concerned that my lighting might not be enough for
it, but the response was to leave things alone if the BTA was happy and
doing well.
<Yes, I remember. If I’m not mistaken, both James and
myself answered your questions. This fixture does not have individual
reflectors correct?>
Over the last 7-10 days, however, I've noticed
that the BTA appears a little wilted (both its foot and its tentacles)
and is no longer positioned up/towards the light.
<How old are the
bulbs?>
In fact, it appears to be resting on the glass bottom of the
tank. It is still deep red in color and its foot remains attached to the
same ledge of LR. Last night I tried to feed it, but it did not take the
food or close up around itself as usual.
<This is not a good sign.
Can you send me a picture of the anemone?>
As you know, you get to
know your animals, and I just know that the BTA is not itself.
<Yes>
Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and phosphate are all 0. Temp is stable at
77-78*,
<I prefer a bit warmer temperature for anemones. I try to
keep mine at 80 degrees.>
pH is 8.3, alk is 3.5 meq/L, and salinity
is 1.0245 (I have tried to get it up to 1.025 but can't keep it stable
there due to top-off, salt creep, etc.).
<Be careful with salt creep,
it is dangerous to live stock. I recommend 1.026 for anemones. I suggest
topping off with salt water until you get to 1.026.>
I also employ a
30g fuge (4" DSB, LR and Chaeto) and a Coral Life Super Skimmer, and I
run carbon in my sump (change every 4 weeks).
<I would try increasing
the carbon change to every 2 weeks.>
I have about 85lbs of LR, a
Sailfin Tang, a Royal Gramma, a Brown Combtooth Blenny, and a Canary
Wrasse (in addition to the Clown), two Cleaner Shrimps, about 22 various
types of shrooms,
<Mushrooms are toxic. You may have a chemical war
going on here. Changing your carbon more frequently may help.>
2
small tree corals, a Lemnalia, and some Xenia. I do a 10% water change
each week. Water is RO/DI.
<Is it time to change the filters?>
Circulation is about 10x per hour. I am very careful about not
introducing any foreign substances (cleaners, etc.).
<Good!>
Do
BTAs go through these phases, or should I be worried?
<This is not a
phase, something is wrong here.>
I don't know what I could be doing
wrong or not doing.
<It may be a combination of things. I suspect the
mushrooms contributing largely to the problem. Lighting and RO/DI
filters may also be contributing. However, I would expect the anemone to
move higher up if it was not getting enough light.>
Thanks for any
insight you may have.
Andy
<You’re welcome! Brenda>
Re: Sick BTA, E. Quadricolor, Possible Chemical Warfare – 12/2/07
Thanks for the response, Brenda.
<You’re welcome Andy! I received
both of your e-mails, and will answer both here.>
I have attached 2
pictures of the BTA. Unfortunately, it's positioned itself under a
ledge, oriented perpendicular to the front of the tank
and out of
light, so the pictures aren't that great and I couldn't get a picture of
its mouth. I also don't have a macro lens yet, so the image quality is
what it is . . .
<Hard to tell. The pictures are much too dark. The
anemone is much too small for a Maroon Clownfish. Maroons can be rough
on smaller anemones. It is recommended that the anemone be 3 times
larger than the clownfish. The anemone is also too small for having it 7
months with your feeding schedule. It is not getting the proper
nutrition. Is the clownfish or the shrimp stealing its food?>
I
forgot to mention in my last e-mail that my calcium is 400, so that is
where it should be as well. I tried tonight to feed it some fresh clam.
It captured the clam and started to swirl its tentacles, but I'm pretty
sure it never ate the food (it didn't form a bulb around itself as
usual).
<I suggest trying some silversides. Not all anemones will
accept the same foods. There are many cases where some anemones reject
many common foods, and will accept silversides. Based on the condition
of the anemone, I would feed a 1/8 inch sized portion of silversides
daily. Once it improves I would go to 1/4 inch sized portion every 2 to
3 days for a month or two.>
Thanks again for your help.
<You’re
welcome!>
Shoot! I forgot to answer your other questions too. My
RO/DI unit is 4-5 months old, and my TDS reads 148 going in and 0 going
out, so I think the filters are working fine.
<I would take a sample
into your LFS to double check. It is not uncommon for 4-5 month old
filters to need to be replaced.>
My T5 bulbs are about 7 months old
or so--they do not have separate reflectors.
<Is it time to clean the
salt off of the reflector and bulbs?>
All of my mushrooms are at the
edges of my tank, and the BTA sits in the middle of my tank. Relatively
speaking, there isn't a mushroom near the BTA.
<They do not have to
be next to each other to have chemical warfare.>
I will start
swapping out the carbon more often. I realize that things in the marine
world happen slowly (sometimes). The BTA and the shrooms have lived
together for 5 or 6 months.
<Chemical warfare is a perfect example of
things going bad slowly. With anemones, it can take months, or even a
few years before it starts showing ill signs. Brenda>
Re: Sick BTA, E. Quadricolor, Possible Chemical Warfare – 12/4/07
Thanks again.
<You’re welcome!>
The anemone is actually quite big
when healthy, at least 3 times as big as the clown. I was able to get a
feeding response from it by trying another piece of fresh clam, but it
wasn't nearly as vigorous as usual.
<I would still try the
silversides. Are you positive that what you have is a BTA? After our
last e-mail, I started thinking it may possibly be an LTA, which may
explain why it hasn’t climbed higher in the tank.>
I clean the salt
spray from the shields on my lights every week.
<Good!>
Andy
<Brenda>
Re: Sick BTA, E. Quadricolor, Possible Chemical Warfare – 12/5/07
Brenda,
<Andy>
I'm not sure of anything, although it was sold to
me as a "bulb anemone" and did have bubble tips for about the first
month or so, so I'm pretty sure it's a BTA.
<It does appear to be.>
I will get silversides tonight and start the feeding routine you
suggested. I'll keep you posted.
<Great! I’ll keep my fingers
crossed!>
Thanks for all your help.
Andy
<You’re welcome and
good luck! Brenda>
Re: Sick BTA, E. Quadricolor, Possible Chemical Warfare – 12/7/07
Well Brenda, I am at a loss as to what is going on with my BTA. For
three nights I have tried to feed it small pieces of silversides and I
am pretty sure that the BTA failed to eat at least 2 of those 3 times.
Tonight, I stood on a chair with my arm in the tank for 45 minutes
chasing all my hermits and shrimps away from the anemone hoping to
ensure that it could eat unmolested.
<I would remove the hermits and
shrimp, or you could place a plastic strawberry basket over the anemone.
However, based on the location of the anemone, I don’t know if you are
going to be able to do this. Removal of the shrimp and crabs is best! I
have seen shrimp go digging inside an anemone looking for food several
hours after feeding an anemone. Eventually the shrimp became the
anemones dinner. Pay backs are rough sometimes. All crabs have the
potential to be predators.>
My back now aches and the skin on my hand
became shriveled, and the BTA ultimately released the silverside without
eating.
<Ouch!>
I raised my temp to 80 degrees and the salinity is
now over 1.025.
<Needs to be 1.026 and stable.>
Is it possible
that it is getting ready to split and that's why it is not eating?
<Is possible, but I don’t believe this is what is going on.>
If it
starts to die, how in the heck do I get it out of my tank?
<First,
I’m not sure that your anemone is going to die soon, but it is possible.
It is hard to say without a better picture. However, in the even that it
does, you will need to remove it quickly before the rest of your
livestock dies. It is not going to be a fun easy task. If it is already
falling apart (this happens rather quickly) when you find it, you may be
able to suction it out. Either way, it is going to be extremely
unpleasant for you and your livestock. Keep plenty of extra saltwater on
hand. You will need to do a large water change and run fresh carbon.
Keep a close eye on the water parameters for the first two week.>
It's at the bottom of my tank with its foot firmly planted under LR.
Also, I seriously believe my Clown will die from loneliness.
<As I
stated before, your anemone is much too small for the Maroon. They need
to be separated. Maroons are harsh on a smaller anemone and likely
deadly to a sick anemone. Your clownfish will be a little upset over the
loss, but will not die without an anemone. Have you taken your water
samples in to be tested yet? Were the readings the same as your test
kits? I still believe that you do not have enough lighting to support
this anemone. Unfortunately, I can not explain why it regained its color
after you got it and is now ill. Your lighting, a Maroon loving it to
death, water parameters, toxins in the water, the shrimp and the crabs,
are all possibilities. I would start looking into finding another home
for the anemone, preferably someone experienced with sick anemones. I
believe this situation is going to continue to worsen. If you need help
finding someone, let me know your location and I will see if I can find
someone local to you. For now, I suggest contacting your closest reef
club. A LFS is not likely going to take on this task.>
Andy
<I
wish I had better news for you! Brenda>
Re: Sick BTA, E. Quadricolor, Possible Chemical Warfare – 12/7/07
Brenda,
<Andy>
Without breaking down my entire tank, there is no
way that I am going to get this BTA out of the tank. His foot is wedged
deep between the bottom of my tank and a piece of LR. It just isn't
going to happen.
<Try aiming a powerhead at it (without blasting
it). Maybe you’ll get lucky and it will move on its own. Can you see the
anemones foot from underneath the tank? Is it attached to the glass? If
so, possibly something cold (soft ice pack) from underneath, along with
the powerhead may irritate the foot enough to make it move. It is a long
shot, but worth a try. If this doesn’t work, there really is no other
option other than tearing the tank apart. Letting it die is not an
option in my opinion.>
Believe it or not, the Clown was just a tiny
sucker when I got her--dwarfed by the BTA. And as I said in a previous
email, when healthy, the BTA is actually quite large--double if not
triple the size of the Clown.
<Yes, I am aware of that, but
circumstances have changed drastically.>
The one thing I totally
forgot to do, and which I will do Saturday, is take my water to the LFS.
Thanks again for all your time/help. Andy
<You’re Welcome! Brenda>
Re: Sick BTA, E. Quadricolor, Possible Chemical Warfare – 12/7/07
Brenda,
<Andy>
I've read many times on WWM that "allowing an
animal to die is never an option". With all due respect to the love that
we all have for our animals, I don't necessarily agree that allowing an
animal to die is always "wrong" and is never an "option".
<I am not
convinced that your anemone could not live a long healthy life if it
were given the proper environment.>
In fact, under appropriate
circumstances, it may even be the right option. Rather, in deciding to
entirely break down a large tank to save one animal, I think one needs
to consider the incredible amount of stress that such action would place
on all the other livestock and the possibility that, in saving one
animal, you may kill others.
<I am fully aware of the stress involved
in tearing a tank apart. I can assure you that a dead anemone, can crash
your entire system quickly, leaving you with a total loss. I did
recommend the lesser of the two evils here.>
In addition, in my
particular situation, one needs to consider whether you will actually be
able to dislodge the anemone without severely injuring it in the
process.
<Extreme caution is always required when handling anemones.
However, it is not an impossible task.>
Add to all of that the stress
placed on the fish keeper, his or her available facilities (e.g.,
ability to move and hold healthy livestock while breaking down the tank,
etc.), and any number of other factors.
<When you purchase any
animal, you are ultimately responsible for their care. This animal did
not ask to be removed from the ocean.>
My tank is large, heavy and
sits on an oak stand. I can't see or access the bottom of the tank. The
BTA's foot is wedged deep between the glass bottom and a large piece of
live rock. I honestly do not believe that I could physically get this
anemone out of this crevice without tearing its foot. The power head
idea may work, though.
<If you can see the foot, or have a general
idea where it is, aim the powerhead in that direction.>
As with
everything in life, there are no absolutes, there is never only one
"right" way to do things, and there is no "single" moral compass
that
we all must follow. We all love our animals, or we wouldn't be in the
hobby. Some hobbyist obviously are more caring/thoughtful than others,
but I honestly believe that very few of us go out and spend thousands of
dollars on a display and thousands of hours of hard work only to take a
"I don't care about my animals" attitude. I certainly do not want to see
my BTA die, and I am certainly committed to keeping my livestock healthy
and happy and to nurse them back to health when they are sick.
<You
are correct, there are no absolutes. However, given a proper environment
and proper care, they won’t get sick. The lack of lighting issue was
mentioned to you back in early or mid October. Nearly two months have
gone by. You stated that upgrading the equipment was not an option at
this time. Sufficient lighting, double checking your water parameters
with another source, removing the clownfish for a month or two, or
finding a new home, may save this creatures life. That my friend is the
“single” moral thing to do.>
Hopefully things will work out for my
BTA.
<I truly hope so too!>
Andy
<Good luck to you! I hope that
someday you are able to send me an e-mail telling me that the anemone is
thriving. Brenda>
Re: Sick BTA, E. Quadricolor, Possible Chemical Warfare, – 12/8/07
Brenda,
<Andy>
I hereby crown you the Angry Crew Member.
<You
are sadly mistaken here. I am not angry, but I am disappointed in your
lack of willingness to satisfy this animals needs.>
The WWM Crew
frequently requests that posters read their e-mails twice to make sure
that the spelling, grammar, etc. is correct.
<Yet I’m still fixing
yours!>
In the same vein, I ask you to save your responses for 12
hours and then come back and read them again to make sure you really
want to hit "send".
<I answer when time allows, and will continue to
do so.>
The only reason I am dignifying your tone/comments is that I
celebrated the holidays with our friends tonight and I have a few beers
in me.
<Is your drug altered state of mind supposed to be funny,
insulting or threatening? It is not welcome here!>
I have news for
you--long before October, long before you were involved in my BTA issue,
even before I bought my BTA, I asked two reputable local fish stores
about the suitability of my lighting system with a BTA, and each of them
stated that my T5 lighting would be fine.
<How is that working out
for you?>
In fact, I even posed the question to WWM and RMF (if
memory serves) stated that my T5 lighting system should be sufficient,
that the BTA would likely find its "spot" in my tank and that I would
know soon enough by its movement, etc. whether it was happy. It's been 6
or 7 months . . .
<The words “likely” and “should” are key words
here, and “soon enough” has now passed. Providing Bob with the correct
information on your lighting would have been more helpful. You did not
know if your T-5 lighting system had individual reflectors or not. In
fact you did not understand what individual reflectors were. I explained
this to you.>
This is a 10-day old problem.
<No, the problem
started the day you purchased the anemone and placed it in your tank
without researching their requirements.>
When I asked you previously
about my lighting, my BTA was seemingly in fine health, eating, large,
and happy.
<Perhaps a refresher is needed:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/spgidf7.htm >
I asked you BECAUSE I was
being proactive by trying to get as much info/opinion as possible. While
I respect your opinion, it is not universally shared.
<I have spent
many hours researching and caring for anemones. The information that I
provided to you is the best available to date.>
Define "proper
environment" and "proper care". Is it lighting? Is it food? Is it luck?
<There are many factors involved. This information was previously
provided to you. It is also posted many times on WWM. “Luck” is not the
answer when providing long term care for this delicate creature.>
You
don't know the answer, and you've admitted to me as much.
<My
statement in my first e-mail regarding this issue: “The anemone appears
healthy. If you have individual reflectors on your T-5s, I would leave
things alone.”>
If my lighting is so bad, why has my BTA remained in
the same spot for 7 months and not moved to the top of my LR so that it
can be as close to the light as possible?
<It may not have the energy
to move. It clearly doesn’t even have the energy to eat.>
Why has its
color improved?
<I have not seen this. Again, this is based on your
description.>
Don't lecture me about my responsibilities. I have
spent countless hours researching WWM, books, articles, etc.
<This is
not a lecture, but a repeat of the hundreds of posts already on
WetWebMedia.>
I have spent thousands of dollars on supplies,
equipment, etc. to ensure that my pets have a good environment.
<A
million dollars invested in the wrong equipment won’t help.>
My wife
thinks I live in my basement as it is. I'm not the Baltimore Aquarium,
for God's sake. I don't have 30 tanks waiting to house my fish and
inverts while I rescue an animal.
<You have a 110 gallon tank here.
Do the math! You won’t need 30 tanks.>
I'm doing the best I can here,
by writing you as soon as I see a problem, by feeding, by testing water,
etc.
<No, not the best, just what you are willing to do, and you are
not considering the animal’s life. Writing won’t help much unless you
actually act.>
That's what's moral.
<Obviously we don’t agree
here.>
I fully intend to take a sample to my LFS.
<Is a good
choice, should have been done already.>
I don't know what your day
job is, but mine doesn't involve sitting at home with hours of free time
on my hands to run off <to> the LFS whose hours don't always match up
with my schedule.
<My day job is not your business.>
It will get
done tomorrow. And, what if my water checks out fine? What then?
<Does upgrading your lighting, removing the clownfish, chemical warfare,
correcting your water parameters sound familiar?>
What if the BTA is
simply dying?
<Anemones don’t just “simply” die without cause. They
can out live both of us if given the proper environment.>
I just put
down my dog. She was 15. I could have spent thousands of dollars on
surgery, but the vet said she probably wouldn't make it through the
surgery and, even if she did, there was a good possibility that she
would die anyway. He said it was just her time.
<May she rest in
peace! So it must be the anemone’s time too?>
Sometimes things just
happen, and all the water changes, and MH lighting, and food, and
isolation won't change a thing.
<I’m not sure where you are getting
your information here, but it is incorrect in this case.>
Clearly
there is something wrong with my BTA.
<Oh yes! Clearly!>
I will do
all in my power to figure out what that is and hopefully remedy it.
<It has been figured out for you. I have listed the remedy. It won’t fix
itself.>
I honestly do not want my BTA to die or to foul my tank. I
have invested too much time and money to want that to happen.
<Perhaps a little more time and money will fix the situation.>
I
thank you kindly for all of your insight and help. Happy Holidays.
<Andy, when you do sober up please know that I will no longer be
assisting you. Brenda>
Re: BTA Health... effective communication 12/9/07
Brenda,
<Mmm, no, BobF this time>
You don't have to assist me
anymore, but I need to set the record straight because you aren't
reading.
<Have just reviewed this corr. Here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/btadisf6.htm>
You seriously have issues.
<...?>
Threatening? Don't be ridiculous or a jerk.
<......?>
Nothing in my post could be construed as threatening. Funny? A good
assessment? Yeah, those two. Maybe it's just your email mannerism, but
my problem with you is that you come across as a holier than thou,
know-it-all jerk (and I have seen this in many other responses from you
to others, including one in which you scolded a poster by making a
reference to your dying grandfather-- your day job is no one's business,
but your grandfather is?).
<Take care here my friend... this is
neither pertinent, nor proper>
I will ignore your "sober up" and
"drug induced" remarks (as well as your typos that were in your earlier
responses--people who live in glass houses . . .). They are wholly
inappropriate based on an incorrect reading of my post. I was simply in
a good mood.
You have made these grand statements about how I failed
to do my research, how I neglected to tell Bob about my lighting, how I
am unwilling to buy a different lighting system, how I am unwilling to
take the steps necessary to help my anemone, etc. They are all just
plain wrong.
You are right, I willingly misrepresented my lighting
system to Bob when I told him that I had the "Current Nova Extreme T5 HO
lighting system." I have used this same description with others as well.
You guys are the fish experts, which is why we write. Even though this
is an extremely popular and common unit, I guess I should have known
that no one knew that it didn't have individual reflectors (and known to
even ask the question/know the difference!).
I take exception to
your comment that I failed to do research. First, I did do research
before I purchased the BTA. I read WWM, I read CMA, I researched other
sites, and I asked the industry. Apparently you want me to take a
college course. Many people successfully keep anemones using T5
lighting--this is evidenced by hundreds of posts on WWM and elsewhere.
Show me a site other than your posts which states "if you're going to
use T5 lighting with anemones, you must use individual reflectors--that
Nove Extreme system just won't work." If (1) the manufacturer's
description, (2) the retailer's description, and (3) two separate LFSs
all indicate that the fixture is appropriate, and RMF doesn't mention
anything about individual reflectors after I described my situation, why
in the world would I think to ask the question? What more research could
I have done? You just need to be right today, that's all.
<For
some/whatever record, reflectors can/do help to focus, re-direct
considerable amounts of light energy>
Also, I didn't say I wasn't
willing to upgrade lighting--I said it was less than a year old and
expensive, and I hated to trash it if I didn't have to. You suggest
reflectors or MH, someone else suggests swapping in 14000K bulbs the
next time I replace, someone else says my T5s are fine. Clearly a
consensus, and I can understand how you could think that I am a totally
irresponsible, uninformed hobbyist.
<Mmm, I don't see/read Brenda as
coming across, stating this>
As for the 30 tank comment, I guess you
don't recognize hyperbole when you see it.
FYI, my water checked out
fine except phosphates were a little high (0.2) and iodine levels were
extremely low to non-existent, which is odd because I do weekly water
changes. The LFS stated that these two factors could definitely be the
cause of my BTA's refusal to eat. I have taken chemical steps to fix
these issues and will try to figure out what could be causing my
phosphates. I have also been able to get my BTA to eat thawed mysis
shrimp the last 2 night--I don't know why it won't touch the
silversides.
<I encourage you to use tongs rather than placing your
hands in the system for any period/length of time>
I look forward to
working with a calmer, less judgmental Crew member the next time around.
Andy
<It is my opinion from reading the corr. here that your Premnas
IS much too large, is over-bullying this Entacmaea. Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/marclncompfaqs.htm
and that this Anemone is
indeed in other ways in a less-than ideal setting in terms of light,
other Cnidarian presence, foods/feeding... Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm
and the linked files above. I think you should seek your free input
elsewhere Andy... at least until which time you can be/are civil. I
count myself a tolerant person, but will not allow such rudeness as this
missal... Bob Fenner>
For Brenda/Bob... BTA hlth., more impt.ly, WWM and tolerance... a/the
human cond., beh. patterns, consequences and politics 12/30/07
Dear Brenda and Bob,
<Andy>
I sent an e-mail to Bob's hotmail
account a few weeks ago, but I'm not sure that address is functional so
I thought it best to send an e-mail through WWM (and I wanted Brenda to
hear me out too). So . . . now that I've had a chance to think about
things . . . I have realized a few things, not the least of which is
that you don't bite the hand that feeds you. WWM is a wonderful,
one-of-a-kind website. There is nothing for hobbyists that parallels WWM
on the web. I am very glad I found it, although I wish I had done so
before I got back into the hobby.
That said, I wanted to apologize
to Brenda for my responses to her e-mails relating to the health of my
BTA. Whether my perception of her e-mail "tone" was right or wrong, I
know that you guys do this for free, because you love the hobby, and
that, as I was looking to her for free help, I should have used a little
bit more restraint in my responses to her.
<Agreed>
E-mail is
impersonal and, as such, no matter in what context or forum e-mail is
used, a sender's "attitude"/tone is often misinterpreted by the
recipient. I think this potential is especially likely in less formal
settings like (no disrespect intended) chat forums and the like.
In
my line of work, where client perception is everything, the manner in
which an e-mail is likely to be interpreted is something of which I try
to be constantly cognizant before I hit "send".
<A good stance, point
of view>
To this end, I almost always re-read my e-mails a few times
before I send them to make sure that they says and mean what I want them
to say and mean. In retrospect, I should have used similar judgment in
responding to Brenda and either toned things down or simply not
responded at all.
<You are wise here>
I think the e-mail exchange
between Brenda and me was a victim of such unintended interpretations.
Although I honestly believe that nothing in my e-mails to Brenda could
have been, or should have been, construed as rude or uncivil, I
understand that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", and I apologize
to Brenda and you if either of you perceived my "tone" to be less than
grateful.
<I will accrue this msg. with the rest... To me... there
were overtly rude statements>
I know you both realize that we don't
live in a perfect world, that we all have "other" lives requiring other
commitments (like work, children, paying bills, etc.), that we live in
houses that impose constraints on our set-ups and ability to deal with
problems, that our wives don't always approve of turning basements into
the National Aquarium, etc., and that, sometimes, some things are just
not practical or practicable. I am very aware of the responsibilities
that I took on when I decided to keep marine animals but, as with
everything in life, there will always be limits as to what is possible
in a given situation. When you're worried about your animals/investment
and are faced with a touchy situation--when you know what your limits
are and have tried to articulate them--it's difficult to listen to
criticism. I honestly felt that Brenda's comments to me were someone
brusque, but be that as it may I realize that she was simply giving me a
dose of reality.
<Mmmm, yes>
I hope that Brenda and you will
accept my apology and that you will remove me from the "black list".
<We have no such list/s... nor have I ever, or will "block" people...
Childish. I only hope to urge others to civil discourse. Realize that we
all, including myself are not paid, are volunteers, are "mere" humans as
well... Earnestly interested in aiding others... on an informal, ongoing
basis... NOT perfect, certainly NOT doing this work as a "job"...>
As
an aside/update, as a result of Brenda's comments I decided to upgrade
my lighting to a unit with 2x250W HQI and 4x65W pure actinic PCs.
Although my BTA is not entirely back to normal, I believe (and hope)
that it is on the mend, as it has stopped moving around the tank and has
become more full since I replaced the lighting (I used the screen
technique discussed on WWM to acclimate my system to the new lighting).
I tried to remove it to my QT, but I wasn't successful and didn't want
to damage it. On a good note, my clown has pretty much left it alone.
And, on the upside, my mushrooms, tree corals and Xenia have NEVER
looked better/healthier--they are much more full--and I am very glad I
upgraded.
Andy
<I am very glad to see/read of your improvements
and benefitted livestock. Bob Fenner> |
Going, going...
.JPG)
