zooxanthellae production

[MR Teee]

One for Chris I think...........

If I had a bleached BTA would there be anything else I could do to help it regain its zooxanthellae other than providing enough light and food for the anemone.

Do elevated Nitrates approx 20ppm play a part in the inhibited production of the algae?

[Chris, Reef Ranch]

I wish I knew what you meant by a BTA. I can only grasp it is an abbreviation commonly used in the hobby, but I have gathered it is an anemone!

Research has shown that the majority of recruitment of zooxanthellae post bleaching is through the division of existing symbionts. There are at least 2 ways a cnidarian can bleach, one is from excessive light/heat and the other is from phosphate limitation. It is possible to have too little phosphate and this can cause the zooxanthellae within the coral to crash.

If it has been through light/heat, then keep feeding it and move it to an area with less intense light and moderate flow. Keep your temperature down to around 24oC. It will also take zooplankton. Regular daily feeds can help because it is unable to gain great amounts of energy through light. Same goes for all bleached corals.

Hope this helped.

[MR Teee]

By BTA I meant a bubble tipped anemone or Entacmaea quadricolor.

I dont really know how it became stressed, They all appeared the same in the shop (obviously they were all bleached), so I picked what I thought was the most 'coloured up'.

Its at the bottom of my tank in a cave structure so I think it is happy with the light levels it is receiving.

I will carry on feeding it regularly and let you know how it fares.

Thanks Chris