Blue bell tunicates.

I've had some blue bell tuncates for about a month now. I'm not sure how common or easy they are to maintain. They seem to have shrunken and look almost whithered. Water parameters are fine. I alternate feeding with 2 types of live phytoplankton and also zooplankton. I add essentials (iodine, calcium, etc.) once a week with a 10% water change. Any advice?

 

They need a LOT of food.

Are you just pouring the phyto into the tank or are you carefully target feeding them directly with a turkey baster? Have you turned the pumps off temporarily?

Please put up a step by step post of how you are feeding them. They can be kept alive but you definately have a challenging animal on your hands.

 

tuncate

Hello, I bought a piece of coral with some mushrooms, That had a
blueish/purple one attached.. A nice sized one.
At night mine used to do the same thing, shrink down, etc..
But would open up good in the day time..
And close both vents.. but stopped after a few days.
Is yours keeping the intake vent open, should be it's the left vent..??
Does it stay bad looking all the time..
Mine is really doing good now and has grown some..( so far )..
But I've only had mine one month.. They do like alot of food, but I guess you can even overdo that.. Is anything touching it..?? Good flow, but not to much, and good light.. And again not way to much..
Keep us posted..
I give mine Med light, and flow.. Hope this helps alittle..

Good Luck, Larry

 

They are in med light/flow. When I bought them they had a bit of some red and green/brown algae growing throughout. It grew pretty well and I think may have been choking out the tunicates? So, I removed most of it carefully as I could about a week ago. Maybe that'll help. They are so small now that all I can really see is one little vent open.

Feeding wise I could probably try as you suggested. Currently I leave the pump/filter on and just disperse the phyto/zooplankton throughout the aquarium. Is there a specific food that tunicates do best with? I will try turning off the flow and spot feeding them.

 

How are they now ??

phyto/zooplankton shoulde be good, and what you feed your fish will flow
near them.. I use a turkey blaster. to clean around mine..

Sorry about the right, left vents..!! LOL
It depends on which way you have them faceing in your tank..
I have 260 watts total light.. And have mine about 1/2 way up in my tank..
Tank is about 17 inches high with 3 to 4 inches sand.. 55 Gal

Later Larry

 

i was under the impression they are filter feeders and dont need any light at all, other then to view them

 

That is correct. They are completely azooxanthellate.