RBTA Help please
 

Ok here's the story. I bought a medium size rose bubble tip anemone and added it to my tank, It seemed to be thriving with big bubble tips and eating a small piece of shrimp every 3 or so days it doubled in size and then split a small piece off of itself. Both the mother & baby healed quick and were once again thriving. After about a month they both started retracting and loosing there bubble tips. The only change that was made to the tank was very slowly increasing kalkwasser every 10 days until it met the demand of the tank 1 1/2 tsp per 10 liters dosing 1000ml per night through dosing pump & adding an anemone crab. Both anemones were looking like they were going to die and we were heading out of town for 3 days so I removed the large anemone knowing that if both were to die it would crash the tank hard. When we came back the small one was still alive but barely I did a 50% water change and it seemed to perk up for a couple days then went back to it shriveled self. It has now been very retracted for over a month and barely has any bubbles. Before this happened it was at least 4X its current size. Not really sure where to go from here I guess just leave it be unless it looks like it is going to die...
https://i.imgur.com/7TXdmNFl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/UBd1SFSl.jpg

I've had this happen in a tank with no obvious issues. Just kept on doing maintenance. The months later, it got big again and proceeded to murder my hammer as thanks.

Probably not a very helpful reply, but just saying I went through the exact same thing.

what levels were you watching with the kalkwasser adjustments?
Ph? Alkalinity? Calcium?

Did any of them swing more than expected at the start?

I read somewhere that they are sensitive to PH. The kalkwasser could be causing swings in pH. Have you checked the PH lately?

PH
 

Yes I have a Milwaukee Martini ph-55 meter pretty stable 8.0-8.1 doesn't swing with lit refuge on reverse cycle. 8.0 right now. everything else in the tank is doing great.

S 1.025
Cal 425(red sea)
Alk 8.0-8.2(red sea)
mag 1350-1400(red sea)
Nitrate <5
Phos 0! actually 0(api,salifert,redsea)

swings
 

PH was always stable Cal & Alk were always low but became less and less as I came closer to the magic kalk number.
Everything has been stable for around 2mo now

How big is it originally? The baby nem look small and was not a direct split from the first nem. Normally it is almost 50/50 split.

I have these small babies pop out of no where about twoonie size once a while and they take a while to open and and more finicky sometimes or they would be strange color. i bet that anemone crab is not helping that small one

How is the bigger one looking like?

Any other coral in the tank that is ia near? What fish do you have?

Well holy sh!% I just went and looked at the tank and the GD crab had its claw right inside the anemone and was pulling food or pieces of the anemone out of its mouth. wtf, then I tried to grab the little little prick and he pinched me real good.
He has a date with the sump later........ I will get him

Claw dropper
 

Well I waited till the lights were out and went in to catch him, had to try and get him to move out of a crack in the rock and he dropped one of his claws. Now looking it up I see that if they feel threatened they will drop a claw to distract the predator. The claw should grow back in a few molts, pretty cool
I hope he enjoys his new sump and 2 mandarin friends.

Ill post a new pic of the RBTA in a month or so I almost guarantee the crab is the issue after seeing him claw deep in the anemones innards.

Thanks for all the reply's

In my experience, porcelain crabs are not a good mix with smaller RBT anemones (under 6"), as they seem to mostly pester them into remaining deflated.