BTA Concern?

[Jeffrey1]

I have had my 45 gallon IFS set up for approximately 3.5 months so I am relatively new to the hobby. I purchased a BTA about 1.5 months ago to go with a yellow stripe maroon clown I had. The yellow stripe has since died and the BTA has lost quite a bit of its original color? Also in the past month the BTA has not fully opened and tenatacles are displaced to the sides of the anenome and seem deflated compared to when I purchased. When the clown was alive, he would feed the BTA regularly and since it died I have been feeding it once a week (krill, with the shell removed).
Is this normal? :?

I want to get another clown but am concerned that the BTA is not o.k. and don't want to proceed until I am confident it is, as the clown was much happier with his symbiotic friend. I am also considering another type of clown, a percula perhaps.

45 gal IFS
2x96 watt power compact lights
35 llbs live rock
recordia
fox coral
coral beauty (not picking too much on the coral)
3 fairy wrasses
cleaner shrimp
Good coraline algae begining to grow on tank and rock.

What do you think of my bioload thus far? Can my system take another fish or two?

As I am new to the hobby constructive criticism is greatly appreciate...

 

[Len]

By losing its color, is the BTA getting lighter or darker? Your lighting could be more intense, but in my experience 2x96W over a 3' shallow tank should be sufficient for BTAs. I recommend a ~30% water change and see if that doesn't perk your anemone back up. My fear is it's some toxicity in the water that is causing it to lose pigmentation and not fully inflate.

Also, I recommend you purchase another clownfish for your anemone. I've found BTAs do a lot better when hosting a clownfish. Neither true or false perculas naturally hosts in BTAs, but they may learn to adopt it in captivity. Maroons naturally hosts in BTAs but they do rather large. Bicintus, Clark's, Allardi, Blue Stripped (A.chrysopterus), and Tomatoes (A.frenatus) are clowns that also naturally host in BTAs.

As for your bioload, it is on the heavy side already. It's the 3 fairy wrasses that I'm concerned about. Cirrhilabrus usually get to about 4" each and require a lot of swimming space. In a 45 gallon, I am surprised yours do not fight. Are you sure these are fairy wrasses, not flasher wrasses (Paracheilinus sp.)? Flashers are a lot smaller and don't require the swimming area Fairy Wrasses do. If they are indeed Fairy Wrasses, I recommend you return two to your LFS for exchange. If they're Flashers and aren't fighting (one dominant male and 2 females would be the best scenario), then you're okay. FYI: both Flashers and Fairy Wrasses need to be in tanks that are completely covered (they're both jumpers).

Hope that helps.

 

[Jeffrey1]

Len, thanks for your informaiton.

The BTA is getting lighter not darker.

As far as the wrasses go, I am 90% sure they are fairy wrasses, however I will confirm when I get home tonight. They are beginning to get a little nippy at eachother, but nothing to be concerned about yet. I have one male and two female and they are 1.5" long at this point.

 

[Len]

At those sizes, it appears to me you have flasher wrasses. They are just the smaller cousins of fairy wrasses