RBTA...man these guys are mobile

[Jamie]

Well...I just got a gorgeous RBTA from rocketeer. He stayed put yesterday while the lights were on. As soon as the lights went out though, he broke free and was moving all over the tank. He probably went from one end of the tank and back twice...giving my wife and I a heart attack all last night and today. Around 2PM today he settled down upside-down in a crevice...I go to bed a little after 1030...he's fine....still tucked in his crevice. My wife gets back from work a couple of minutes ago freaking out because he decided to wander around again...and of course he some how moved up-stream to the Koralia 4 and was trying to get sucked through! I turned off the powerhead and he's moving around...obviously really ticked. He may have been there for 1 hour or 1 minute, I don't know. He hasn't left the top of the power head yet. After reading the RBTA vs. Maxijet Mod thread, I guess I'm just going to wait until morning.

What the heck am I supposed to do...stay up 24/7 until it finds a spot it likes? I'm going to keep the powerheads off tonight...I hope he stays away from the overflows! He is such a nice specimen, I really want it to do well.

[jrsatx20]

I Just Got A New Carpet For My Bday. The First Day He Was Fine 2nd Day He Moved From The Hole N Stuck To A Rock On The Outside, So I Said Ok He'll Be Fine. Ran Errands Came Home Still Ok. Went To Bed Woke Up And He Was Stuck In My #4 Powerhead. I Turned Off The Powerhead And It Took Him A Day To Wiggle Himself Free. Now I Have To Wait And See If He Will Be Ok.

[captexas]

Unfortunately, you will probably just have to let it find a spot it likes on its own. They will move around to find a spot they like based on water movement, light, and of course for food. When I got my anemone it stayed in the same spot for a few months and seemed happy there. Then it just decided to go exploring. It's done at least two laps around the tank and is stuck on the front glass right now. I'm thinking it didn't like it when I added the Hydor 4 to the tank! lol

[ErikH]

Mine decided that after 6 months of being in the same spot that it wants to be closer to the light so it decided to move in right underneath and encrusting red cap. Needless to say, I will probably lose the cap, but I have another piece so I am covered.

[Bill S]

Once they settle down, they usually stay - mine do.

[Joshua]

Mine stayed in one rock for about 3 years through several tank moves, rock rearrangements, and 2 different tank upgrades/downgrades. It finally moved when I put it's rock in the little 14 gallon biocube. Long ago I had one that moved a lot and got sucked into a powerhead several times and really looked horrible, once being pulled all the way through the screen and shredded so the screen was embodied somewhere in the middle of the anemone. Each time it recovered fine and was able to walk again, until it found the closed loop...

[Jamie]

Well, I kept the powerheads off last night. This morning before I left for work, he had wiggled himself out of the powerhead screen, but was still on the powerhead. He moved again and has stuck to a different rock...for now. He is pretty damaged...but I think he'll pull through. He was stuck upside down on the powerhead...so its tentacles took the brunt of it, not its foot. I just turned the powerheads back on. Now it's back to "wait and see" mode. I swear, it's like having an infant in the house again...all sorts of stress and no sleep...lol.

[SoLiD]

Yeah, powerheads & most anemones don't mix well. As long as he is able to stick somewhere he should recover. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for ya.

[Mr_Cool]

Mine was the "RBTA vs. Maxijet" thread. It stayed on the powerhead all night and was there in the morning. I got it free and put him on a rock that I thought was protected from the flow. I don't know if he move himself or if he got blown off the rock, but I haven't seen it for a few weeks.

Could it have been eaten by my serpant star? I noticed one day that his body was just huge compared to what it usually is.

[zcatzmeow]

Mine took off exploring the other day too. It had been in one place for a couple weeks and made it through one tank move. After about a week in the tank it took off. Man...those guys move fast! Everytime I would glance over he'd move a couple more inches with his little anemone crab holding on for the ride. I started to worry because he was heading towards a bunch of corals so I hurried, made him a batch of food and then fed him thinking that....well, he'll stay put while he's eating and then I can keep an eye on him again tomorrow. I'm sure it's complete coincidence, but since that feeding he's stopped his travels. :)

[Jamie]

It seems to be doing better. I'm sure it will take a long time for the damaged tentacles to heal. Of course it's stopped in a spot that I don't like...I'm actually hoping it moves again...more towards the front of the tank so we can easily see it.

[crabman]

my bta just split a couple of hours ago! i've only had it 2-3 months, anything i should be doing for this or just keep on going as normal? the clone ate but i left the room for a few minutes and couldn't tell if the original ate or someone stole his food.

[JLiu]

my bta just split a couple of hours ago! i've only had it 2-3 months, anything i should be doing for this or just keep on going as normal? the clone ate but i left the room for a few minutes and couldn't tell if the original ate or someone stole his food.

Personally I would recommend 20% water change and another 20% in 3 days then back to what ever your normal is. It's odd that they are eating since their mouth's were torn in half. Wait about a week to a week and a half (mouth heal time) then try to feed them small bits daily till they start to expand out.

[brewercm]

I've found there is just no place save for an anemone. My last tank I had a RBTA that was fine and stayed put for a while, and all I had was a closed loop system, no power heads at all. Then it decided to go on the move one day and kept moving around. At one point part of it got sucked into the 2" bulkhead for the closed loop and I had little pieces of it all over the tank. I did see the remainder and it was doing fine, a few weeks later I noticed another small one on the back side of a rock. Apparently the sections that survived had split when piece got sucked into my closed loop system. They appear to be much more hardy than people realize.

[rocketeer]

Hi,

I haven't been on the computer for a while. Sorry to hear you're having trouble. They do heal fast. And it's amaizing how much damage they can tolerate.

Yeah, a water change might be a good idea.

I'm not sure if I mentioned feeding when I talked to you. Many people don't feed BTAs, but I think it helps growth and stability. I have been feeding two or three times a week alternating between jumbo shrimp and sea scallops. Yes, they eat better than I do sometimes. A lot of people use silversides. Frozen brine shrimp, mysis, and even flake food will be taken in. They don't seem to like bay scallops. Just spoiled I guess. I feed a thin slice about the size of my fingernail. Frozen jumbo shrimp and scallops seem to slice easier if you thaw slightly by holding under running water for a couple seconds, then refreeze.

Good luck,
Jack

[Bill S]

For the most part, I don't feed mine. Adding a silversides to a tank for them to eat is akin to a fish dying in your tank.

It split likely due to stress - it's a survival mechanism.

[crabman]

i think adding any frozen food is like adding a dying fish to your tank if its not consumed. if the silverside is eaten it should be fine just as anything else would be. its when it sits at the bottom is when its an issue.

[zcatzmeow]

I think I enjoy feeding my BTA as much as he enjoys eating :) Every couple of days I will intentionally target feed him using long tweezer feeder things. He really enjoys the PE Mysis with a garlic marinade ;) I'll usually feed him the amount equal to a teaspoon or so. First one tweezerful, and I watch him eat. Then if he opens up again within several minutes then a second tweezerful.

[crabman]

He really enjoys the PE Mysis with a garlic marinade ;)
that garlic in my tank gets everything opened up! i use garlic xtreme, it rocks

[SoLiD]

If you have an abundant & active clean up crew then you don't have worry too much about excess food. Every piece of food disappears in my tank in minutes. I've also noticed that if I have at least 10+ peppermint shrimp in my tank; they will systematically rummage for food in every nook and crevice in my tank 2-3 times over when the lights go out. They will even pick ick off fish. I think peppermint shrimp are a must have in every tank.

Now with that said, I'd feed your RBTA after he's healed up a bit. I wouldn't rush in to shoving food in his mouth until you think he's ready. When you think he's ready is up to your judgement.

[Bill S]

Whether that silverside is eaten by the anemone - and 98% of it converted to anemone waste - or it sits on the bottom. It's STILL organic matter that has to be converted all the way through the nitrogen cycle.

[crabman]

Whether that silverside is eaten by the anemone - and 98% of it converted to anemone waste - or it sits on the bottom. It's STILL organic matter that has to be converted all the way through the nitrogen cycle.
the same can be said for all frozen food...

[SoLiD]

May be I need to video my Pep's & Snails waiting for my RBTA's .... um poop.

BTW: My Nitrates are undetectable with 2 different test kits.

[crabman]

May be I need to video my Pep's & Snails waiting my RBTA's .... um poop.
:rofl: thats hilarious! and by the way i'm so sorry for hijacking your thread! i seriously did not mean to do that!

[Jamie]

So how exactly am I supposed to feed it? Do I just lay the food on it's disk/mouth? How does it stay there? How big should the pieces be? How long does it take for it to eat?

For starters, could I try to target feed with some brine?

Thanks, Jamie

[SoLiD]

I'll call you and give you the 411.

[Jamie]

Whoa....that was cool. I cut off a hunk of a Formula One cube and placed it on the RBTA's tentacles. Immediately it responded and moved the food to its mouth. It closed up and surrounded the food. Within a couple of minutes the chunk of food was gone. Way cool to watch for the first time.

David...just saw your post...figures that my cell is off and charging. I wish it was on 5 minutes ago because I was totally winging it, just hoping I was doing it right, stressing out...lol.

[DrMark]

All the animals in the tank eat and excrete, thats what they do. Clean up crews, bacteria, and protein skimmers are designed to help with the rest. I think it is beneficial to feed the anenomes, just like you feed the fish. Many choices what to feed. A little piece of silverside a couple or three times per week is what I do. Use some long tweezers and, as you have figured out, place it on the tentacles long enough for it to grip it. It will do the rest. Wonderful animals.
Mark