Advice on my new RBTA

[smedley93]

Hello, I introduced a RBTA to my tank 2 weeks ago and now I'm a little concerned with its health. As I understand it, they require a lot of light so when I put it in the tank I tried to place it near the top half of tank but I shriveled up so I experimented with the current by turning some powerheads on and off. It would fill up and look real good when the current was lower. After a day I turned the powerhead back on at which point the anem moved up under the LR where it has stayed for the last week. I've tried to feed it but it just drops the food after a few min. Sometimes it fills to a point where it looks real stringy but most of the time it just stays shriveled up. My OC clowns won't have anything to do with it either.

Should I try to move it out or just let it be and hopefully it will move on its own out of the rocks where it can get some light?

Thanks

 

[Spears A418tm]

I would leave it alone. Mine has been shriveled up and I thought it was dead for a month, no reason. Then he just came out of it. It sometimes takes a few weeks for them to adjust...don't give up.

 

[ssavader]

RBTA's don't like it when a power head current is directed directly at them. Have the current directed so that the edge of the power stream is running on the BTA. The current will supply him with the flow that he needs, without blowing him off the rock.

 

[klavestat]

The key to success with BTAs in my experience is patience. And good circulation without blasting them (as the earlier posts said).
If you can afford it, Turbelle power heads by Tunze or similar methods of delivering high volume without a lot of shearing (laminar flow) force. My BTAs also seem to thrive on random current. We use a SCWD device that constantly swaps direction of current in the tank (without requiring power) and the BTAs like it. Our maroon clown is also a very attentive "room-mate". We don't feed the BTAs but she often shares bits of krill with them.