BTA 'Unsplits'

Mike31154

Mike31154

New member
I'm serious. Yesterday around midday I noticed my green BTA quite deflated and starting to pull itself in half a la split mode. By the end of the day before lights out it was only joined by a thread, the mouth was stretched to the limit. My maroon clown female was still groovin' in there the odd time but she was fairly gentle. I looked in on things from time to time all glad that I'd soon have two BTAs and wondering where I would like the clone to be situated. Or perhaps see if someone wants to buy a BTA locally.

This morning, I swear, the thing was quite inflated again and it really seems like it's changed it's mind (what mind?) and is in the process of closing itself up around the horseshoe of what's left of the oral opening. Took some photos yesterday but my crappy camera doesn't really produce shots with adequate detail, lighting and focus seem to be issues through the glass. Auto focus/lighting can be a pain sometimes, wish I still had my old 35mm.

Anyone ever heard of or experienced something like this? Just looking at it again and it's definitely going back to a more circular shape and well inflated. I guess the next couple of days will be interesting to see how this plays out.
 
Could it have split and what you are seeing is just one half or both halves together to look like one? Can you see the oral opening?

Posting crappy pics is better then no pics.
 
I'm not home right at the moment but later today I'll try for some photos, depending on what I find. It essentially started the split all the way to the mouth but didn't complete the separation into two distinct parts. So it turned into a long anemone with what used to be the mouth completely open and exposed on one side. The other side is normal foot/flesh/tentacles. As mentioned it was quite deflated when it was in the process of splitting. After re-inflating it started reforming a circular shape as if trying to rejoin the two ends, with the mouth back in the middle. Hope I don't come home to a major disaster later today.
 
Ok, update with photos. Several from two days ago, the 9th and a few from today. I didn't take any yesterday when it was inflated and almost back together. It's more deflated again today but going through various stages & gyrations from inflated/deflated/long/oval.... Still, what used to be the mouth is mostly on the left side and the other side is regular foot & tentacle tissue. So the mouth is essentially non existent since it's been totally exposed since the split started.

Photos from the 9th. You can see how far apart it pulled itself by the location of the foot, top & bottom of photo.

A little blurry, but definitely a split in progress.

BTASplit1.JPG


This one's better, see the foot at top & bottom, not much left in the middle, just a string.

BTASplit2.JPG


Photos from today. Going through various modes, maybe it will finish the job.

Although this one is from today, it's similar to what happened yesterday where it's kind of putting itself back together. Taken with my older digital, actually better than the newer one as far as color & focus.
BTASplit3.JPG


And slowly back to long stretched out mode.
BTASplit4.JPG


Same idea, mouth mostly on the left while the right side is all foot & tentacles. Kind of back in a horseshoe shape.
BTASplit5.JPG


The next scheduled water change isn't until at least the weekend, but I may just do it sooner in hopes that it will help the process along. My two Maroons seem to be taking it in stride, not beating it up excessively. I generally feed it a piece of silverside every 3 days or so. Obviously can't feed it again until it regains some normal shape with an intact mouth. Don't think it will be able to 'unsplit' any longer at this point but it certainly doesn't seem in a hurry to finish the job. Just hope it doesn't start to disintegrate at some point. In all the posts I've seen regarding splits, it's generally over within 24 hours or less....
 
Hmm, that's a thought and I was away for a bit. I'll have a better look tomorrow, but the way the aquascaping is, I should be able to see number 2 somewhere, if that's the case. Then again, the other critters are pretty good at finding hiding places after lights out...
 
I think you might have 2 now. I once recall when mine had split, the other half had already moved to the other side.
 
Quite certain there's still only one. My rockwork is set up as two islands with space all around, nothing touching the glass, so I'm able to view most everywhere. If there was a clone, I'm sure I'd have seen it by now. I've had this specimen for almost two years now and am pretty confident in it's size, if there was a clone the part that I can still see would be smaller than it is.

Not much has changed in the last several days, it's still rather longish in a horseshoe shape with the torn mouth at the center of the horseshoe and the ends kind of curling back on to themselves, to create the horseshoe shape. I've got a batch of water mixing up and will do the change either tomorrow or on the weekend.
 
Just in case there's still some interest or possible input from anyone with a similar experience, I thought an update might be in order. Just over 2 weeks since the 'event' where my BTA decided to tear itself asunder but not finish the job. So I ended up with a half split BTA, with mouth along one side and normal tissue on the opposite side. No clone or other half in sight anywhere and I'm quite certain it did not completely split. It remained in a longish horseshoe shape for some time and I've been unable to feed the %$# thing due to the mouth being wide open along one side.

A large water change last weekend failed to induce any further action. Currently it seems intent on putting itself back together. It's no longer stretched out in an open horseshoe shape and the two ends are almost together again with the mouth in the middle, but still rather open & ragged. Fairly well inflated and other than this weirdness, apparently healthy. The Maroons are in there all night but not so much during the day, when they just hover fairly close and dive in occasionally for some lovin'. It's developed several abnormally large/fat tentacles near the mouth, although it has done that in the past, so not sure this means anything, other than that I probably have the BTA from Hell.

I think I mentioned it's been with me for better than two years now and there have been a number of other causes for concern, but it's always come back to health fairly quickly. It decided to move under and behind a rock once after having been happy in the position I originally placed it in for over a year. After a month in the shaded spot where I needed a mirror to see it, it began to shrink & bleach. Not sure how to best handle the situation, I decided to bite the bullet and rotate the rock rather than try to dislodge it from it's new found position. This required some extensive re aquascaping which I wasn't too keen on, but what the hey, anything to save the critter. Once back under the light, it recovered nicely and hasn't moved since.

Should probably mention that it wasn't looking too great for quite a number of months leading up to the half split. The mouth had a protrusion (inside coming out) which would vary in size depending on time of day. I realize this is considered a sign of stress, ill health and imminent death, but not much I could do other than keep the water stable and observe. It was still taking food during all this, but I made sure the portions were small. Again, it seemed to sort itself out and was looking good for a few weeks before the half split scenario. Anyhow, looking pretty good right at the moment and I might try a scrap of food in a couple of days if it keeps mending the way it is.
 
You know, I had actually pondered getting out the scalpel, but I think I'd rather allow nature to run its course, whatever that may be. Thanks very much for the kind words & input, much appreciated.
 
Thought I might resurrect this thread of the 'non' event almost a year ago. The BTA did indeed put itself back together after having nearly split.

Fast forward to just a couple of weeks ago, nature has finally run it's course and the critter decided to go through with a complete split. In fact two days ago the clone split as well so now I have three, count 'em, three GBTAs.

So far they're all staying relatively close together and I'll keep a close eye on them for a few weeks. My Maroon clownfish pair are having a field day playing around in the three of them. It's hilarious to see the large female trying to snuggle into a BTA not even half her size while the male is engulfed in the still fairly large mother BTA.
 
Just found this thread and my newly acquired RBTA is doing exactly the same.
I got it a few days ago and on full-out it's about 6-8 inches in diameter with 6 inch tentacles..
twice now it has shrivelled up and I can see the 'healing' side splitting again..

went back home for lunch, fed my chromis and voila.. shrivel up again and this time it looks like there is even more splits going on. I know nems take some time to settle, but never really had this going on.

I have another smaller GBTA that is bulletproof.. It also likes to be stingy in a split.. the latest clone is a whopping 1cm in diameter and now lives in the sump
 
Ha, ha, good to see I'm not the only one with a fickle BTA. Mine has been through a few near death experiences, but always recovered. Looking better than ever these days. I think it has a lot to do with the tank maturing and my switch from treated tap water to RO/DI a year and a half ago.... and welcome to the forum Mart.
 
i was just fixing to post a thread asking something like this...one of my rbta clones has been in split mode for three days now its like it started to split and changed its mind it now looks as if you cut a ring on only one side and streched it out, and today it let go of the other rock and looks as if it is coming back together
 
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