Could my RBTA be splitting soon?

[bwyoung]

Hello,

I have had my (first) RBTA for about two months now and it has looked very content in my tank. It responds agressively to food and eats quite well. I have noticed that lately it has been pinched or bunched up a bit in the middle and it has more tentacles near the midline as well.

Does anyone think it may be splitting? If so, would it be far off? Or perhaps I am seeing things...

Overhead View

Front View

Thank you.

 

[AD87]

From the angles shown its looks like it, you really can tell if you look at the foot.

 

[Haddonisreef]

Its very possible just keep feeding and doning what you are doing! Anemone looks good Id jus give it time!

 

[bwyoung]

Thanks. I will keep an eye on it. I am due for a water change tonight anyway so perhaps that may nudge it...

 

[bwyoung]

Update - where did it go?

Update - where did it go?

This morning I awoke to find my anemone looking like this :eek1: - receding into the rock and poking out of another hole in the rock (this was a through hole).

Later in the day I could barely see any of it from either hole and just now he has more of his tentacles on the lower hole and just a bit at the upper.

I am a bit worried about this behavior. It is hard to believe he is the same anemone as the earlier pictures.

I would appreciate any ideas! (Maybe he is just splitting inside the rock cavities?)

Thank you.

 

[dalilgriffith]

Call Aunt Flow to come down and talk to her.

 

[Jamie1210]

it looks like a split is imminent, but mine have also done that stretching thing and never split at all! the mouth is the best telltale sign: if it starts looking elongated, then it will most likely split soon

 

[dc]

I would suggest just leaving it be.

 

[bwyoung]

Update - on the move and not looking good

Update - on the move and not looking good

Well he pulled himself through the rock hole and out the other side today. His foot had been deep inside the rock with him on the top of the rock (see above). It is now on the surface of the rock and not looking robust.

Any thoughts - is this splitting, dying, sick, or other?

He was looking and growing great for 2 months. The only recent changes have been feeding some silversides a week ago and adding the cleaner shrimp.

I will turn off my closed-loop pump to keep it from floating off and into the strainers.

Late this afternoon

A few minutes ago
[

Thanks!

 

[deadcpu]

I saw you have cleaner shrimp near by. I think those shrimp are the cause of your nem to shrink. I have 2 cleaner shrimp harrass my GBTA all the time for food. Those bastard keep coming even the GBTA poop.

 

[vessxpress1]

My RBTA split last week. About the same size as yours. I had been expecting it because the base was really getting seperated. The rock it's on doesn't have any holes like yours for it to go into so I could see it clearly. Actually watched it split.

Your cleaner shrimp could be a problem. I had 4 peppermint shrimp in the tank a while ago. They were really hard on everything. Target feeding was all but impossible.

The final straw was when I fed my small RBTA, it was done eating, and 20 minutes later, a peppermint shrimp was there reaching its claws down it's throat and ripping the food out. They also tore up some acan lords.

I won't have shrimp again. The novelty wore off.

Your RBTA really doesn't look that bad to me yet. I'd just leave it alone. There's no need to feed it all the time. Mine catches fish food once in a while and has grown fast at the bottom corner of the tank at the end, which is also getting the lowest light under the T-5s. I've had it for roughly a year and it split last week. But I got it when it was really tiny. Could have fit on a dime.

Now I have two about the size of silver dollars.

 

[MrRoo]

I would check the silversides you fed them! I fed my beautiful RBTA a bad silverside and it died about a week later. I no longer feed my anemones silversides, I chop up some squid and krill for them.

 

[klavestat]

I have 15 clones of 2 aquacultured BTAs (started out quarter-sized, now they're covering nearly 1/3 of our 180 gal tank).

Our split regularly and without any discernible pattern. First few times it happened we were freaked out. Despite what the books say, you have so seem them do it to believe it. Anyway, don't worry about it. Our clones always look HORRIBLE after they splint (they've literally torn themselves in two, including the mouth so it takes a while to regenerate). This includes holing up in caves for days at a time to mend.

I've had 2 clones wander into the overflow and end up in our poorly lit sump where they stayed for weeks until we realized they were
hiding down there. At which point I retrieved them. Other than being smallish and starting out bright pink (we call them Malibu Barbie and Skipper), they're doing fine.

I've only lost one clone out of 16. My advice is to leave them alone.
Only intervene if it looks like a melt-down is in progress. We don't
feed ours - although our maroon clown periodically shares bits of krill with them.

Good luck!