DO RBTA's sting corals?

[Pike614]

I have a RBTA that has split several times into a large colony now...about 18" x 18" in size in my 450g tank. The size is not an issue, but I am wondering if the stinging cells that slough off the anemones will bother other SPS, LPS and fish in my tank. ANyone have any info/experince with them?
Thanks!!

 

[Eldredge]

Mine stings (and kills) corals. It keeps splitting, and they are hard to get out of the rock. Fortunately the LFS buys the clones. It is a bit of a problem though.

 

[Pike614]

This colony does not move around and is localized to a single rock in my tank....so I could understand stinging if it came in contact with a coral...but do the stinging cells that float around the tank cause any trouble?

 

[Scrandrew]

I never had a problem with stinging cells blowing around. Fortunately, I have a weedlike growth of xenia acting as a buffer between my sps. The xenia does not like the bubble tip, but it regenerates quickly enough to act as a wall.


A~

 

[briangg57]

This colony does not move around and is localized to a single rock in my tank....so I could understand stinging if it came in contact with a coral...but do the stinging cells that float around the tank cause any trouble?

I've never had a problem with mine and I had it for 4 years. Once my torch coral fell on it and when I woke up un the morning and found it there, I just put it back and never had an issue. A few times, it did come into contact with my monti cap. and it killed a small piece the size of a dime but I just moved the monti, which grew into my RBTA and the dead spot grew back, again, not an issue.

 

[Pike614]

WHat made me wonder in the first place was I did manage to get one off the rocks as it was trying to move in the tank...I QT'd it in the tank in a small cool whip container with a mesh bag on top....when I went to grab him out to bag him for transit to a friends tank, I was stung pretty good from the water inside the cool whip container. The stinging lasted about 10 minutes!! I did not touch the RBTA...just the water inside!

 

[Rich D]

WHat made me wonder in the first place was I did manage to get one off the rocks as it was trying to move in the tank...I QT'd it in the tank in a small cool whip container with a mesh bag on top....when I went to grab him out to bag him for transit to a friends tank, I was stung pretty good from the water inside the cool whip container. The stinging lasted about 10 minutes!! I did not touch the RBTA...just the water inside!

thats interesting, it sounds like you might have an allergic reaction to the anemone. Id wear gloves next time you get near one. I have touched my anemones and it has had no affect... its pretty peculiar that you got stung without even touching it. Did you have any cuts on your hands before putting them in the water?

 

[Pike614]

NO cuts, and it was strange because I have moved them around bare-handed before without any issue....my only thought that was the concentration of sloughed off stinging cells in the container was much higher than that when I touched the RBTA...sounds like I do not have anything to worry about with the corals in the tank.

 

[ludnix]

WHat made me wonder in the first place was I did manage to get one off the rocks as it was trying to move in the tank...I QT'd it in the tank in a small cool whip container with a mesh bag on top....when I went to grab him out to bag him for transit to a friends tank, I was stung pretty good from the water inside the cool whip container. The stinging lasted about 10 minutes!! I did not touch the RBTA...just the water inside!

Are you sure you didn't touch him while removing him from the rock and moving him to the QT? It may have been a delayed reaction.

I have a hard time imagining the cnidocytes breaking free without the nematocysts firing in great number.

 

[ari5736]

I have rbta that is constantly in contact with an encrusted acro frag and have seen no negative effects yet. If acro was not encrusted or rbta not a gigantic pita to move I would move 1 of them to be safe.

 

[kvosstra]

RBTA do sting and kill SPS corals. Over the years I have lost a variet of montipora sp., and Acropora Sp. corals to the stings from RBTA.

I do not have experience with the many varieties of LPS corals, So Ill let someone with more experience chime in.

If you want to keep SPS with RBTA, then just be warned that you will have losses. I had 4 on a "rock island" and one night, one anenome split into 3, and I found 2 of the new clones in, and among the main rocks of the tank, happily stinging a very large colony of Red robin stag...needless to say, the RBTA won. The island works well, but they will still get free. Keep sand dwelling anenome's instead.

-Kyle

 

[Veosk]

Mine damaged a head of one of my hammer corals. It has stung my sea apple and the apple moves away

 

[Pike614]

I wonder if there is a way to inject them with something to kill the ones that are starting to spread out.....

 

[kvosstra]

sure - you can probably inject them with kalk, calcium chloride, boiling water, etc. But, I would guess that such actions would not be popular on a site like this.

Best way to control them is to keep them on a rock island. But, as I stated before, they will move, its just a matter of time.

 

[jayb12]

an island of rocks isolated from the rest of the corals, usually a big rock on the sand bed thats not touching any other rocks around it.

 

[serpentman]

Mine stayed put for a year and then decided to move out of the blue. IME, they do sting corals, however it doesn't necessarily spell instant death. I've found most can survive a small brush of a tentacle. However, repeated contact = death.

 

[SDguy]

Mine stayed put for a year and then decided to move out of the blue. IME, they do sting corals, however it doesn't necessarily spell instant death. I've found most can survive a small brush of a tentacle. However, repeated contact = death.

This was my experience as well. Additionally, my RBTA would actually expand MORE in the direction of the nearest coral. This happened on multiple occasions, regardless of light or flow. I eventually removed the RBTA.

 

[davocean]

I have heard of chem warfare from nems, and some think that when they are disturbed this could induce that.
I had my sebae for 5.5 years and never had an issue until later on I was being a little aggressive on removing coraline algae and had to keep pushing my sebae over to get under it, and at that time I had red dots under my forearm that itched.
I noticed this continued for a while after that to the point I made sure to keep from rubbing my arm from rubbing it.
As far as releasing anything and stinging corals I couldn't detect anything, but on contact when too close of course yes.
Ice at the foot is a good way to remove those wanderers.

 

[davocean]

Oh yeah, and be sure to run carbon.