GBTA question

[greg1786]

Hello guys. I picked up a beautiful GBTA with flourescent orange tips monday night. Its about 6" in diameter and very healthy. This was added to my 125 that already houses two rainbow bubble tips. The new nem has moved around quite a bit looking for a spot to settle in. My problem is that for the last 12 hours he hasnt moved from his most recent spot. I have a lot of experience with BTA so the moving isnt a concern but where hes settled is. He chose under a rock that backs up to my overflow. Not only is he 100% out of light but hes about 95% out of view as well. The reason this worries me is I have no way to keep an eye on him to make sure he is acclimating ok. Meaning if something were wrong i wouldnt know. How long should I allow it to stay in this spot. If he doesnt move to a better location should I A) remove the rocks around his chosen rock in order to give him light and so I can see him without uprooting him or the rock he planted his foot on, B) point the wp40 at him to entice him to move, C) move the rock he is on to a new location, or D) do nothing and stop overreacting for no good reason. Thanks for the help guys. -Greg

 

[tkey3425]

I have had a RBTA for 6 months. It did the same thing. I left it for a month hoping it would move since it was a PITA to feed it. I moved it after the month just to a more "convenient" spot with the "same" flow and lighting. He moved right back to the same spot and has been there ever since. All i can do is wiggle my 12" tweezers to him and give him his food. Other than that he is in almost no light other than the reflection from my sand and he has been doing better and better and inflated his tips like hes happy there. He shriveled when i moved him and i thought i killed him. IMO let him be. Sometime nems dont like us as much as we like them. A tough lesson especially with we pay premium price for a local one around here.:headwalls:

 

[sjwitt]

I agree. Leave it alone and see what happens. When mine retract they are all under and behind the rockwork. They stretch out into the light when they need/want light, which is usually every day but some days, some of them just stay under the rocks. I tried moving their rocks too but they usually ended up going back underneath. I think they want their foot hidden so they can retreat if/when they feel threatened.

 

[greg1786]

Thanks for the responses. Every BTA ive ever owned, including the two rainbows I have in the tank now, have always burried their foot on the underside of a rock and reached out into the light during the day. I was mainly concerned about me not being able to see the new GBTA during its first few days. I like to be able to monitor them during the acclimation period to make sure the mouth is tightly closed, its not deflating a bunch of times in a single day etc etc. luckily though, tonight when I came in from our 4th of july party, the new nem had moved about 6" around the rock it was on so not only is it getting some light but it is now 100% visible. Its doing really well and I have my pair of cinnamon clowns in the sump awaiting their new home. I think I should wait a few more days for him to fully acclimate to the tank before letting them roll around in it lol. Ive never seen two clown take to anemones as quickly as these two. Every BTA theyve been introduced to they have hosted in under an hour. Anyhow heres a crappy cell phone pic of the new nem, the colors are really washed out cause the iphone camera sucks but you can get an idea how beautiful it is

 

[sjwitt]

Wow, that is a beauty! Congrats

 

[tatuaje08]

They move where they want to. You just have to deal with it.

 

[greg1786]

They move where they want to. You just have to deal with it.

Im aware of this as ive had many BTA, i was only concerned with not being able to keep an eye on it during the first few days of being in my tank. Thanks for the helpful advice though. If you read the recent post its no longer a concern though as he made his way in to an area that I can view him