Got to watch my rbta split last night

[catdoc]

Yesterday afternoon, I took some pics of the tank and saw this. At the time, I thought the rose just moving b/c I'd annoyed it. (I'd had the return pump off for about 45 minutes that morning).

A couple of hours later, I was feeding the tank and saw that the anemone had deflated and the foot had more distinctly divided into two portions that were pulling apart. Occasionally I could glimpse the mouth, but never got a good pic of it. When I'd look up from below the bta, I could see all the way through it but couldn't get a pic of that either. I watched for a couple of hours but didn't see much progress.

This morning, it (they?) is fully inflated but since they've not moved I can't tell if the split is complete. I would assume it would be done by now, but can't see b/c the tentacles are so full and I don't want to irritate it.

 

[Zestay]

id let nature run its course and take pix!

 

[GSMguy]

that would be cool to watch thanks for the pics

 

[cschweitzer]

Really great pics. Way to capture an event that some of us are lucky enough to see, but for the ones who aren't, this is a great time and energy saver.

 

[catdoc]

I usually miss the splits happening, my bta's are usually too sneaky/quick. I'm still not sure if the split is complete. The feet are still braced in the same places as yesterday, it looks as though the oral disk divided at least partway, but it doesn't move as though there are two oral disks. I'll give it another night and see what happens. It looks happy--fully inflated and the clowns are back in it.

 

[socalnative]

crazy!

 

[Jeff]

Mine split 4 days ago after not moving for 3 years. I had changed the bulbs the day before to 15k's.

I also had a shroom split the same day.

 

[55semireef]

Very nice!

 

[catdoc]

So, it's been a month and there's a problem. It never did complete the split!! I kept waiting and leaving it alone, figured it would finish in its own time. Nope, still half split. How does an anemone only split partway???

There are two very distinct feet, placed on different rocks about 4 to 5 inches apart. The "conjoined twins" are connected by a thin strip of tissue. You can see that the mouth split along one side, but never the other. It's hard to explain, but it's as though the mouth now forms the right hand side of each clone. Neither one has grown a new mouth. The bta otherwise looks completely normal: no bleaching and very fully expanded.

Do I take a blade and finish the split? It'd be easy to do since the mouth forms one side of the connecting tissue, just snip it right there. Weird, anyone else seen this?

 

[55semireef]

If it hasn't fully finished the split, I would finish it. Your RBTA will be fine.