[Help] BTA Anemone disappeared after a couple days

[Cakebaker13]

Hello,
So here is my mystery. I bought a beautiful BTA from a fellow reefer. I drip acclimated it into my reef tank for several hours. If I recall correctly, the BTA was under hydra 56 LED lighting. I have an ATI 6 bulb fixture for my 40 breeder (no new bulbs right now). The BTA adjusted well, I turned off the powerheads and placed him on some rocks. He went into the top of a large cave-like rock pile. For the next few days I saw him kinda peaking out a little, but still reclusive in the cave - at least I could spot him.
Now he has disappeared for multiple days and I don't know if I should search for him.

Tank makes inlcude LTA, ocellaris clownfish; purple reef lobster (well fed with silversides, lives in same cave complex); long spine sea urchin; red sea star.
Could any of these tank makes have killed my BTA?

I took apart a couple of the rocks trying to locate the BTA, but haven't torn apart the entire tank. Every powerhead is protected with a guard so the anemone wouldn't get sucked up/shredded. I haven't noticed/seen an ammonia spike/ shredded tentacles/ or a super cloudy tank.

I am wondering what the odds are of my anemone being dead or alive at this point? Is there any worth to actually going and finding the anemone?

I'm leaning toward mounting a search today or this weekend just to ease my mind and so that I can know.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Martin Kuhn]

Hello Cakebaker
There isn't too much you could/should do right now.

most likely your BTA went into the reef because of one of this reasons
- your tank not beeing "mature enough" for a BTA or water parameters are sub-optimal
- animal get attacked by ? (Lobster?) and thus went back into the reef
- stress due to transport (not very likely)
- Changes in light former/your tank (not very likely)

as already written, i would do nothing but wait.
If the animal recovers ... fine
if not ... not a too big thing.... the risk of killing a tnak by a dying anemone is very low. Anyhow if you find it (without re asembling your reef) AND see/smell that it died -> remove it carefully.



Anyhow, lobster are predators. As you decided for this animal, you decided also for the related risk. (i personally think lobsters shouldn't be part of a reef tank).

 

[g_langley]

I would mount the search sooner than later. Get a torch and a mirror for viewing back to front behind rocks.

 

[Cakebaker13]

I would mount the search sooner than later. Get a torch and a mirror for viewing back to front behind rocks.

Search mounted. Found anemone in a canister filter. He had managed to get past 2 anti-anemone barriers I had. He is in rough shape, but in the hospital tank now and hopefully he'll pull through.

 

[Cakebaker13]

Anyhow, lobster are predators. As you decided for this animal, you decided also for the related risk. (i personally think lobsters shouldn't be part of a reef tank).

Yet again, my lobster is to blame for something he didn't do. He's only purple on the outside! He wasn't born to a life of crime. He chooses to be good.
But seriously, I haven't seen or heard one person actually say that a reef lobster has hurt an anemone.