How long for a GBT to settle in and start growing?

[Rue]

My tank is almost 6m old...I picked up my tank-raised baby GBT anemone 2 days ago (from a fellow reefer). I want the anemone to settle in and grow before I get a pair of clownfish...

Is there an 'average' length of time I should give the anemone?

I've read several incidences of the clowns killing new anemones - through exuberance - and want to avoid this scenario.

LOL...just wait, I'll do everything just right, only to find my clowns prefer the frogspawn...:lol:

 

[xxpipedreamxx]

How small is the BTA? If it is at least 4 inches across, it should be fine for a small juvenile pair of fish with the exception of maroons. They are the roughest of the clowns IMO.

 

[Rue]

I don't know if it's quite 4 inches...but probably close to that already...

...and yes, I was planning on getting juvenile clowns...was looking forward to watching them grow! But not maroons...my tank is too small...I'll likely get the ocellaris...

 

[xxpipedreamxx]

I would give it time to settle in and start feeding well then go ahead on the clowns. My ocerllaris and perculas have never really harmed a BTA no matter how small it is. My oldest female is just starting to get very rough with them and she is about 2 years old.

 

[MrManz1691]

i had to take out my maroon clown a few days ago. He beat the hell out of my new rose tip. He wouldnt leave it alone. He is currently residing in the sump. I would suggest against Maroons for hosting. This would have been the third bubbtle tip he would have killed.

 

[Rue]

Thanks! It moved a little overnight...to the back of the tank of course, where I can't see it as well...but I'm happy it seems to have survived the move to my tank...

I'll post a picture of it with the clowns, when I get them down the road!

 

[xxpipedreamxx]

The anemone only needs really about a week or two to settle in. Once it is deflating, inflating and eating normally, all is well

 

[Rue]

I'll try feeding it tonight...I haven't yet, wanted it to settle in a bit
before I poked it with a shrimp...:lol:

 

[xxpipedreamxx]

Good luck Don't forget, we want pics!

 

[Lance M.]

You could probably get a pair of juv. Ocellaris now as they usually take awhile to "warm up to the idea of hosting" as someone put it. It took my O clowns 6 months to start hosting my bta.

My bta is ~5 inchs in diameter and my female Ocellaris is a litle more then 2'' long and the male is ~1.5''.

 

[Rue]

Well...I was going to wait longer...but on Friday I purchased the remaining 2 baby Perculas from my local reef store (from that particular shipment)...their fins are a little ratty - I gather the rest of the percs in the shipment were picking on them a bit...but they're fine with each other and they needed a new home...

So far they've totally ignored the GBTA in favour of the LTP and the MagFloat...:lol:

I also fed everyone yesterday...and instead of trying to avoid the forceps with the food as it did in my previous attempts to offer it food...the anemone lunged at it!!! Ate like a piggy! :love2:

 

[Eklikewhoa]

Hope it turns out well!

I got a little 3-4" RBTA for my tank and my Onyx hosted it that night and really stressed it out by morning....I ended up moving it to a soap dish till it gets well acclimated to the tank.

 

[Rue]

Thanks! I'm still taking bets on whether or not the percs will actually adopt the GBTA!!!

Hope yours does well in its temporay housing! :fish1: