How much can a BTA deflate?

[Silfer]

Received a BTA through the mail today, seller said it opens to 5" but when it arrived today it was deflated to about 1" in diameter. Looks tiny.

Is that possible? I bought another BTA from someone last week through the mail and it was said to be 3" but it arrived at 3" and attached to the bag, had it a week and its now 4-5" open and bubbled at the tips.

This one I got today though, was not attached to the bag and completely deflated at 1". Is that possible or most likely was never 5"?

 

[velvetelvis]

They can deflate to an alarming degree. Anemones are mostly water, so when it's expelled from their tissues they lose a lot of their apparent size. My newest BTA is about 2" across fully expanded, but a sad-looking skinny little thing when it retracts. My biggest and longest-established one is about 5" across fully expanded, but can shrink down to about half that size.

Your new anemone is probably just reacting to the stress of being shipped and acclimating to a new system. The other one may have had an easier shipping experience (or, of course, may just be healthier--you'll have to see once the new one acclimates and settles in). Monitor your water parameters and keep an eye on it.

 

[Silfer]

Cheers mate. It's been in the tank about 8 hours now and it's tentacles have inflated a small bit, not flat anymore but size wise it's about the same in diameter.

It took foot straight away and has since moved about 6" from where I put it.

Mouth was open a wee bit bit now closed.

My main concern is its not the anemone I paid for? Size and colour wise to be honest.

The pic of the anemone given was pure red. In its current state it is green with orange tentacles and purple dots to its tips!! Certainly wouldn't mind if it had those colours inflated though.

 

[Silfer]

Double post.

 

[567234ta]

does it look like this? This was a muddy red washed out looking thing when i got it.

I like the colors it has over the plain red bta's

Sounds like it may have had a rough time in shipping? give it at least a week to adjust and it may swell out more.

 

[Silfer]

Yeah mate exactly like that! Will it keep those colours?

Strange thing is the pics he sent me before I paid it was pure red.

I'll be more than happy if it keeps those colours though. Are they quite rare?

 

[567234ta]

Yeah mate exactly like that! Will it keep those colours?

Strange thing is the pics he sent me before I paid it was pure red.

I'll be more than happy if it keeps those colours though. Are they quite rare?

Mine was all red also but it was in a filthy tank with hundreds of aptasia. It has stayed this color for a long time now, I actually have 2 of them because it split not too long ago. I think the lighting, bacterial count and water quality has a lot to do with the pigments they produce.

 

[Silfer]

Well prior to me gettin it, it was in a nano tank with 30w LED lighting.

It was just red looking when I first opened the packaging from what I could see. I drip aclimitised it for 2hrs 20 min and when I put it in my tank I was shocked to see these colours. My water quality is spot on and my other bta is doing great and bubbled.

My lights are alot more powerful with 8x24w and active cooling. (2ft cube)

It moved to the side of the rock structure I put it on, on a small ledge with its foot in a wee crack. Slightly shaded area but not completely.

 

[Mhayes462]

It should keep those colors if it has them already. They are also called rainbow bta and look great with actinic lighting. I have one also.


Mike Hayes

 

[Silfer]

Brilliant cheers. Here's hoping it makes a full recovery as what a bargain that'd be then.

How much do they typically sell for over there? I'm UK btw.

Need to figure out what new tubes to get then to make colours pop even more. Never used a pure actinic before as ie always felt its a waste bulb.

 

[Silfer]

Had this anemone for 1 week now and it's no bigger than when it arrived.. still only 2" max, it's tentacles are small bubbles and it has a good foot on the spot it chose, hasn't moved all week, here it is:

Any thoughts? Certainly doesn't appear to be the 5" red bta I was told I was buying or showed pics of.

 

[567234ta]

That's a good looking little BTA, There is no way that thing is 5 inches across unless you tied a string on a tentacle on each side of it and pulled to make 5 inches. It might stretch that far but you might end up with 2.
the lower anemone in this pic is about 5 inches across, and he was still acclimating when this pic was taken.
http://www.ls1truck.com/upload/files/1/0108131751.jpg

 

[Tmoriarty]

if the RBTA was not bubbled in his tank (had long tentacles which happens often) it could have been close to 5 inches.

 

[567234ta]

It may stretch that far, but typically an anemone like that would be sold as 2-3 inches at most from any aquatic store. So the OP may have been misled a bit on size, but he still got a great deal for a rainbow BTA

 

[Silfer]

Well here's a pic of the actual anemone I thought I was buying:

It was a private seller, not getting a response from them now.

Can't complain too much, never seen a rainbow bta for sale in the UK. Shame it's so small though! Seems to be doing fine, hasn't moved all week and doesn't seem to mind the male clown living in it (female won't let him in my big green bta lol)

 

[567234ta]

That looks like the same one to me. tentacles may cover 5" when fully spread, the body is not 5" though. So it may have been just a misunderstanding, the fact you got it alive and well i'd say he did very good by you. You can give him an A+ rating really, I don't think the seller tried to dupe you in anyway, if you saw that pic before you bought it there is no doubt the size is the same, you could probably count the tentacles and see it is the same. By the time this post actually makes it to the forum it may have grown another inch LOL They do grow really fast under ideal conditions.

 

[Silfer]

Fair play then.

Colour wise though in my tank it is a nice surprise as he told me it was a red bta. Definitely a rainbow to me.

It's certainly not open like that though, although it may be my lighting. He had it under some cheap 30w led fixture on a non marine designed tank. In mine it's under 8x24w ATI bulbs. It did move to a more shaded area but still in clear view, could be acclimitising to the lights?

 

[Silfer]

Double post again.