how to make rbta tentacles bubble

[leo_chen0608]

when I first got my rbta (about 9 months ago), all the tentacles were bubbled up nicely. but ever since I put it in my tank, all the tentacles are just elongated. it has probably quadrupled in size already, maybe more, but I have not seen it bubble up again. I feed silversides every 2-3 days. that is what the previous owner fed to the rbta. It has not moved at all from the rock I set it, so can't say it is not happy with light or flow. any ideas? maybe try to feed more?

thanks.

How is your BTA doing? The same thing happens to my BTA too. It doesn't move at all but it doesn't grow either. When I feed it, it eats very slowly. I've had it for 2 months. I don't know what to do

 

[DanDashO]

I was in the Philippines last year, there were both bubbled and non-bubbled found right next to each other. So even in nature, they do what they want...

 

[125mph]

I've had my rbta for about 5 years. In those 5 years, i feed him once. The tents are always bubbled. Looks like what he did in the store. He hasn't moved since I placed him in the tank. He latched on a rock so fast I couldn't put him where I wanted.

 

[oahureefer]

Talk about back from the dead, I was actually looking at this thread yesterday, I have 2 RBTA about 6 inches from each other one full bubbles the other has never bubbled.

 

[ClownReef®]

Mine stay bubbled 24/7. I believe it's a matter of light intensity. Ill agree with WDLV.

 

[threelilkids]

Rta

Rta

I lost mine in the flood cause the lights went out for days, but when I did have one it never bubbled up, I never fed it only let the clowns feed it everyday. I took care of them they took care of the RTA. It split regularly for years, and I traded the babies out. Wish I could find one of the babies now I am looking for another one. The clowns would have eggs and they hatched every month. It was sooooo cool:rollface: but I had no way to save the baby clowns and the fish ate them. When I lost it, it had split two times, so I lost the main RTA and two babies, Mary

 

[Banff]

I have 7 BTAs in my 180. They are all bubbly. I have 2 sets of two clones (4 nems that started out as two that were purchased from separate sources and of markedly different colour than each other). One of those sets of clones set up shop at exactly the same height in the tank (one on each side of a slim rock arch) and the other set of clones did something weird. They split about 4 months ago and immediately moved extremely far away from each other. One moved all the way up to the top of my tank (maybe 6 inches from the surface and I have very intense lighting) while the other one moved to the very bottom of my tank and has its foot wedged between a base rock and the sandbed (tank is 24 inches deep). Both are doing equally well and have grown substantially since the split, both show no signs of moving. The one sitting at 6 inches under the lights is much less deeply colored than the one 24 inches down. Both are bubbled.

If someone had showed me each nem without context and asked me to guess which one was the one in the light, I would have guessed wrongly.

What does all that mean? No idea, but at least it's an example of known clones that have chosen very different lighting levels in the same tank and are both bubbled. Further, they have also chosen different flow levels. The deep-dwelling one chose a low flow side and the high-dwelling one is on my highest pinnacle and taking a lot of flow.

Flow is the return and 2 MP40s on 100% reef crest. Lighting is 3 x 250W MH and 4 T5s running 8 inches from the surface.

Just reinforces my idea that nems in general are particularly obstinate and like to exhibit the "you're not the boss of me" principal as perversely as possible.

 

[125mph]

I've had my rbta for about 5 years. In those 5 years, i feed him once. The tents are always bubbled. Looks like what he did in the store. He hasn't moved since I placed him in the tank. He latched on a rock so fast I couldn't put him where I wanted.

Just an update... my RBTA has bubbled up every day for the past several years.. Recently, I decided to get more SPS so I increased intensity on my AI Hydra52 LED lights. I moved it by probably 30-50 par (over course of a month)... my RBTA has since stopped getting bubbled and is a lot more stringy tentacles now..