Learn from my Mistake with a Bubble Tip Anemone.

[Argo747]

I have a female clown fish who recently has been attempting to pair up with any and all LPS corals in my tank. The corals are stressed, she stressed a tough situation all around.

So I figure I'd better look at getting her an anemone or she's pretty much going to kill or damage many of my LPS corals.

Off to the LFS I go and purchase a beautiful RBTA and place it in my tank. It attaches to the rock after a hour or so. Looking good I think. I checked on it soon after lights out and, as expected, it had started moving around to find a new home.

The next morning... it's gone. Just... gone. Hmmm... then I look at my MP10 and guess what... yeah it got buzz sawed during the night. Either it moved really far in one night or released into the water column and got caught in the pump.

I will never place another anemone in my tank without adding covers to all my pumps my tank.

A very expensive lesson.

 

[Brisk]

That sucks, I feel your pain

 

[nemmy]

I really wish ecotech would sell special anemone covers. Something that keeps the anemone safe but doesn't block flow and catch food and fish poo. I run the sponge covers on all my vortechs but they need constant washing and severely reduce flow.

 

[EthanHawaii]

I had this happen to me when I was not very experienced with keeping anemones, so I bought another GBTA and I placed a DIY sponge cover on my powerhead (so it wouldn't get stuck again) and that seemed to work well but I had to clean it twice a week, cleaning it involved me to take the powerhead out of the tank, place it in a separate bucket with freshwater and scrub all over the sponge.

But after I saw my anemone move ALL over my tank (and not sting anything even though it was touching corals!) and had no problem staying attached to the rocks, I took the powerhead sponge cover off so that the tank would get more flow.

My anemone has been on this one rock for almost 7 months so I don't think it's moving for a very long time, and if it does move there is only a very small chance it will detach itself.

 

[SNAKEMANVET]

Even with the covers on ecotech mp40s,my mag got chopped up alittle.It climbed on the vortech and the current pulled the anemone along with the cover,enough to get cut up and nuked my whole tank.Only the clownfish survived,and the anemone made a complete recovery.

 

[shred5]

I lost this guy to a power head. It was being housed temporarily...

 

[Bagabaga]

Just a success story here then I helped a buddy add his anemone to his tank and we used women's nylon stockings until the nem found its permanent home and will cover his new programmable powerhead until it's satisfied again. Nem is happy and healthy a month later and just took the nylons off.

 

[EthanHawaii]

I had this happen to me.

 

[EthanHawaii]

Just a success story here then I helped a buddy add his anemone to his tank and we used women's nylon stockings until the nem found its permanent home and will cover his new programmable powerhead until it's satisfied again. Nem is happy and healthy a month later and just took the nylons off.

How long dose it take for the anemone to permanently stay put?

 

[Greybeard]

I picked one up for similar reasons, my clowns decided to host in my deresa clam... something he was quite unhappy about.

When I put the RTBA in my reef a week back, I turned the pumps off, and wedged him into a crevice in the rock, very gently. An hour later, he was firmly attached, and I powered the pumps back up. To reach a powerhead, he'd have to cross 5" or so of open sand and climb the glass... I'm _hoping_ he won't do that.

He's now moved inside the 'cave' in my tank. Not at all sure why he'd like it there, in the shade, out of the flow, but that's where he's at. Oh well.

Oh, and my ocellaris clowns have had nothing to do with him yet.

 

[shred5]

I picked one up for similar reasons, my clowns decided to host in my deresa clam... something he was quite unhappy about.

When I put the RTBA in my reef a week back, I turned the pumps off, and wedged him into a crevice in the rock, very gently. An hour later, he was firmly attached, and I powered the pumps back up. To reach a powerhead, he'd have to cross 5" or so of open sand and climb the glass... I'm _hoping_ he won't do that.

He's now moved inside the 'cave' in my tank. Not at all sure why he'd like it there, in the shade, out of the flow, but that's where he's at. Oh well.

Oh, and my ocellaris clowns have had nothing to do with him yet.

Well BTA can inflate and drift that's how they end up in most power heads. That is what happened to mine. My crispa used to do the same thing.

 

[primo21]

I picked up that mesh used in needlepoint and wrapped it around my PH. doesn't restrict flow or collect poo. just an option. worst case a few tentacles get caught but the foot/oral disk cant get sucked in.

 

[Bagabaga]

He settled down after a few days of wandering around. He will likely move again when the new wave maker arrives and is installed. Or maybe not. He's under an arch and like the previous post the clowns are t being hosted yet but are curious about the rbta this week. It's all about time. The nylon stockings did restrict flow terribly but after they were off he still wasn't moving I think that was due to his preference in lighting.

We may steal that idea about the knitting mesh. I have some laying around we can use to make a screen. Still scary about the tentacles getting chopped as that's where most of the nematocysts are located and could cause a disaster with his corals.

 

[CFC_Surge]

I have a LTA that doesn't like having long tentacles. Every once in a while it makes its way over to the gyre for a trim. The first time gave me a good scare. Now I don't even do a water change when it happens and the corals are fine.