LTA won't attach

[hvacman250]

Ive searched and read, searched and read; nothing really matches my criteria. After reading 40-50 "My LTA won't attach" threads, I'm just gonna ask...

40 BR tank, 3-5+ inches of sand (my clown pair love making mounds:lolspin New AquaticLife 4x39W T5s 4" above water.

Tank is going on 7 months old. Maybe 20-25 lbs live rock. Only other things in the tank: O. clown pair, small blue damsel, few snails, few scarlet hermits, 4 various pcs. red macro algae. Reef Octopus skimmer, I run carbon in the sump. Weekly water changes with AquaVitro salt.

Specs: 80.4, 1.026, 8.23ph, 0 NH3, 0 NO2, 0 NO3, 0 PO4, 440 Ca, 1740 Mg, 9 dkh.

LTA was bought from the Divers Den about 3-4 weeks ago. It acclimated great. It just will not attach. Mouth is always closed. Its eats mysis every couple days. It is sticky. It's not bleached; it's a tannish color with speckled on the underside. Same color as the day it arrived from DD. Looks as good today as the day it arrived...it just WILL NOT attach!

Ive tried under overhangs, in the middle, by the rocks. Ive left it alone, buried it shallow, buried it deep. Everytime I bury it, its resting on top of the sand 10 minutes later. For the record, there is VERY little flow in the corner it's in; the macro algae close to it doesnt even sway in the current. Ive even put it in several locations and put an egg-crate box over it to keep it from drifting.

Return is pushing about 400 GPH thru ONE locline left to right (looking at the tank). I have the Tunze 1200 gph PH turned off (blowing right to left). The LTA seems to wind up in the back left corner, but I thinks its due to the current.

Summing up: It's been ONE month. It seems happy, it just won't attach! No deterioration of body, foot, etc. Mouth closed. Responds to mysis and eats them (or so it seems). It is still sticky. Clowns do not bother it.

My only other anemone experience is a GBTA in my 100 gallon. It attached fine lower in the tank with its foot buried in a hole in the rock and is thriving.

What do I do??? Am I missing something? I'm at the point of wanting to rehome it for fear I may not be providing something it needs.

 

[hvacman250]

With no responses, I moved him again and buried him deeper than I ever have. If the same thing happens and he wont attach, I'm just gonna give him away. Either that or the powerhead I turned back on gets him.

I've done all I can.

 

[bues0022]

My only other anemone experience is a GBTA in my 100 gallon. It attached fine lower in the tank with its foot buried in a hole in the rock and is thriving.

I'm not an LTA expert, but I've read other have had problems with an LTA attaching with a BTA in the same tank. There seems to be some chemical warfare between different anemone species sometimes. I know you were probably hoping for something different, but this is a possibility. Do you have the ability to take the BTA out and house it in a different tank for a week or two? You could then see if the LTA attaches, and perhaps chalk-up the non-attaching to the interactions with the BTA.

 

[hvacman250]

I'm not an LTA expert, but I've read other have had problems with an LTA attaching with a BTA in the same tank. There seems to be some chemical warfare between different anemone species sometimes. I know you were probably hoping for something different, but this is a possibility. Do you have the ability to take the BTA out and house it in a different tank for a week or two? You could then see if the LTA attaches, and perhaps chalk-up the non-attaching to the interactions with the BTA.

LTA is in a 40 gallon.
BTA is in a 100 gallon.

I was just expressing the point that the onyl other experience I have is with a BTA, but its in a completely different system.

 

[heckfire]

sir,, you got me,, have you tried wedging rocks gently against it in a good spot? from what i know they dont like a strong flow,,mine took instantly to the spot i "wedged" him into,, i feel for you tho,, i worried about my powerheads tearing him up

 

[katarina]

I tried and tried to get mine to attach but nothing I did worked until I removed my powerhead. I also have a 40 gallon. I would turn off the powerhead and it would attach but when I turned on the powerhead it would unattach. Finually it got partly sucked up by the powerhead. I lost my temper pulled the powerhead completely out and lo and behold it attached and stayed attached. It has been in the same spot since August or September. Everything I have read says that you need the powerhead but I personally don't use one. I do have a sump and a protien skimmer and I have my main filter pump blowing toward the surface of the tank toward my overflow box. To prevent dead spots I just made sure that most of my live rock is in my sump and what is in my tank has a lot of tunnels running through it for the water to pass through. I hope you have better luck.

 

[gp2]

I tried and tried to get mine to attach but nothing I did worked until I removed my powerhead. I also have a 40 gallon. I would turn off the powerhead and it would attach but when I turned on the powerhead it would unattach. Finually it got partly sucked up by the powerhead. I lost my temper pulled the powerhead completely out and lo and behold it attached and stayed attached. It has been in the same spot since August or September. Everything I have read says that you need the powerhead but I personally don't use one. I do have a sump and a protien skimmer and I have my main filter pump blowing toward the surface of the tank toward my overflow box. To prevent dead spots I just made sure that most of my live rock is in my sump and what is in my tank has a lot of tunnels running through it for the water to pass through. I hope you have better luck.

so did you leave the flow off from the powerheads? I just moved a LTA into my display, there is some SERIOUS flow in there.:hmm2: 2 tunzi's, 2 mp40's

 

[katarina]

I have been without a powerhead since that day... so 5 or 6 months now. I don't know that I would do it with a tank any bigger than mine.

 

[katarina]

GP2, When I was trying to get my LTA to stay put some people suggested building a little rock enclosed area to break up the current. You might want to try that.