LTA wont attach

L

Legacy2005

New member
kind of at a loss right now. Picked up a LTA from the LFS 2 days ago. It looked healthy at the LFS, had then fed it while i was there and it took it right in. it stayed out while packed and transported. while the lights are on its fully extended and seems happy.

my F. Oso hosted it almost right away, only problem is that it keeps wandering the tank. I tried placing it in the top 1/2 of the tank and it didnt take, tried the bottom 1/2 and still didnt mount. i can place it somewhere and it will stay for 1-2 hrs and then up and floats down to the sand. each time i placed it somewhere i turned all the pump/powerheads off so it could be in calm water while it was first placed hoping it would mount

all params are good. tested twice with different kits (one of which was brand new, bought same times as LTA), and had the LFS test it before i bought the LTA.

any ideas on how to get it to mount? or am i doomed and should i return it?

tank info:
the tank is a 30 biocube with a 150 MH over it
10 lbs sand, 30 lb live rock, tunze skimmer
tank has been up for 1yr.
 
I'm not very knowledgeable about LTA's honestly, but from what I've heard, they prefer a deep sand bed, to bury their leg into.
 
^^^ You are correct, they do prefer to have their foot in the sandbed. And the bigger the LTA, the deep the sandbed needs to be.
 
hmm...may try and bury the foot in the sand a bit...see if it likes that better then the rocks. the sand bed is 3-4 inches deep, but always willing to make it deeper.
 
In my personal experience with my LTA it likes the sand. Plus they will move to where they like the light AND flow. So, if you are placing it, then turning the pumps on later the flow is changing, and it obviously must not like it. Try leaving the pumps on and let it find its spot. Mine took a few days when I first introduced it, and then it found a spot where it was kinda backwards to the main viewing angle, but thats where it was comfy.
 
LTAs like their column to be surrounded by sand (or mud in the wild) and their "foot" to be attached to a hard surface. I had one for years in a PVC pipe that was about 6 inches in length and 4 inches in diameter. The PVC pipe was sealed at the bottom with a PVC cap that I siliconed onto the pipe. Before I sealed the PVC pipe, it would attach to the bottom of the tank and eventually start to move. Once the bottom of the PVC was sealed it would never move. The PVC can be hidden by liverock, if you choose to do this.
 
i put the column in the sand about 2 in deep, not quite to the bottom of the tank but enough to hold the LTA down. If it up roots from that then ill just let it float around for a few days till it finds a place.
 
only running a korila 2 and its mid way up the back wall. and the LTA seems to only be tumbling around on the sand bed.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13871600#post13871600 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Legacy2005
only running a korila 2 and its mid way up the back wall. and the LTA seems to only be tumbling around on the sand bed.
Click to expand...

I have thought that too, ( not getting sucked in ) and was wrong. Came home on night to my LTA in my SIEO
 
tried to bury it in the sand last night myself didnt seem to like the placement was up and roaming within a few mins. it is still rolling around the tank, seems to stop in the same area for a few mins but dont attach or bury itself. going to give it till the weekend then may take it back. dont wanna kill the rest of the coral i have growning if it wanders into them.

may look into a toadstool leather or some frogspawn as a host instead if the LTA doesnt take by the weekend.
 
Have you noticed any small white holes in the very bottom of the foot?

Like this,

PLTAfoot.jpg


If so, I have never been able to bring an LTA back from that condition -- have had it 4 times, it came to me like that.
 
There are to the best of my knowledge 2 different species commonly referred to as "LTA" anemone's, Macrodactyl Doreensis ( aka. corkscrew ), and Heteractis Crispa ( aka Sebae ). Each has different placement preferences. MD prefers to bury its foot in the sand usually wedging its foot under the rockwork, low flow, high light, and superb water quality. HC prefers to attach its foot directly to the rock work, can tolerate more flow, high light, and again superb water quality. Both also require a very stable environment that a more mature ( 6 months + ) tank helps to provide. Generally if the anemone is healthy, and conditions are right it will settle in quickly. My experience with MD leads me to believe that they are very poor shippers and usually come to the aquarist in a state of such poor health that reviving them is nearly impossible. I have no experience with HC, but it seems they a bit better of a shipper and perhaps a bit more tolerant of poor water quality. Either way both IMO are considered difficult to keep and should only be attempted by an experienced aquarist with a mature system. If this is you and you got a healthy anemone it should do well.

+1 Toddrtrex, damage to the foot especially with MD is almost always fatal.
 
no white dots. foot looks healthy. going to try a 10 gal water change maybe the flow of new water will promote it to attach.
 
the LTA finally attached. did a 5 gal water change and redirected the output and powerhead. kinda worried about where it settled though its under the power head, seems to like the intake path. the upside is though that it is out of the major path so the rest of the corals can be placed in good viewing area without being stung.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

griss
Mystery Solved
Replies
12
Views
384
Sugar Magnolia
Sugar Magnolia
K
Fluval Reef 4.0 LED Nano Power Level for 15G?
Replies
3
Views
151
kingyking888
K
N
Two tunze with controller.
Replies
0
Views
96
Neurotech
N
B
Ritteri Swollen Mouth
Replies
8
Views
630
Bakeman
B
K
Extending Aquarium Stand Depth?
Replies
10
Views
621
griss
griss
Back
Top