Lta won't foot but aint moven.

[jason214]

My lta won't foot to any thing. I have pretty good flow in my tank so if he didn't like where he is at. it would be more than easy for him to move. There is plenty of sand and even rocks if he wanted them. he stays on his side w/ his underside exposed and swelled. Do Lta's like being on their side? should i dig a whole and stick his foot in it. What do yall suggest to do? in case it matters, i've had himfor 4 days all water specs are clear except nitrates at like a 5. Any help is much appreciated.

 

[jason214]

by the way what is the red line that keeps going down his body.

 

[Toddrtrex]

Suggest digging a hole for it, and turning off some of the powerheads until it settles it.

Also would have like to have its foot be a more solid red. Is its mouth open at all ?

A fully healthy LTA will "plant" its foot right away, so keep your eye on this one.

 

[jason214]

what about the red line, he's taking direct food no problem. any more suggestions?

 

[jason214]

one response huh, people either A. aren't friendly in this forum or B. doesn't know anything, everytime i post here i get no responeses. thanx guys

 

[wicked_NaCl_h2o]

What does your LTA look like now? You didn't answer Toddrtrex question and I am curious about the answer. Is its mouth open? Did you dig a hole for it and place it in the hole? Did you turn your powerheads off to keep it from blowing around and get settled in?
A good place to dig a hole is next to a rock or the side of the tank. After a week or so and it still haven't settled in. You could try putting it in a pvc pipe full of sand.. Try not to mess with the anemone too much or it will take it even longer to get use to its new home...good luck

 

[topside]

Sometimes many people look but never respond. I've run into that alot but this is a great place for info. I have three condys and when I have problems getting them to "seat" thier foot, i put them in a good crevice or hole and spot feed them the next day, and once they eat they like to stay.

 

[elegance coral]

Condys will plant their foot pretty much anywhere you put them. LTA's are a little different. If you take Todd's advice, you should be able to keep it in one spot.

 

[jason214]

Well, for the mouth, Today is the first day it hasn't been puckered, he also crawled in to a cave a booted to a rock. I secluded him to the left side of the tank and dug a whole in the sand, put him in it and he never floated around or anything. After 2 days he crawled back out of the light and booted. For visual purposes its a great spot, but for needing such high lighting i would think he would be in the open, he's completly shaded and all i have is t-5 ho's. Should i go ahead and plan on him moving to the light or is that just where he likes it?

 

[Waterlily163]

Hey Jason214, I'm having the exact same problem! I bought an LTA on Saturday and I can't get it to attach to anything. I've dug hit holes in different parts of the tank but it doesn't want to attach. I've turned off the powerheads and put it by a hole and it still won't attach. It's eating fine, I just fed it yesterday and it looks perfectly fine, it just won't attach to anything. I'm running out of ideas.

 

[kimsie]

Jason - if i were you I'd leave it where it is - let it get settled and stay attached. Once attached it can easily crawl/walk to where it wants to to get the light it needs.

FYI - I had an LTA that didn't attach and eventually after a month it died... I think something was wrong with the foot when I got it - even though I couldn't see visual damage...

Sorry I can't offer better advice - but I would leave it alone if it were me. Messing with it at all will only stress it that much more.

 

[dchec]

This happened to mine as well... would attach to anything... wouldn't wander, but wouldn't attach. If fact, it was just spin and spin like a top in the current in one spot, with my tomato clown sitting inside of it!!!

Anyway, I readjusted the current a little to stop it from spinning, then sort of laid it on it's side. Eventually it dug a hole and has been happy ever since.

 

[Waterlily163]

Mine was just sort of bounding around in the current so I turned off the powerheads. It's not wandering about on it's own, it's just getting moved with the current.

It sounds like the best thing to do is just leave it alone and see if it digs in and attaches. Maybe I should turn the powerheads back on so it knows what the currents are wherever it attaches.

 

[Toddrtrex]

If you do turn your powerheads back on make sure that they are covered.

You don't want to come home to this....

 

[Waterlily163]

No, I really don't. The powerheads are enclosed, so it would be a real challenge for the LTA to get stuck in it. Good advice, though.

 

[jason214]

yeah todd, been there not no more, lost 2 bubbles that way one of them didn't move for a month and then got bit by a powerhead.
makes that an expensive powerhead. any way instead of booting he tried to climb to the back of my tank through rocks. i didn't want him back there so i eased him through very carefully, and moved him back in his hole, i picked up 2 maroons and the hosted first night and it seems like he might be footed. I'll put pics on later.

 

[Waterlily163]

I'm envious that yours might have footed. Mine is still floating around the bottom of the tank, lying on its side, foot up. I'll put some pics up tonight.

 

[wicked_NaCl_h2o]

OH good thats great to hear..I was going to suggest that you get clowns to use it as a host. My pink skunks really helped my purple LTA settle in.

 

[Waterlily163]

I have two perculas that haven't shown any interest in moving into either the LTA or the BTA. We'll see.

 

[jason214]

I had 3 ocellaris in mine, one mated pair and a black and white for 8 months wouldn't host any thing, i found a pair of beautiful gold st. maroons and traded my clowns in. first night, bam. Hosting! I believe my ocellaris's by this time had their territory, and the anemone wasn't part of it. i even moved the anemone to their territory, and they would sleep away from it and ignore it.
people say it takes their clown fish like a year + sometimes to host and i would say that they probably got bigger and decided they would expan their territory and were ready to breed, needing the anemone.

Strictly what i believe though, not much to back it off of.