Moving a BTA

[borderreef]

I'm in the process of removing all the rock in my tank to replace with new. I have a thread in the general forum explaining why. Anyhow, I have a huge BTA that has been in the same spot for almost two years. I'm thinking the easiest way to get it off the rock it's attached to will be to move that rock to a different location, hoping it won't be happy in the new location and move off the rock on it's own. I want to cause it as little stress as possible. Anyone have any experience with this sort of move?

 

[larac]

BTA's are easy to get off of rock as long as you can remove the rock from the tank. If the rock is small enough, swish it around to get the BTA to reduce as much as possible, or do this at night.

Take the rock out and put it on a paper towel or such and let it sit for a couple of minutes. The foot is easier to work with when it dries a little and becomes rubbery.

Take a sharp object (fingernails work best) and pick a small spot to start on. Once you have a couple of inches of the edge up slide your finger underneath and apply pressure to the underside of the foot. It just peels up. Go slowly, applying pressure underneath the foot while tugging on the edge with your other hand. In crevices gently tug until it releases.

I've had BTA's off in two minutes or ten, just be patient. There is no problem with it out of the water. In the wild they are out during low tide for long periods. You can now put it back in the water where you want it. Of course there is no guarantee it will stay there.

 

[borderreef]

larac, thanks for the info. I've done this sort of theng with xenia and the like, but never with a nem. I realized the other day it's attacked to two rocks. When it comes time to remove these rocks, I'll give it a try.
Thanks again.

 

[blanden.adam]

If it's on 2 rocks and you are worried about hurting the nem, you can also take a small powerhead and point it right at it (careful though, not enough to damage it). Over the next couple hours to days, the nem will probly get annoyed and start to move. When it starts moving, it's foot is a lot easier to remove, so then you can do the foot massage treatment to get it off!

 

[ClayaLaLeona]

You can always take out the rock and flip it upside down over a bucket of tank water, it'll just plop into the bucket after 5 minutes