my rbta is a pain. . .

[Coach Vince]

As a newbie I have to ask... do you just keep moving corals until your RBTA is content and stops moving? Everytime I accommodate it just changes it's mind and so far I've moved bubble coral and galaxea out of it's way.

Any tips?

 

[faith04]

I am by no means an expert, but I have personally found that if it's in a high flow area it will move, mine seem to like it medium flow, tentacles gently waving around. Is it possible it's in a high flow area or searching for more or less light? They have a mind of there own and will do as they please, and hopefully will find a happy spot and plant it's foot down and stay there for you. Good luck, tagging along for more answers and tips!

 

[kingpin9995]

Very common. There are no tips. It will find a place it likes that may make you not so happy.

 

[kmu]

Some like very high random flow, some like constant medium flow some don't like any flow at all, same with the lighting.

The best thing to do is give it time to settle in....

 

[trackhazard]

I remember reading somewhere that in the wild BTAs tend to like to bur their feet deep in crevices or under rocks and just have their tentacles waving in the current. I try to position my rockworks such that I create a little cove where their feet are protected and the current the receive is diffused from bouncing off the glass while still being under direct lighting. This tends to keep them happy in my tank and they only move very slightly to adjust themselves to their liking.

With that said, they do what they want. In my tank, the red colored anemones tend to be fine but I cannot keep a green one to save my life. The GBTAs always start to wander and end up a pile of mush. I've pretty much given up on them. I had a yellow BTA with red tips do fine in my tank but has since been transferred back to my wife's tank.

The thing with moving corals is that if the corals are big enough, moving them alters the flow in the tank and now you have to start over again with the anemones getting unhappy. You might want to just let the anemone sit for a while and slowly start to move corals once you feel like its settled in.

-Charlie

 

[Coach Vince]

Good points... I must have a wild one because this guy stretches from deep within the rocks to a point where it doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Oddly enough my green one loves the spot I put him in and hasn't moved since day one.

 

[Reefahholic]

Always wanted a RBTA. Got one, and like you said...a pain in my rear. He's always moving. Most of the time is behind the reef. It's just annoying. If he dies, I'm not too sure if I would buy another.