Need advice from a BTA expert

[Angel*Fish]

I should first state that bubbles on my BTA is what I am wanting...


Background:

I have a Rose BTA - it's grown from small to huge over the last year. It's 100% red/pink ---- no green. It's always been long tentacled and stringy. And has never split. It hosts two spawning oscellaris clowns

Present situation:

Same LFS has one now that is also all pink but maybe a little more orange than mine (it's hard to be sure with lighting issues). But this one has nice fat bubble tips.....

Question:

Any experienced opinions on whether it's worth my while to try & buy this one in hopes that it may stay a "bubbler"?

 

[traveller7]

I'll pretend to be an expert for two seconds:

Anything is possible, I have (1) out of at least 6 different genetic strains which has kept it's bubbles for greater then 6 months. The others are long and stringy. Yes, they are all in the same tank, lighting, diet, etc.

Bottom line: only buy it if you will still be happy with it bubbleless.

Now back to amateur status

 

[Angel*Fish]

Thanks, maybe I shouldn't have asked for an "expert" opinion - lol - when people ask for that it never inhibits me and I'm no expert - lol

Please anyone, post your opinion(s)!

I just didn't want someone to repeat that detritus about there being no rhyme or reason as to why they bubble or don't bubble - there has to be, we just don't know what it is.

 

[fancyfish]

I am no expert but many factors will determine whether or not the tentacles are stringy or have bulbs or both. I personally would try and adjust my flow around him. Maybe too much or not enough. Also I would not take away the home of two hosting clowns. Who knows if they will take to a new anenome. Big, growth and colorful.....keep what you have

 

[Angel*Fish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8811078#post8811078 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fancyfish
I am no expert but many factors will determine whether or not the tentacles are stringy or have bulbs or both. I personally would try and adjust my flow around him. Maybe too much or not enough. Also I would not take away the home of two hosting clowns. Who knows if they will take to a new anenome. Big, growth and colorful.....keep what you have

I am flow adjusting impaired But FWIW, for years I have secretly believed that what these anemones need is just the right wavemaker situation.

I wasn't going to remove my existing BTA - but that is good advice. That said, I am somewhat worried about allelopathic (sp?) issues. I've never successfully had two genetically different anemones in the same tank long term

 

[fancyfish]

my rose does the same thing. Never really has bulbs. My green bta has a mixture of both

 

[traveller7]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8811027#post8811027 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Angel*Fish
I just didn't want someone to repeat that detritus about there being no rhyme or reason as to why they bubble or don't bubble - there has to be, we just don't know what it is.

Oh...then you want to read this:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/feature.htm

 

[Angel*Fish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8811503#post8811503 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by traveller7
Oh...then you want to read this:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/feature.htm

Yes, yes - you were right - I very much wanted to read that. :thumbsup: Thanks very much.

 

[55semireef]

I think it has something to do with intensity of light and spectrum they receive. Traveller7, is your RBTA that has the bubbles the lowest position in the tank?

 

[traveller7]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8811699#post8811699 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 55semireef
I think it has something to do with intensity of light and spectrum they receive. Traveller7, is your RBTA that has the bubbles the lowest position in the tank?

37" from a 400w XM20K within a LAIII compact reflector......

fwiw: The bubbler is within inches of 3 other parent lines which have not bubbled in years.

fwiw2: The bubbler has moved through the colony on a migration somewhere and maintained bubbles the entire time.

fwiw3: The bubbler spent a few months approx 18" from the same light, but I needed to move the rock it was on to separate two pairs of clowns.....yes, it maintained bubbles in both positions.

 

[Angel*Fish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8812039#post8812039 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by traveller7
37" from a 400w XM20K within a LAIII compact reflector......

fwiw: The bubbler is within inches of 3 other parent lines which have not bubbled in years.

fwiw2: The bubbler has moved through the colony on a migration somewhere and maintained bubbles the entire time.

fwiw3: The bubbler spent a few months approx 18" from the same light, but I needed to move the rock it was on to separate two pairs of clowns.....yes, it maintained bubbles in both positions.

Well then, the zillion dollar question would be Is the bubbler for sale?!!!! (j/k )

 

[55semireef]

Could it be a genetic thing then? Like some people have brown eyes and others have blue.

 

[JamesJR]

I took care of green bta in a tank and they lost their bubble tips but I have also seen them come back. I don't think it has as much to do with genetics but is more a matter of conditions. I had several clones in the same tank and the ones that went up closer to the top of the tank ended up having bubble tips and the ones that stayed lower didn't.
but I have seen it go all sorts of ways so it is a really complicated thing.

 

[sgwill122]

This is a good question just throwing in my 2 cents. I am the opposite, I prefer the long tentacle look. My first rbta seems to always be bubbly. It is in the bottom of my 24" deep 180 gallon tank and gets mild current under 250 MH lighting. I bought a second rbta from a fellow reefer because his rbta's all had short strait tentacles and brighter red, this new anemone went into the other corner of my tank also at the bottom and now has become a bubbler after a week. I do regularly feed my anemones pieces of shrimp and both host clowns. I had heard someone speculate the long tentacle configuration is when they are hungry and actively feeding. I am going to stop the feeding for a while and see if either of my anemones extend their tentacles. Seems like most of the pics I see are long tentacled. Would love to hear more opinions.

 

[Angel*Fish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8872712#post8872712 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sgwill122
This is a good question just throwing in my 2 cents. I am the opposite, I prefer the long tentacle look. My first rbta seems to always be bubbly. It is in the bottom of my 24" deep 180 gallon tank and gets mild current under 250 MH lighting. I bought a second rbta from a fellow reefer because his rbta's all had short strait tentacles and brighter red, this new anemone went into the other corner of my tank also at the bottom and now has become a bubbler after a week. I do regularly feed my anemones pieces of shrimp and both host clowns. I had heard someone speculate the long tentacle configuration is when they are hungry and actively feeding. I am going to stop the feeding for a while and see if either of my anemones extend their tentacles. Seems like most of the pics I see are long tentacled. Would love to hear more opinions.

I definitely agree there is a hunger factor, I have observed it myself, but there is more to it --I have fed my like a maniac and no proper bubbles

Light intensity
Light spectrum
Amount of feeding
Type of foods fed
Frequency of feeding
Amount at each feeding
Size of food particles
Water current
Water params including Ca, Mg PO4 and more
Type of salt
Specific tank allelopathy - IOW cnidarian tankmates
Lighting cycle & pattern of intensity

If even 3 of the above are all factors it becomes complicated to figure out based on forum conversations

I really think someone should donate, say, $100,000 and I'll get to to the bottom of this problem - :lol: ***

 

[Flighty]

In Fiji we saw expanses of rose BTAs all looking like clones. Some had bubbles and some did not, even right next to each other with no difference in flow or lighting. some were even half bubbled, half not bubbled. I'm thinking there is no easy answer to this one.

 

[GSMguy]

mine bubbles when full and strings when hungry and sometimes it does both at the same time like its two nems everytime it does this i get exited hoping its spliting

 

[55semireef]

I still think its genetics.

 

[Angel*Fish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8877731#post8877731 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 55semireef
I still think its genetics.

But I've bought BTA's that were bubbling at the LFS that gradually lost the bubbles over weeks.

But that's not to say that there can't be some that are genetically less likely to bubble or even not bubblers - And if some are genetically intrepid bubblers, we need to get these cloning!

 

[Amphiprion]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8873775#post8873775 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Flighty
In Fiji we saw expanses of rose BTAs all looking like clones. Some had bubbles and some did not, even right next to each other with no difference in flow or lighting. some were even half bubbled, half not bubbled. I'm thinking there is no easy answer to this one.

I agree and have observed the same.