New BTA ... Sting Question

[intenseimage]

Added a nice green BTA to our reef tank today. The nem quickly grabbed hold of the rock where it was placed and GOBBLED down a chunk of mysis as we fed tonite.

Nem was looking fantasic and we hoped that our original spot was to remain its home.

Then the lights went out for the evening and within minutes it started to roam.

We grabbed a frag plug of zoos that it was about to cross but what about the other corals ... how much damage could potentially be done overnight as this bad boy (or girl) roams around looking for its home?

 

[garygb]

I wouldn't expect permanent damage from one pass through by the BTA. However, if it gets sucked into a powerhead that you haven't covered to prevent the anemone from winding up there, then it could kill all the fish--and the anemone.

 

[intenseimage]

No powerheads except for a Vortech and we ditched that for the night.

Overflow has been covered as well (wrasses)

Hopefully it finds a nice spot and not on top of someone else

 

[Smo]

When I got my new RBTA I trained it to stay.

The first day I got it, it was placed where I wanted it to be. Indirect flow and good light, not near any LPS or softies. Then I fed it some mysis. That night it wandered somewhere else. After 3 - 4 days of meandering around, it wound up in the original spot so I fed it again.
Another 4 days of cruising around (never far though from the original location) and I fed it again right where I wanted it to be. It has remained there for just over a week now.

So, hopefully it will associate this perfect spot as a place to get food and stay there. So far all has been good.

 

[R.W.]

"training an anemone" haha thats hilarious.

 

[rssjsb]

As garygb said, I wouldn't expect too much damage from the BTA passing through on its way to someplace more confortable. It's more when it decides to settle in that you have to worry. It will sting anything close by. I lost several small colonies of sps this way because they were encrusted and couldn't be moved.

 

[intenseimage]

So far it has settled into a hole not far from where it was originally placed. HOWEVER, there is a huge clove polyp colony VERY close by and I hope it does ok