RBTA and Clowns

[travis32]

Two things. The RBTA seems to have found it's home.. At first it hid under a coral and under some rock for about a week to get used to my lights...

Then, it made it's way over to the glass...

This weekend it settled on a spot. A spot I don't really like, but I don't really have a choice. I'm not sure why it's doing this though?

It moved to the glass, and then climbed the glass to the top of the tank Where it sits. It doesn't open up as much as it used to, it's tentacles kinda droop down because they can't go up or they'd be out of the water.

I fed it a piece of freeze dried krill. Which it's tentacles turned blue. So, I'm assuming it was trying to sting the krill... In the end the Anemone crab got a good piece of freeze dried krill..

I fed it some mysis which it seemed to eat. So, it appears like it's doing o.k. where it is. It's right at the top of the water level and about 8" away from a 250W Halide bulb. Does it really need to be that close to the light?

Lastly, one of my clowns started hosting the anemone... It sleeps in the anemone at night... During the day the clown doesn't go near it the anemone... Is this usual behavior for a clown?

The other clown, sleeps wherever and doesn't sleep in the anemone or near the other clown.... Go figure...

 

[nsmith_mma]

Well anemones are definitely known to take up residence in sometimes unsightly or unpleasant locations, and I have seen them at the tops of tanks before. I had a RBTA in my last tank and it did the same thing, but I just coaxed it off the glass and placed it back into a rocky area hoping it would take hold, which it eventually did.

The clown only hosting at night may be due to its location in the tank, although I'm not sure. If it is too high in the water column, the clown may just be uninterested in taking up permanent residence, but rather just enjoys the security it provides through the night. Since it is already hosting though, if you were to move the anemone, the clown may interact with it more readily on a more consistent basis.

 

[travis32]

That's what I wondered, if it was Location, location, location.. Even in reefs, Real Estate location is key.

I did notice today that the anemone is splitting.... I've read this could be a good / bad thing... It's been in my tank a little over 2 weeks and already splitting...

1. The tank conditions, lighting, and everything is soo good that it has energy left over to put into reproducing.

2. The tank conditions, lighting, and stress it is enduring are so bad that it's cloning itself in a desperate attempt at survival.

Other than phosphates being moderate.. Given algae growth I know i have phosphates. But, I don't know how much phosphates affect anemones.. Other than that it's eating good, and has clowns hosting it at night now.. Can't be all bad...