RBTA Farm Build

Glazner, don't cut the other one today. Wait at least a week and observe the new cuttings. Offer food and don't change lighting. They will seal into a new oral disc within 5 days. No cuttings until then. You want minimal toxins during healing. Also make sure you are running carbon.
 
Forgot to mention that gushing is simply internal water coming from the oral disc. That's a good sign that you applied the right amount of pressure. Felt great didnt it?
 
Thanks fragtrader. I would have cut the 2nd one this evening... but will wait. Felt great???? I don't know, I was really nervous and it was really slippery... but all apears to have gone good. Yes I am running carbon as you recommended. Next one should be much easier. I was really suprised how good both halves look today and that they are moving around. I will see if I can post pictures later today.
 
Question for all:

There are a few trains of thought regarding best prop system for BTA'S:

1. Simple bin filtered by nothing other than air driven sponge filters.

2. Or, simple bin, but filtered with skimmer etc in a sump.

I am still tweaking my system, but I am curious what other folks are doing, and how it is working out.
 
I don't want to speak for fragtrader but I believe he mentioned in this thread that he does not run a skimmer. And yes per Fragtraders recommendation I wear gloves. He had stated for the health of the anemone and yourself ALWAYS wear gloves. This is my first go, so I will follow his suggestions. As far as my tank, I am just using leftovers. I had an empty 20 gallon laying around, so using that. Probably will switch to something like a 40 long when Petco puts them back on sale for $40. My filter is an old HOB biowheel type filter with no wheel. I put a filter bag over the inlet as one had already crawled up the back wall and got stuck, thankfully no damage. Lighting is a 2bulb T-5. I have a 250 MH I will probably change to, but I only have the two halves in the tank right now. I will say, these two halves already look better than my "mother" RBTA does in my display under 20K 400 MH with VHO atinic.... I am amazed how good these two halves look today. I will try and figure out how to post pictures. They look great.
 
I am very tempted to try this, I have a "25L" 36x12x13 with 30L sump. Has been set up for a year as a frag tank which I just upgraded, 90% of livestock has been transferred over. Drilled/bulkhead with Mag 5 return so no dangerous filter intakes. T5 light strip.

Only problem is that promise I made to the hubby to take down this tank...hmmm.....
 
The RBTA I cut yesterday
 

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I am curious about the systems also, my frag tank, unused right now is 8' long and 18" deep, no substrate, water in one end from a spray end and out a bulkhead on the other to a sump/refugia and back to the tank. Its made of ply with black pond liner but epoxy sealed anyhow. I cant set it back up til I can get moved, looking now.

I will follow Fragtraders advice on carbon, although I haven't used it in years.

My interests are clowns and BTAs and a few other small species, I do like several of the centropyge . Want to concentrate though on the clowns and BTAs. All for fun, dont want a big business .
 
looking good guys! glazner, dont worry, it will be a concentric circle within a week. wait until those two are taking food before you cut another. and do not cut either of those two new (halves) that are healing for at least 30 days.
 
nems under 2.5-3" do not have very high success rates. they must be gut-loaded with food for at least 30 days prior to cutting and have a healthy oral disc. remember you will not be able to feed them for at least a week after cutting....even offering them food they cannot "digest" it yet, so they will have to survive on their zooxanthellae for up to 15 days until they can feed from the first cut. I recommend fattening them up, and aim for 3" and up. Remember they wont be exactly 1.5" each when you cut a 3". I see around a 2:3 ratio, since they form new digestive tract and swell up, so you will have 2 2" nems, and you will need to feed them for at least 30 days before attempting again. its no longer science here.....its an art based upon your husbandry. well kept environments grow faster nems.

in short, the bigger the nem you cut, the higher success rate for healing, and fast tissue reproduction.

fwiw.
 
Fragtrader, again thanks for the advice. So do you have several small tanks for your newly cut BTA's or do you have a large enough system that you can put several freshly cut BTA's in it??? I think you mentioned having tanks with a couple hundred in it... I could see where this could be a little more complicated just trying to keep up with each one. When was it cut, when can they eat, when can you put them back in with the others,when is it time to cut them again.... so do you put your freshly cut BTA's back in with all your other BTA's? Then just by looking at their size and healing figure out if they are big and fat enough to cut again??
 
Lol. If you couldn't tell by now they are all different bta's. Perhaps the creamsicle one is something I own? ;-)

As for how many, it was just the one guy in the riddle.
 
Glazner said:
Then just by looking at their size and healing figure out if they are big and fat enough to cut again??
Click to expand...

Remember I said that you get to a point that is less science and more art? This is what I was referring to. The btas have a certain pattern once they are ready to be cut. The ones that are not ready to be cut do not move 3.5' around the tank everyday.

The freshly cut ones and the btas that need to heal do not move as they are healing their foot and are not as mobile.
 
RBTAs

RBTAs

You do have it down to an art, first the science then the art of it, seems the natural progression. Or call it husbandry, even better.

I am curious, are you maintaining another job or are the BTAs doing it for you?
 
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