rbta/gigantea in same tank experiment

[isseym328]

Hey folks,

Today I saw a very healthy beautiful bluish/purple gigantea at a lfs and I couldn't resist picking it up (great price too). The carpet is about 4-5 inches wide. I have been trying to figure out if I wanted a rbta tank or a carpet tank. The tank, which is a 60g cube, was already occupied by a 8 inch rbta that I purchased a month ago. Now both anemones reside in the same tank about 12-15 inches away from each other.

So I have read mostly that they will not get along, but in the end I guess I wanted to try it out myself. Fear not though I do have a extra tank just in case it doesn't work out that I can move one of the anemones to.

Today is day 1. Let's see how it goes. If any one is interested I can take some pics as well.

 

[Reef Ruler]

Good luck with your "expiriment". Let us know how it works out, and lets see some pics

 

[Slakker]

Pics please!

While I don't recommend housing them together, I've read that others have had good luck with running carbon, so perhaps that's something to try if they don't seem to be getting along.

 

[E.J. Coral]

Hey,

Did you get the anemone from Tom? I bought one yesterday. A blue one. Unfortunately, when I got it home, i noticed 3 tears on the foot The coloration is good the mouth is super tight, and the tentacle length/density is excellent. However I fear for the worse becuase of the foot damage. My fingers are crossed.

One comment on that combo in your 60 cube: While aleopathy is certainly a concern, especially during the crucial acclimation period where the animal is in a weakened state, physical contact will be a problem in the near future. My gigantea flat out out grew my 60 cube, but only after it killed everything else in the tank, either by shading or by stinging... Be ready to upgrade if both anemones survive.

Oh yes....and congrats .... please post some pics.

 

[isseym328]

Got it from another lfs in my area. The tentacles were sticky and the mouth was tightly shut. Foot was attached to a shell that I took along with the gigantea. It looked pretty healthy when I picked it up but only time will tell.

I just fed both of the anemones and they are doing well after 7 hours together in my tank. However it will be when the light shuts down that the real test begins. I want to see if they start moving around when it's dark in the tank.

Here are some pics:

 

[E.J. Coral]

Nice anemone. Same color as my big one.

 

[timrandlerv10]

would ozone help--would that help break down any chemicals released by warring anemones?

 

[isseym328]

Update: rbta staying in place. gigantea has moved a couple inches on the same rock. The gigantea looks a little more bunched up but that might due to the way its foot is attached to the rock. Did a water change last night just in case.

 

[E.J. Coral]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12810819#post12810819 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by timrandlerv10
would ozone help--would that help break down any chemicals released by warring anemones?

Hard to say without knowing exactly what the alleopathic compounds are. My guess is yes.

 

[elegance coral]

I have one Haddoni and one Gigantea in the same tank. There are two LTA's in the same system. All is well. I hope you have the same luck.

 

[a4twenty]

i've had 4 BTA's in with my new Gigantea for about a month now, with no problems so far. i always run carbon anyway and keep the BTA's well feed so they don't wander much. i'm planning on selling a few of them but always find it hard to part with them

 

[delphinus]

I had a RBTA, a regular BTA and two gigantea's in the same tank for 2 years. They were fine together all this time.

Space started becoming an issue so I moved the RBTA out into a 20g nano reef I have on the go. I regret making this move now because the RBTA, after about 4 months in the 20g, literally disappeared overnight. The only thing I can think of is that it must have started wandering, and either wandered into the seio or the overflow. I took apart the whole tank looking for it, it's just gone, just like that, gone. Weird because usually there's some indication if an anemone perishes (it's really quite gross).

So anyhow I totally wish I had left it in the tank with the gigantea's now.

 

[isseym328]

Hey delphinus and a4ywenty,

I feel the same. I really don't want to move the rbta because its one of the nicer ones that I've seen, and it is keeping its bubble tips. However I checked the tank just now and the rbta has moved to the back of the tank behind the rocks. I guess the gigantea's presence is known. I will see what happens when the lights go on today.

 

[isseym328]

Hey elegance,

Thanks. I hope I can keep both as well!

 

[Coral C's]

I am still fairly new to all this but my first anemone was a white carpet, in another thread I questioned why it was turning brown. that is how I found out it is a gigantea and that the brown was a good thing. Anyways, I also have some RBTA in the same tank and so far have had no issues. Other than a few inches here or there most have stayed put. Here's hoping you have the same success. Out of curiosity does anyone know how many colors they come in? The purplish one is gorgeous.

 

[Coral C's]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12814510#post12814510 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by delphinus
I had a RBTA, a regular BTA and two gigantea's in the same tank for 2 years. They were fine together all this time.

Space started becoming an issue so I moved the RBTA out into a 20g nano reef I have on the go. I regret making this move now because the RBTA, after about 4 months in the 20g, literally disappeared overnight. The only thing I can think of is that it must have started wandering, and either wandered into the seio or the overflow. I took apart the whole tank looking for it, it's just gone, just like that, gone. Weird because usually there's some indication if an anemone perishes (it's really quite gross).

So anyhow I totally wish I had left it in the tank with the gigantea's now.

I too had a haddoni disapear in my 120 after about 1 week in the tank. I looked and looked but no where to be found. I never had any spike in my nitrates as Iwas told would happen if one of my anemones died. No evidence of it every being there. Could be a case of abduction from the little green men, who knows!:lol: :lol:

 

[delphinus]

FWIW, the most convincing display of possible allelopathy (or chemical warfare, whatever you want to call it), I ever saw in my own tanks, was between individuals of the same species but not genetic clones. And it was particularly pronounced when I let one strain split a few times without removing the daughter anemones. When it was one and one, no problem. Then one split and it was two of the one, and one of the other, still no problem, but one further split and it became three versus one, and suddenly the loner just started to close up and not open anywhere near as much as it should have been. On a hunch I sold off the two clones so it was back to one and one in the tank and it was back to normal after that.

I know that strawberry anemones (coldwater species) will form colonies with specialized roles among different individuals, .. whether this translates into BTA's developing "colonial/defensive/territorial" behaviours I guess is a stretch, but not impossible either.

Just my random musings on this topic anyhow..

 

[isseym328]

You guys are making me feel more optimistic about this whole thing. I would really like to have a rbta and diff colored carpets in my tank if possible.

The rbta has move out enough that a dozen or so of its tentacles are out in the light. As long as it's getting some light and showing its bubble tips I'm not too worried. I will feed the two nems tomorrow night.

 

[isseym328]

small pic:

 

[isseym328]

Update: Well looks like the gigantea is winning. The rbta is on the move again in the back of my tank. When will it stop moving I do not know. I just hope it will stop moving around soon.