RBTA, Good buy???

Tmoriarty

Tmoriarty

New member
Im about ready to try another take at anemones (Bought a Sebae and my powerhead ate it).

My LFS had a RBTA that was around 10.5 inchs for 125$. Last week it split and he has the clone and the original re-listed for 59$ each. For me this price seems pretty good for healthy RBTA's, my question is do you guys think there is a good chance my clowns will allow the nem to host them?

Clowns are a mated pair of True percs (shown in my avatar picture). For the week I had the sebae they wouldn't even venture into it. What should I do to try and motivate them to venture into the nem? I know not everyone reccommends it but if they wont host after a while should I try putting them in a 5gal tank with the nem to promote them to venture into it?

Thank you for your replies, just trying to get a nem in the tank (Its the main reason I wanted a salt water tank).:fish1::lolspin:

P.S. Next time im at the LFS Ill take a picture of the nem for you guys to see.
 
That is not a bad price I have seen them go from local reefs anywhere from $20 to $70 depending on size. When it comes to clowns hosting I think it is a crap shoot. You just never know if they will host or not. I have heard of some people getting a strainer and floating it at the top of there tank. Then they put the anemone in there and then the clown. I HAVE NOT DONE THIS AND I AM NOT SAYING YOU SHOULD DO IT! but i have read about people doing this and it working. Sometimes it just takes time for them to find the anemone I know of some people that have clowns that do not show interest for over a year then one day they find them hosting. Good luck and post pics of you get it.
 
Yah Im completely impatient... a year is a no go and as messed up as it may sound Im ok with the risk of loosing clown fish to entice them to host. Now that beign said I would rather do it safely, hence the 5g tank. My other option is building a mini tank to hang inside my tank... full of holes so that food and flow would get in, I have enough plexi at the house to build one now. I would prefer not to force them inside the nem, rather give them enough room to swim around it and venture in when they want to.

I know I hear a ton of stories of false percs beign hosted by bulb anemones, but I havn't heard as much about true percs and bulb anemones. Ill also probably try taping a picture of percs in a bulb anemone on the side of the tank and see if that helps.

Also the RBTA at the LFS are around 6 inchs each, So id be paying around 10$ an inch.
 
$59 for a RBTA is decent price ($60 is the common LFS price around me)...

IMHO I think you should buy the nem because you like/want to add it to your ecosystem and not because you want to "force" your clowns into it...
while I am not looking to preach to you, and I apologize if I'm coming off that way, patience in ur hobby is IMO the single most important aspect of success...
in truth, it will take time for the RBTA to acclimate itself to your system so the longer it takes for the clowns to "find" the nem, the quicker the nem might adjust...

GL and I hope you do it the natural (right) way :thumbsup:
 
if you want a an almost instant bonding to an RBTA... sell your percs and get a Maroon, as it is their naturl host.. they are likely to host alot faster to the rbta then the percs..

if you want the percs to jump right into a nem, buy an S. Gig.. they'll host to that quicker then an RBTA... (in most cases) ..cause its their natural host...
 
I prefer true percs....they are my favorite clowns. I want the anemone because I enjoy and am fascinated by the relationship of clowns and nems. And I dont mind giving the clowns over a month to find the nem and will try every other way first. Putting them in a five gallon would give them plenty of room with a nem and is my last resort. If they refuse to be hosted by a rbta ill try another nem
 
or you could always get super lucky and they could dive right in..as well.. but IMO .. that not likely.
 
i had to wait along time. IMHO if your not patient it will never happen and youll find yourself buying different nems and clowns untl it happens.
 
Well I guess I can try a few diffrent things. I do have some patience but right now my clowns don't leave the top left corner of my tank much, unless its time to eat. I would just like to see them once and a while and actually be able to enjoy them.

My main purpose for this tank is nems, So I dont mind buying another nem of the RBTA doesn't work out well. If I end up with a couple nems that stay away from eachother the clowns can take there pick to be hosted by. Ill take a picture of the RBTA before I buy it and after its in the tank, most likely today when I wake up around 4pm. We will see how things go from there, and if it comes down to it ill buy another nem in a couple months :P.
 
Another question.....in the case my percs refuse to be hosted by the RBTA, would either a True carpet nem or an haddoni nem work better? In either case which is easier to find and take care of. Can I keep either with my current light setup? Again thank you for the help.
 
like i said.. s. Gig is their natural host and will host to that more naturally.. and quicker

there is a chance they'll host to a S. Haddoni too.. but not as great as a S. Gig..

both s. Gig and S. Haddoni are hard to keep anemones.. an RBTA is far more forgiving..
 
Ok..... so minor change of plans... Went to the LFS today to pick up the RBTA and they were both on hold for someone already..... I looked more into S. haddoni's and s. gigantea's and their care requirements and potential sizes are less suitable for my current aquarium. While I know they would be a better host for my clowns, Ill take the chance and try to get my clowns to accept a BTA as a host.

That beign said..... I was on Divers Den today after I could not find a BTA at my LFS. I saw a nice looking GBTA and my wife said it was awesome looking (great way to ask her to let me buy it). Sooooo...... with out further adu....

Green BTA.jpg

BTW, final price paid after shipping was 114$

This is the GBTA I picked out, I did not like the option of ordering one I could not see what it looked like so DD was my choice, little bit more money but hopefully It was still a good deal.

Let me know what you guys think, Ill receive it Thursday morning, and ill make sure to post photos of it when I receive it and when it gets into the tank. Wish me luck with my attempt at raising this nem, and I hope everything goes well :spin2:
 
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