rbta in my barebottom reef?

[rwb500]

I have an RBTA in a 40 gallon reef right now and i love it. I'm upgrading that tank to a 75 gallon. I want the tank to be a high-flow SPS barebottom reef. I dont really want to make an island to isolate the anemone, and it wouldnt work too well anyway because of the bare bottom. Would you all recommend trying to keep my RBTA in the barebottom tank? once it finds a spot in the rock will it stay? It has stayed in its spot in my reef right now for about 6 months without moving. it is without a doubt my favorite resident, but i would hate for it to take a walk and kill some sps, or maybe even take a ride in the current and get chopped up.

 

[DragonWarriorPo]

The BTA only sticks to the rocks anyway, so a bare bottom shouldn't be a problem. It actually might stick to the bottom glass since there is no sand.

 

[rwb500]

thank you. i think my concern was not made clear. i am worried that because a BTA will happily stick to glass, it will roam all over my tank. this is what i do not want.

 

[Ron Reefman]

I think it's a tough call. I find that my BTA roam more than my condys and stone flowers. But sometimes they find a good home and stay put. So I'd say you have a 50/50 chance.

Good luck.

 

[coreyg]

Mine has always stayed in one place since I introduced it. Not saying they all will do that. It has since split and the new one is staying in the same place also.

 

[rwb500]

hmmm. my plan was to put it in and just see how it does, but i am now remembering how difficult they are to remove when settled. I think i will sell it before i upgrade, and use the money to buy some long-tentacled lps (such as frogspawn or hammer) that my clowns will probably host eventually.

it is a difficult decision but it will be nice to not have to worry about it moving.

 

[D-Nak]

IME, BTAs like to bury their foot in a rock crevice. Once they do that, they usually stay put, assuming flow and lighting is to their liking. My recommendation would be to create a small island with a few rocks with deep crevices. Once the BTA is happy, you can then try to move the entire rock to where you want it -- assuming flow and lighting are the same.

Selling it is a good idea though, if they're not happy, they will bulldoze your SPS.

 

[bues0022]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2148906

 

[rwb500]

bues0022 - great write up. everything you said seems to make perfect sense to me, having kept two RBTA's in two tanks for over a year each. Both of mine, once they found their spot, stayed put and were absolutely fantastic to look at. But there is always a risk of it moving, and I just think the risk outweighs the reward in my next tank. thanks for the excellent summary. it really makes the decision easier when its all written in one place.

 

[mantisshrimp]

My 40 breeder is bare-bottom. Didn't wander at all and made its home in a rock. I have to keep moving it as it rapidly grew (from 2" to 9")