RBTA keeps splitting

[Creetin]

Well i know it sounds like a good problem, But i dont want it splitting anymore. Everytime it does both rbta's go in hiding and pop up in a cluster of sps colonys and i have to rescape.
Almost decided on just going with a blue or red carpet, But my fairy wrasses would be in threat of being eaten.
Is there any rbta thats less prone to splitting? I know this one has white lines around the mouth meaning its a female. Are females more prone to split? I get 2-3 splits a year feeding it 1-2 if i dont.
If you have some advise on another nem that is more fish friendly please share. Its gotta have some color though.
TIA

 

[dalilgriffith]

Where you from? Ill take a few if we can do local pickup or shipping.

 

[FishAreFriends2]

I wish mine split, how big is yours mother nem?

 

[Eklikewhoa]

I have a RBTA that refuses to split no matter how much I feed it.....it just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

 

[Creetin]

Eklike, I wish mine would do what yours is.
I only have 2 at the moment, I usually dont let 2 large ones stay in my tank. The mother is about 5 inches now, It splits at around 8-10 inches.
Sorry i wont ship nems as they are rough shippers. I Am in Mich.

 

[garygb]

Your information that the white lines around the mouth are characteristic of a female is completely erroneous. Number one, I have never heard that, and number 2, I have males and they have those white lines, too.

If your anemones are splitting very often, it is probably because of some stressor in the tank. Perhaps your parameters aren't right or stable.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12313954#post12313954 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by garygb
If your anemones are splitting very often, it is probably because of some stressor in the tank. Perhaps your parameters aren't right or stable.

not necessarily true-
certain Entacmaea are prolific at cloning while others aren't

 

[garygb]

"certain Entacmaea are prolific at cloning while others aren't." That is likely true. There are no doubt individual differences between specimens regarding frequency of dividing. Some speculate that some E. quadricolor never divide at all. I've found mine divide most often when there is stress from an encroaching coral, such as star polyps. When no stress is present, they just grow larger and don't divide until quite large.

 

[Creetin]

So youre right i have a very dirty tank and i stress my corals and nems out till they split.
I have had fish tanks probaly just as long as you, and i think i know a thing or two about taking care of my animals.

Thanks Gary M, I agree with you!! I have heard that the white lines are signs of females, But i bow to gary there that assumes i cant take care of my tank.

Thank you for your insight though.

 

[Lmecher]

Well I got a clone rbta from my brother, his have split several times. Had mine for a year and it never split, just getting bigger and bigger. Guess that's a good sign, it's happy an healthy at least thats what I keep telling myself.

 

[Lmecher]

Could it be possible I got the half that's not prolific at splitting? lol

 

[dalilgriffith]

Get about 10 splits an ill take all of them, ill even pay for shipping.

 

[garygb]

Creetin, I don't assume that you have a "very dirty tank," there are no pics or water parameters posted, so there is no way I would know if your tank is "dirty" or not. I think it is very likely that splitting at the frequency you're describing suggests a stressor--possibly from other cnidaria in the tank or parameters that are out of kilter.

 

[Atticus]

Or you could have an extremely healthy tank allowing the anemone to feel comfortable enough to split/reproduce....

 

[svb57]

I started with 3...have sold 5 and now have 6 left. I stopped feeding mine silver sides cause they woulkdnt stop splitting.

I have a very healthy clean tank 750 total gallons.

Jim Mc

 

[redFishblue]

There seems to be a "strain" of rbta that is known locally to stay small and split regularly.
Seems like you got one too.

 

[Javeo]

I have the same problem with my RBTA, it just wont stop splitting! its so annoying, i have rbta's all over the place now, worse than aptasia! I also have one huge GBTA that has never split but just gets bigger and smaller depending on how much i feed it

 

[heap]

yah, i've given up on my tank.

it's no longer a mixed reef, it's 'whatever will live with the rbtas'. at last count, there were over 2 dozen.

some strains just split like crazy.

 

[Creetin]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12322404#post12322404 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by garygb
Creetin, I don't assume that you have a "very dirty tank," there are no pics or water parameters posted, so there is no way I would know if your tank is "dirty" or not. I think it is very likely that splitting at the frequency you're describing suggests a stressor--possibly from other cnidaria in the tank or parameters that are out of kilter.

I am sorry i got hot headed there. I understand now.
My tank is sps domanant, and water is low nutrient. But i think now it could just be the strain like others have that keep splitting.
Maybe i'll devote a small tank to the rbta to fill up with clones.

 

[Anemone]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12331416#post12331416 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by heap
yah, i've given up on my tank.

it's no longer a mixed reef, it's 'whatever will live with the rbtas'. at last count, there were over 2 dozen.

some strains just split like crazy.

Yep, that's how I ended up with my 65 gallon RBTA species tank. Got my clone in 1995 and have had over 120 splits.... have about 20 in the tank now.

I have found that I can induce splits by doing large volume water changes - ie, introducing a potential stressor (rapid changes in some water parameter) as well as the few times I've had serious temperature spikes (chiller malfunction). I don't purposely try to get splits, these are just observations I've made over the years (discovered the water change one when I got lazy and stopped doing weekly 5 gallon water changes and started doing much less frequent, larger water changes).

So, just saying I can see both sides of the healthy tank/stressor split debate - my tank is healthy and has frequent splits, but also has splits when a potential stressor is introduced.

FWIW,
Kevin