RBTA long and stringy since going LED

[semperfi102582]

I had a single 250 watt radium and I borrowed a friends LED to see how they would look. Not really digging the AI Hydra too much. Is there anything I can do to get my RBTA to bubble back up? I don't really want to go back to my halides but would consider t5's or better LED's

 

[gsiegel]

Following along. Mine is the same under my Vega lighting, and like 5 times the size as it was in the LFS. Colors are bright, mouth closed, and seems healthy.

 

[Reefvet]

I have 2 RBTAs about 12"-18" under a Kessil A350W and they go back and forth between having bubble tips and being longer and without bubble tips. They're both growing and doing just fine under LED.

 

[fishouttawater]

Do you feed your nems? I have a theory haha....

 

[semperfi102582]

It might just be from changing lights. Maybe they will go back!

 

[gsiegel]

Do you feed your nems? I have a theory haha....

Would you care to share that theory with the rest of the class....?:wavehand:

 

[semperfi102582]

A little off topic but my leather has never looked better since switching to led's

 

[cakemanPA]

My BTA's when I kept them would never bubble. I tried feeding, I had halide, t5s, and leds. My news were healthy as can be, but almost never looked like bubble tips.

 

[fishouttawater]

Would you care to share that theory with the rest of the class....?:wavehand:

Haha sorry, was waiting to see if OP was feeding regularly...

My theory, not groundbreaking I might add, is that when fed regularly an anemone doesn't need much supplementary nourishment/energy from it's symbiotic xooxanthellae, therefore doesn't need the increased surface area that comes with bubbling up and bubble-tips. I have actually recently cut way back on feeding my stringy (but large and healthy) gbta, so I will find out over the next few weeks weather it makes a difference.

 

[GT350pwns]

I'm new to the hobby, but a RBTA is going to be my first addition that's not a crustacean or a fish and have done a lot of reading on them so far. I've read in a couple of different places that RBTAs will "stretch" out toward the light with good lighting because they are happy. Kind of goes along with what fishouttawater is saying.

 

[Reefvet]

Nobody knows why BTAs change their form and have bubble tips or don't. It's been speculated about since they've been kept in reef tanks.

Typical behavior would suggest that they do lengthen out and increase their surface area under good light. Mine certainly seem to do that under the Kessil A350W. In higher flow rate under the same light they'll form bubble tips.

 

[gsiegel]

Haha sorry, was waiting to see if OP was feeding regularly...

My theory, not groundbreaking I might add, is that when fed regularly an anemone doesn't need much supplementary nourishment/energy from it's symbiotic xooxanthellae, therefore doesn't need the increased surface area that comes with bubbling up and bubble-tips. I have actually recently cut way back on feeding my stringy (but large and healthy) gbta, so I will find out over the next few weeks weather it makes a difference.

Please keep us posted with the results

 

[mcfa2403]

These nems are housed under a kessil a350w

There are 6 bubble tips on this rock, the green at the top back right is never bulbed, the two roses on top are half bulbed, the three on the bottom are all completely bulbed. It is really difficult to say one species will always act one way each specimens behavior may vary.

The amount of necessary light may vary from green to red based on differences in the symbiotic zooxanthellae in the bubble tip. I believe the different colors mean that they utilize light differently (feel free to correct me if I am wrong) so what may work well for one anemone light wise may not work as well for another especially with the narrow spectrum of light produced by some led fixtures.

None of this information is likely very helpful just my 2 cents

 

[Reefvet]

I manually simulated sunset with the A350W over my RBTAs today. I slowly ramp down the light over about an hour and half. I don't know how accurate it is. In fact I don't think it's accurate at all but I do get a response from the corals and the RBTAs that shows they're reacting to the lessening of PAR. Color response ? Who knows.

What's interesting is my RBTAs were both long and without bubble tips but as the lights dimmed they drew their tentacles back in and began to develop bubble tips.

I'll try and recreate this again and photograph them.

The RBTAs are both directly under the A350W. About 12" for one and another 6" lower for the second. They love that light. They never did this under the 150W MH 14K there were under before.

 

[fishouttawater]

Please keep us posted with the results

So it has been about a month since I stopped target feeding small pieces of krill to my bta. This morning I noticed that a couple of it's tentacles (like 3-4 out of 100) have a slight bulge about midway down the tentacle...definitely not bubble tips, but maybe the start of the transformation. I'll update any changes...

ps-I used to feed about once a week, maybe a 1/2" piece of krill

 

[Reefvet]

In the decade I've been keeping RBTAs I've never fed one and they live for years. Given sufficient light you don't need to feed them.

 

[fishouttawater]

In the decade I've been keeping RBTAs I've never fed one and they live for years. Given sufficient light you don't need to feed them.

Right, I would tend to agree...however, I'm just experimenting to see if there is a correlation between regular feeding (or lack thereof) and bubble-tips.

 

[D-Nak]

Right, I would tend to agree...however, I'm just experimenting to see if there is a correlation between regular feeding (or lack thereof) and bubble-tips.

I hate to tell you this, but there is no correlation. Even in the photo above, you can see that the nem has some tentacles that are bulbous while others are stringy. It's obviously not "partially hungry" LOL.

Hobbyists have been asking why a BTA has stringy or bulbous tentacles ever since we started keeping them. The reality is that we'll probably never know as there are too many factors to isolate -- from flow (I used to think it had something to do with buoyancy and the need for the nem to stay upright, which could explain why part of a nem might have bubbles while another part doesn't) to food to lighting (intensity and spectrum) to clown species using it as a host to what rubs against it to water parameters to mood (kidding!). If it were something as simple as feeding regiment, then we'd all be able to fine tune the look of our nems based on what and how much we feed them. And, the reality is those that are never fed -- as previously mentioned - are both stringy and bulbous.

How would one explain curled tentacles (see top BTA with the curled tentacles) or bulbous at the base of the tentacle (see BTA on the right)?

 

[fishouttawater]

I get what you're saying, and realize that no quorum has been reached on the actual reason behind bubble or stringy in the hobby, but that doesn't mean something might or might not yield results in my tank. I still am curious to see what my anemone (in my unique tank and parameters) will do when feedings are brought down...I wouldn't put money on it gaining bubble tips, but if it does I will be stoked haha. If it does not, no harm no foul!

 

[worm5406]

I have had LED on my 120 and moved them to my 180 on the upgrade.

I got a BTA and it had NICE bubbles on days 1-4 then nothing.

I recently went to Apex Fusion where I had to reprogram my radion cycle and changed from a custom profile to the set 12k profile.

It has been doing this for over 2 weeks.

Guess what I saw last week. Yup----Bubbles on the tips.

So I am going to raise my intensity 5% and see if that helps some.

My growth on my polyps and corals have been outstanding so that is a good thing!