RBTA question. Just got them

So a local guy here was selling some RBTA's for $10 each. I picked 2 up and read a little about them and how they perfer meaty food and things of that nature. Is there anything else that I should know about them?. I have the flow and lighting needed to support them. Just wondering what else I should know. Also are they safe to handle. I read on another site that they weren't, so I just slowly lowered them out of the bag they were in and they floated around for awhile untill they found a spot they liked.
 
Yeah what I meant by float was they let the current carry them around. One found a spot and stayed there for about a half hour, then ballooned up and floated to a different location where its been all day.
 
Well, if they stay in one spot, that's certainly a good sign. If you haven't been told already, anemones are generally challenging creatures to keep, but I can certainly see the tempatation for $10 each. That's a pretty amazing price.

Most people don't have problems handling BTAs. Their nematocysts generally can't penetrate human skin, especially the palm of the hand. If you have an open cut, I'd certainly be careful, though. Also, there are people who have allergic reactions, so it's always best to use caution.

Most meaty foods fed once or twice a week work well. Silversides seem to be the food of choice for most people who keep them. I alternate with mine, feeding it mysis, silversides, krill, shrimp and squid. I'll also feed it a little of whatever I'm eating if I get seafood for dinner (grouper, snapper, etc.). Mine seems especially fond of grouper. Other than that, just keep your water parameters nice and stable. They can be very sensitive to PH or temperature swings. There seems to be debate on whether they like to have some nitrates in the water or have them undetectable. The people on here who have the most success seem to have undetectable nitrite and nitrate levels. . .in short, pretty pristine water conditions.

Anyway, best of luck! If they stay in one spot and grab food readily with their tentacles, you're probably doing good. If they start wandering the tank, can't grab food, start losing tentacles, or anything else strange, those are very good signs that they're not happy.
 
Re: RBTA question. Just got them

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7688791#post7688791 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by xlayedoutx
So a local guy here was selling some RBTA's for $10 each. I picked 2 up and read a little about them and how they perfer meaty food and things of that nature. Is there anything else that I should know about them?. I have the flow and lighting needed to support them. Just wondering what else I should know. Also are they safe to handle. I read on another site that they weren't, so I just slowly lowered them out of the bag they were in and they floated around for awhile untill they found a spot they liked.

I wouldn't reccomend handling them, although it won't hurt you if you touch them during feeding or tank cleaning or whatever. Unless you're allergic to them or something. I've never heard of someone being allergic to their anemone before but stranger things have happened.
I feed mine by hand, about 1/3 of a silverside and the tentacles haven't hurt me.
Before feeding I always make sure that I wash my hands and forearms thoroughly with a soap that has no perfumes or anything funky. I wouldn't want to hurt my anemone with something I accidentally had on my hands.

Good luck!
 
sarahkucera... soap could really harm your tank. so can lotion, cleaners etc. try to keep your hands out of the tank as much as possible.. I run my hands under warm water and rub em for a bit if i have to take a dip, but i use arm length gloves.

i use plastic tongs to feed the nem, just drop the s.slide on the tenicles
 
i heard Anthony Calfo at the western marine conference a couple months ago talking about them. he said Silversides are much larger than anything they would get in the wild. smaller fare is better, Mysis, and things of that size or smaller.

i have made a batch of Erics's food and don't even target feed mine anymore, just the whole tank. it is huge and happy.

Carl
 
Xlay, did you acclimate your anemones to your tank or just take them from the bag into the tank?
If you did not acclimate for at least an hour you may have problems soon.
Keep an eye on them for bleaching from the shock of not being acclimated.
I wish you luck tho.
Feed them asap and try to keep them from bleaching if you can.
I hope we don't hear from you in a few days with problems .
 
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