RBTA sucked itself deep into a rock when lights came on on the first day Ive had him.

Ssteve

New member
Just got a small rbta last night. Floated him for 25min, dripped him for an hour and then placed him on a rock. He had completely shrunk up and when I went to bed last night(about two hours after he had been in the tank) he had still not opened up any. This morning when I got up, he was opened up a bit but not bubble to him, just a little deflated looking. I turned on just the blue lights on my reefbreeder fixture, and he filled out. He began to move around a bit and cam to rest on the sand in the far back of the tank. I turned the power to the tank off and fed my inverts and fish, and placed a small chunk of krill on him to see if he would eat it.. He didnt, no biggie. Turned the power back on and the flow sent him tumbling towards the corner of the tank.

So now that your filled in lol... I picked him up, placed him on a rock, and all was fine for about 20min, and then I turned the lights up(just blues to about 30%) and he sucked himself deep deep into a small hole in the rock directly in the center of the tank. I can barely see him at all. I usually run my blue channel from about 6am to 8pm(then moonlights till 10pm) fairly low and my white channel from 1pm to 6pm. Should I shorten the whites for the day? Just run the tank as usual? Kind of puzzled.
 
I have a Condy that has done the same thing. It keeps its foot inside a rock but keeps its tentacles outside of it... he's stayed there for a couple months now.
 
Hopefully he comes out, Im just worried he will die in there and not only will I be out $50, but Ill also need to tear the tank apart and suck him out of there.
 
Yes, they usually like to set their foot in a crevice so they feel safe. It will likely shrink into that hole at night (once it settles in) and come out in the day. Some of mine stay inflated and out all the time and others go into hiding at night. BTAs have a "mind" of their own.
 
once the lights went out he actually came out a little more. So far this morning hes stayed out while I have been ramping up my blue channel
 
Seems to be fine so far. He didn't tuck back into the rock last night he just tucked into himself. Kinda looked inside out, and withing seconds of the moonlights coming on this morning he popped right back out displaying full bubbles.
 
Mine tucked into the rock for the first few days to get settled in. Now he is out all the way but his foot is buried deep in a crevice. He only tucks in after I feed him a silverside for about an hour or two then it's right back out
 
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