RBTA - where do they like to attach???

[pitmindi]

Hi I bought a beautiful anemone that I think is a RBTA - it has long orange tenticles and the center is green. I've had it for about 6 months. When I first added it to my tank I put it in a spot I had cleared for the anemone and it stayed put until about a week ago. I was moving around some corals and dislodged a rock next to the anemone and disturbed it. I couldn't remember the exact placement of the rocks, so I placed everything back similiar to the way it was. Since then the anemone has been on the move or hiding. It is still in the back of the tank, and on the highest rocks near the surface, but it hasn't found a permanent place yet.

What type of a spot do anemones like??? I know they like to attach to the underneath part a rock. Should I create a space surrounded by rocks, so it can poke out but still feel secure? Should I clear some room so it has plenty of room to spread out?

My tank is 48" x 18" and is fairly crowded. The place I cleared for the anemone in the back of the tank has a 6" space where it wouldn't contact any corals.

Do anemones dislike being near soft corals such as gsp or xenia? what about zoas? Torch? Frogspawn?

Also, I was feeding the anemone weekly using a tube and getting mysis near the mouth of the anemone. Is this a good idea (I did it for the past 4 months)

Thank you for your help!!

 

[Toddrtrex]

E. quadricolors are rock dwelling anemones, usually with their foot in a crevice.

Should give plenty of space b/t the anemone and corals - for both their benefit.

 

[bues0022]

I wrote this up awhile ago, and am too lazy to do it again, here's a copy-paste.

Wandering BTA's has been talked about quite a bit. I covered it a bit in depth before, here's a cut and paste:

Here's my thoughts on the matter of wandering BTA's:

On the topic of a BTA moving "all the time" as some say...I would argue strongly against this statement. In my experience, from reading, and discussions with other people with far more expertise than me, a BTA will remain in its spot if all of its living conditions are being met satisfactorily. There is no benefit to the anemone (risk of being stung/sliced by corals, risk of not finding another rock in the ocean, predatory animals, etc) to "just move around" IF all conditions are appropriate.

Water quality, light, food, Flow, and foot - the five conditions that must be satisfactorily met for all anemones.

Water quality: In the ocean, if local currents drastically change after storms, rivers dump crap into the ocean etc, the nem may want to move to conditions which better suit its liking. In our tanks, however, there are no other areas which have better water - but the anemone doesn't know that. This is my #1 pick for why anemones move without apparent reason. It may even be something in your water which you do not test for - or it may be BECAUSE you just did a water change and didn't match tank water close enough. The anemone is searching for something it just can not find inside a glass box, hence the so called "anemone's just sometimes walk around for no reason". We can't see the reason - so we assume there isn't one.

Light: Lighting in the ocean is quite strong. Far more than our little electrical lights we use. Even on a cloudy day the par is very high - ever had a sunburn on a cloudy day? When you introduce a BTA, you may have a spot picked out that you really want it to go, but it may decide it is too bright or too dim and promptly move. As it gets light-acclimated to your tank, it may move to a spot that is "just right" for its health in the long term. This acclimating and moving to a new home may also cause confusion to BTA's "moving a lot".

Food: Yikes! There is a lot of misconceptions about the "proper" diet for anemones. I did a write-up on RC a while back about the topic: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1835320 A basic summary of that thread is.....assuming a healthy nem, food is likely unnecessary. If you would like to feed, feed small (pencil eraser max) meaty, raw, SW-found foods. Unhealthy nems need more food to gain energy and should be fed more. Feeding leads to faster growth. Feeding can also in some cases overcome less-than-ideal lighting because the food is supplementing the light source. More in-depth information can be found at that link.

Flow: You need to determine the flow requirements of the species of nem you want, and make it match in order to decrease the likelihood of movement. BTA's will like moderate flow, but not too high or too low. Either of those may cause it to move around. Some can be very picky. I know someone who's Haddoni moved across the sandbed after her cleaned a powerhead and replaced it (he thought) in the exact same spot. Apparently it wasn't quite exact. Haddoni's like low flow - if their oral disk is being moved by the current, it's too much and will cause it to move.

Foot: This is my #2 reason why BTA's apparently move without known cause. The foot of most anemones also requires special concern. Some anemones like to bury in the sand, some at the sand/rock interface, and some directly onto rocks. BTA's like to have their foot in a deep crevice, hole, or cave. Basically, it's a safe zone for them to hide in if they need to retract. It's also a way for them to regulate the amount of sun it gets. These deep holes are key to keeping a BTA happy with it's current spot. They like their foot shaded, and head out in the sun.

Hope that's a good summary of what I think about BTA's.

 

[Toddrtrex]

Good post sir.

 

[charleneatkins]

good hint on why my haddoni may have started to move-power head flow, Thanks

 

[Toddrtrex]

good hint on why my haddoni may have started to move-power head flow, Thanks

Yes, S. haddonis are not fans of high flow -- even moving a powerhead a couple of inches can cause them to move.

 

[jeff@zina.com]

The place I cleared for the anemone...

Anemones are like cats. The space you create for them will never be chosen.

Let it wander until it finds its own spot. Then move corals if you have to.

Jeff

 

[Toddrtrex]

Going to have to disagree -- if you understand the requirements of the anemone you have a good chance of being able to place it where its requirements will be meet.

I received a new S. haddoni about 2 months ago, understanding their requirements I placed it in a particular spot in my tank -- until Monday when I sold it, it hadn't moved an inch. Similar story with the last 5 S. haddoni I have placed.

 

[bues0022]

Agreed 100% Todd. That's why I like to copy-paste that thing I wrote for others to hopefully overcome the thought that they'll move when/where they want.

good hint on why my haddoni may have started to move-power head flow, Thanks

I'll have to give credit where credit is due - the sensitivity of Haddoni's to flow originally came from Todd - Mr. Haddoni

 

[aidan0217]

Goo

I wrote this up awhile ago, and am too lazy to do it again, here's a copy-paste.

Good to know