Rbta ?

NewSchool04

New member
I picked up a small RBTA at our local reef club meeting this weekend and I'm a little worried about it. I've had a BTA for over three years and know my fair share about creating a healthy environment for them but never have owned what seems to be a newly split anemone.

The anemone was in a bag when I picked it out, I could examine the foot, which looked great, but the rest of the anemone wasn't that clear. I could tell it had great color, healthy foot, I was good to go! When I got it home and out of the bag it was obvious that it had just split and this was a clone. I'm worried about the mouth, it's not totally healed or even in the middle of the anemone. It's more towards the edge of the disk and still not a closed circle. If you can picture the mouth being a circle, one part of the circle is not connected if that makes more sense.

How long does it take for a mouth on a newer clone RBTA heal?

I also have two Onyx clowns that are now hosting in the RBTA, I have to assume that this will not help the healing process.
 
IME - It takes about 2 weeks for the mouth to fully heal. When my rose split, I waited several weeks till I started feeding it. The part where it split, the white lines, usually at the edge or tip, will eventually move to the center.

Once the mouth is somewhat close to center, it should be safe to start feeding again.

Hope this helps you and Good Luck !
 
Thanks for the response joecos. From what you describe, I would take it that this anemone is a very new clone. I'm not sure what they look like right after splitting, is there a scar on the foot or just at the disc?
The mouth on mine is all the way to the side and not fully closed, almost looks like a piece of a pie is missing, the rest fully healed.
I'm worried that the clowns hosting in the anemone now are going to inhibit the healing process. The anemone besides that looks great, great color, etc.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9279523#post9279523 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NewSchool04
Thanks for the response joecos. From what you describe, I would take it that this anemone is a very new clone. I'm not sure what they look like right after splitting, is there a scar on the foot or just at the disc?
The mouth on mine is all the way to the side and not fully closed, almost looks like a piece of a pie is missing, the rest fully healed.
I'm worried that the clowns hosting in the anemone now are going to inhibit the healing process. The anemone besides that looks great, great color, etc.

The clownfish will impede the healing process, I'm thinking. If you have a strawberry basket or something to put over the 'nem that allows light and flow through but not the clowns, that would help.

Is your 'nem pulling the foot around to try to heal up the split part of its body? IME a healthy clone will do so within a day or so and then begin healing. I've fed clones within 48 hours after splitting if they are doing well, but if the foot isn't pulling the split together then any food is just going to escape through the split.

Pictures would really help to determine how far along it has gotten in the healing process, especially the split area and mouth.

-Sonja
 
I'm not sure what you mean by "Is your 'nem pulling the foot around to try to heal up the split part of it's body?"

The foot looks totally healed, the anemone's disc is round with a slight indentation where the split occured and that looks healed, like slightly discolored scar tissue. . The anemone's mouth is conected to that scar tissue and doesn't look fully formed.

I'll try to get a picture tonight when I get back from work.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9281806#post9281806 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NewSchool04
I'm not sure what you mean by "Is your 'nem pulling the foot around to try to heal up the split part of it's body?"

The foot looks totally healed, the anemone's disc is round with a slight indentation where the split occured and that looks healed, like slightly discolored scar tissue. . The anemone's mouth is conected to that scar tissue and doesn't look fully formed.

I'll try to get a picture tonight when I get back from work.

Ah okay so it's not *that* new of a split. I thought by "new split" you meant it still had its stomach hanging out of the side or something.

Is it eating? Is the mouth mostly closed or is it gaping any?

-Sonja
 
I haven't tried to feed it yet, I am going to tonight.

The mouth isn't gaping at all, it just doesn't look fully formed. If you could picture a perfectly normal looking BTA with the mouth not in the middle but on the edge of the disc connected to the scar formed from the split. The mouth being 90% healed but still looking slightly ragged. I'm not sure if it can eat but I'm going to give it a try.

I'll also try to get a picture tonight when I get home. It really is a beautiful dark maroon/redish color.
 
This is the best that I could do, doesn't show the mouth at all. Of course the part that I'm worried about is under the overhang the anemone has chosen to latch on to. The two clowns don't help either.

CIMG4161.jpg
 
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I forgot to mention that I did feed tonight. I used Rods Food and turkey basted some into the anemone. The tentacles are very sticky, he curled up on the food but I can't tell if anything actually got eaten.
 
Looks like a healthy RBTA to me, great color. Sticky tentacles are a very good sign. I'd just keep feeding it and watching it for any signs of stress. But good job asking when you weren't sure, better safe than sorry. :)

FWIW when my BTA's are healing from splitting the mouth is on the edge of the disc instead of the middle for quite some time, but over time they grow back to a more symmetrical shape.

-Sonja
 
Thank's Sonja, I picked it because of the color!

I'll keep doing what I'm doing and hope the clowns don't hinder the healing.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9284180#post9284180 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NewSchool04
Thank's Sonja, I picked it because of the color!

I'll keep doing what I'm doing and hope the clowns don't hinder the healing.

From what you describe, I think it's mostly healed, just the last bit of mouth to finish recovering. If it were still trying to heal the foot from splitting and still had the big raw wound, the clowns would be a very bad idea. I think as long as you keep an eye on it they won't be a problem. Might have a cover of some kind ready just in case though.

Keep us posted! :)

-Sonja
 
Just found an old pic of one of my healing RBTA clones, is this kind of what the mouth on yours looks like?

rbta001.jpg


-Sonja
 
It actually looks a little better than that.

I really like the coloring on that BTA Sonja! Looks like a mix between a green and a rose.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9289592#post9289592 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NewSchool04
It actually looks a little better than that.

I really like the coloring on that BTA Sonja! Looks like a mix between a green and a rose.

Okay I think your RBTA should be just fine then. IIRC my picture was taken about a week post-cutting so I'd say yours is farther out than that from splitting.

Thanks for the compliment on it, I really like their colors as well. :)

-Sonja
 
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