rbta's and sex shrimp and skunk clowns

[lovetoreef]

I am working on dedicating a 14" cube to rbtas ... this is going to be a branch off of my main system that has been running for close to a year ... water quality is great (430, 8.6, nitrates/phosphates near or under 1 ppm) ... i would love to have skunk clowns with 5-6 sexy shrimp in this tank with the rbtas ... thoughts?

 

[Blitzburggirl]

Well, my experience was with a tri of sexies.... They lived in a 12 gallon nc with a gbta for quite a while, then with a LTA for 3 months.

The gbta was part of a tank failure Caused by overfeeding by a child. Amazingly the sexies survived. The lta was moved into my main display.

I think though, that a bta may quickly outgrow your tank. Would you be ok with moving it to your larger tank in that event?

 

[bues0022]

Agreed with the size consideration. A 14" cube is just under 12 gallons. Though you have a huge advantage with a much larger water volume, the size could potentially outgrow your tank.

 

[lovetoreef]

so, perhaps 2-3 would be more appropriate?? what are the issues with them getting too big?? is it a size or territorial issue? thanks.

 

[Dino]

so, perhaps 2-3 would be more appropriate?? what are the issues with them getting too big?? is it a size or territorial issue? thanks.

They're referring to the BTA, not the shrimp.

 

[lovetoreef]

aah, thanks for the heads up ... I can certainly appreciate the size concerns with regards to them, but i do plan on only adding 1-2 of them at most in the beginning, as they grow and potentially split, i will find new homes for the clones.

I do have a total water volume of close to 70 gallons when you add both tanks, the sump and fuge section ... so, i feel the tank is definitely stable enough to support them.

so, the sexy shrimps aren't an issue then?

 

[DustinB]

Think about it, 14" tank, 12" BTA. Not much breathing room.

 

[lovetoreef]

Think about it, 14" tank, 12" BTA. Not much breathing room.

good point, thanks for bringing that point home for me ... definitely something i am going to have think about some more ... thanks for the feedback guys.:thumbsup:

 

[DustinB]

Try a 29 gallon biocube or something similar.

 

[lovetoreef]

well, i have space next to my main tank that allows for at most a 14" x 16" foot print ... i could go higher in height, but, not much more foot print space.

my second thought was to create a pipe fish habitat ... live rock, zoas, feather dusters, gorgonians only ... a dedicated fuge space built into the side of the tank to house chaeto with a direct overflow into the tank ... thoughts?

 

[lovetoreef]

thinking 2-3 blue stripe pipe fish.

 

[bues0022]

I've known some people to have their BTAs to reach over 14", up to 18" even. That's their potential at least. For me, mine tended to get about 10"-12" before splitting.

 

[CockyBrock]

You could get a smaller RBTA and keep it in there for a while. I have a 55 gallon with 9 RBTAs in it and 8 keep on one side and the other (which is every bit of 10" to 12" when open, stays on the other.

The large one is almost too big so I'm hoping she'll split..but I don't see a problem in a 14" tank if you start with one...just be cautious b/c they do grow fast with good conditions and good light!

 

[lovetoreef]

still not sure at this point ... when i get home, i will take some measurements and see how much space i can use for the tank ... I may look into having a larger tank built - time will tell - thanks guys and gals.