RTBA over-population issue

ComforablyNumb

New member
I am really pushing things with rtba's. I may have to do something, but I have no idea what. (as usual)

I started with 2 but there are 13 now (horny bunch) I love their colours and look, most of mine have a lime green colour in the base, but I think I need to get rid of a few. 11 have never moved and I have had only two instances of coral burn in 20 months.
Previously, one touched an sps but immediately backed off...burned two lower branches, but those have come back nicely. A candycane colony was also a victim but seems to be holding its own, but half of it is gone and the dead half looks ugly in the tank. I am less confident about the candycane making a comeback versus the purple stylo, which has.

The local market for these things are not very good at all, but I would give them away if I could get them off the rock without killing them. This appears almost impossible. I certainly do not want to tear up my scape as it has been in place like that for two years and I like it. I am not against euthanizing some of them, but I have no idea as per a humane and effective method.

Anybody know one or a suggestion for my over-population issue? If you have one, you can have up to 8 pretty anemones as a reward for your insight. ;) As a last alternative, a method of euthanasia that would not pollute the tank would also be most welcome.

Here is a pic of half my tank showing many of them, including the one on my candycane colony:

IMG_4899_zpslhvcjera.jpg
 
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I had the same trouble with cloning rbtas, never again! They are nearly as bad as aptasia!
Get a large pvc pipe and put that over the anemone, the anemone will crawl up through it to get to the light, they are easy to peel of from smooth plastic.
 
Great idea! Thx! (but they are much prettier than aiptasia ;) )
That pvc would have to be about 5" in diameter to achieve surrounding most of them.

Any idea as to a humane method to kill them once in the tube?
(put in freezer with water for a couple hrs?)
 
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Offer them to an LFS? Offer them up on ebay?

There is really no market for them? Around here I think you could get $40 to $60 each.
 
For a split second when I saw New Brunswick, I was expecting it to say New Jersey. I would have bought one off of you
 
If you really can't find homes for them then just flush them. Anemones have no nervous system and as such feel no pain. Freezer will work if you're so inclined.
Do you feed them? I found that feeding them caused splitting to increase, but they will do so no matter what.
 
I'm working on getting my tank a bta forest without any corals. Yours is inspiration to me. 😁

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He laughed when I offered. Literally. And I wanted nothing in return

That is bizarre, they go for decent prices even just between hobbyists. Are there any local facebook groups or anything you could find? I hate to have you just kill them since they are pretty widely desired.
 
Try isolating them on their own rock? That has worked out for me so far.
I started with one tiny BTA, now I have 4 large ones. They move a little bit after they split, but never leave their "island" (they avoid the sand)
 
That is bizarre, they go for decent prices even just between hobbyists. Are there any local facebook groups or anything you could find? I hate to have you just kill them since they are pretty widely desired.

Not a thing locally. And I hate to have to kill them off too. Seems I have little recourse. There's just too many..and no market.
 
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