Sigh...beautiful new RBTA hiding in back of tank.

[MJAnderson]

I got a fist sized RBTA from a fellow reefer when his split. His tank was lit by 400w MH. I got my guy home, aclimated for 2 hours and put him in the tank with lights off. When I got up in the morning I was thrilled to find he had attached to the spot I had made for him after reading about where they like to live. Sadly when I got home from work that night he had moved to a completely unlit spot upside down about 2 inches off the sand. He is completely retracted to fit in this spot. I know he's not getting any light and the flow can't be great down there but he's camped out there for 72 hours now. Should I do anything or will he eventually come out? I am running T5s (5x54) and my flow isn't anything that should bother him (2 MJ1200s and 1 MJ900).

Thoughts?

 

[Sk8r]

Turn your pump off and see if he's attached. Use your hand, very very gently, and if he's not, lift him back to a lighted area.
They ride the current when they turn loose in 'dissatisfaction', and he rode it to a bad spot. It didn't take him on out of the cul de sac, which is why he's where he is.

You might leave your pump off for a bit, until you can get him to settle. He 'wants' to be where flow will bring him food and where he's not whipped about. Drop some food into the tank and see where the pump carries it before you begin this operation, and put him where it's likely to sink. If you don't like where that happens, redirect your flow.

 

[MJAnderson]

Thanks Sk8r. He moved to the first spot on his own when the lights were out. So I'm guessing the flow is good but the lighting too bright.

 

[Sk8r]

Good deduction: can you move or acquire a rock to give him some shade? Even a sheet of opaque plastic temporarily set into the reef will give him cover. Or light-reduction awning-netting temporarily over the tank if you don't have any other specimens that will suffer. He will acclimate, given enough time.

 

[Lpabsolute]

I've been there before....Hey wait a minute where did that go????

 

[MJAnderson]

Well I have an answer...and 2 RBTAs now. =)

 

[Stirfry001]

A lot of times they like to hide out after splitting. Mine hid for almost a week upside down on a ledge. Now he finally came out and moved into the light.