So this is what an RBTA does before a split?

[tj1627]

So I've had this rbta for a few months now - maybe 4 months? It picked a spot in the tank and remained unmoving ever since. I fed it a piece of rods food maybe once a week. Was approx 8 in across when fully inflated

2 days ago it moved. Under a rock. It found a little cave entrance that my pistol shrimp had dug (the shrimp has about 8 entrances and exits. Don't think he noticed losing one)

So since the anemone is roaming, I placed foam guards on my vortech pumps. For about a day and a half all I saw were the very tips of the rbta sticking out of the cave. I was worried but I figured I'd give him a while to figure out what he's doing.

What do I see today? The anemone sticking out its tentacles from another cave entrance. 8-10 inches away out the opposite side of the rock. Oh wait, he's sticking out of both entrances.



Now, it's possible that the single anemone stretched itself really far to stick out both caves, but my $$ is on a split. I'm not going to lift the rock to find out, but I'll just wait and see

 

[KindCorals]

My GBTA just split and I knew it was going to because the foot was stretched out further than I had ever seen it. It did retract a bit more under the overhang but it was deflated the night it split. The next day there were 2 and they were both deflated all day, the small clone is still deflated going on 3 days now.

It's possible yours split but I do remember all my previous btas looking very deflated for at least a day or so right before and after splitting.

Maybe check the parameters, if something is off or changes, it can send them roaming.

 

[tj1627]

My GBTA just split and I knew it was going to because the foot was stretched out further than I had ever seen it. It did retract a bit more under the overhang but it was deflated the night it split. The next day there were 2 and they were both deflated all day, the small clone is still deflated going on 3 days now.

It's possible yours split but I do remember all my previous btas looking very deflated for at least a day or so right before and after splitting.

Maybe check the parameters, if something is off or changes, it can send them roaming.

All of my parameters are in check - nothing has changed recently. Cal and Alk are kept in line with 2 part on dosing pumps. I checked them daily for the past 2 days and they're showing no change. Lighting schedule is normal, PO4 at .056 ppm and NO3 at .2 ppm.

I looked closely last night while the moonlights were still on and see the edge of the foot on by the tentacles on the left. Can't see anything on the right.

I didn't notice the anemone deflating recently (with the exception of the last time i fed it - it usually will deflate a day or so after and then reinflate), but it was under the rock for a while and its somewhat difficult to see whats going on under there.

Either way i'll leave it alone and report back - I either have an extremely large and limber RBTA or 2 RBTAs. Time will tell

 

[tj1627]

I think I can officially call this a split The left RBTA is slowly moving around the rockwork while the right one is staying put under the rock.

If you look beyond the ricordeas on the left side of the pic, you can see the RBTA roaming around back there. Sorry for the bad pic, hard to get a good one with the angle he's at behind the rocks.