Whats the key to your success with RBTA's?

[mnestroy]

I've had nothing but bad luck with RBTA in my tank, I'm on my 3rd now, I have a LTA on other side of tank that is huge and keeps growing, so i'd assume my water parms are okay (if hes doing well)

1. How much light? More the better? I have mine near top of my 40breeder under a 14k 150watt bulb.

2. How long of light? I leave my halides on for 9hrs

3. How much flow do you want? Do you want them so their arms are waving pretty good? or do they like very little movement?

4. How often do you feed? I feed mine every 3days about 1-2 smaller silversides cut up to about the size of my fingernail. The RBTA always grabs the food, should I feed him more/lesss?

5. Do you supplement your water with anything? Iodine etc?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, its very frustrating to see their arms go from 8 inches to 2inches in a 3-4month period.

Feb 2007

Currently - Not much smaller, but i've seen this pattern before, and he'll prob keep getting smaller unless i change something.

 

[Anemone]

My RBTAs like lower flow - not no flow, but not vigorous flow.

My RBTAs like their VHO lighting... I don't think it's as intense as your MH lighting, but many folks are successful with MH lighting.

Do you run carbon? Their may be some chemical competition/inhibition due to the established LTA.

Your feeding regimen seems fine. And I haven't added any supplements to my tank for years.

Kevin

 

[mnestroy]

So you think 150W Halide, and him being close to the surface might be to much? Should I reduce the amount of hrs of light he gets?

Also I am not very good at keeping carbon in my tank, I have some now that I just put in 3days ago so we'll see if that matters. I know the LTA and RBTA should get along, I bought them from at the same time from a guy who was breaking his tank down, (Rose was much bigger in his tank, LTA is same size if not bigger in my tank)

 

[mobert]

I have some roses directly under 400 watt halides so your lighting shouldnlt be too much. Are your water parameters OK? PH? Oxygen?

I had trouble with mixing an LTA and RBTAs. Years ago I had a huge LTA. It was healthy until the Roses started multiplying and it gradually got smaller and smaller until it was no more.

Your lighting and feeding sound fine. I have my actinics on for 12 hours and halides for 9. I have feed either every day or not at all (for months at a time) so they can be very flexible if healthy. Every third day is a good schedule though. I found that their favorite spot would be their foot under an overhang or in a hole where they can reach up into the light and current. Current should be enough to gently move the tips of the tentacles around but not so much that it folds the anemone over.

No supplements fo my tank either. Just heavy skimming and regular water changes.

Best of luck,

 

[Reefbox]

I would not discount that there is some serious chemical warfare going on. I raise anemones and I definetely have noticed that there is chemical warfare going on when I put two different colonies of anemone's in a tank, even if they are both RBTA's from different colonies. Same colony anemone's (splits)are fine together but a different anemone's together will trigger this chemical warfare.
Put it into a different tank without another anemone and I will bet it will become healthier and bigger. I learned this through personal experience.

I no longer mix anemone's in the same tank, for my purposes of growing them. All my anemone's colonies are in seperate tanks. I'm not saying it can't be done but I've seen healthy nem's go for the worse when mixed with a different nem. I'll put it into it's own tank and it becomes healthy. Try it or possibly run carbon and see if that helps. I would definetely say it's chemical warfare.

 

[mnestroy]

I've never tested for Oxygen levels... I didn't even know this was something you shoud/could test for

What are the cases with oxygen levels I need to worry about?

To low - What do i do?
To High - What do i do? (can it be to high?)

 

[traveller7]

Pictures are not the best to support the following, but:

- The BTA shows signs of tentacle damage in the second picture.
Suspect predation.(that shrimp alone? Looks like clowns are twisting off tentacles as well) IME, BTAs seem to have a less potent sting then LTAs making them more likely targets.

- Chemical warfare should also be assumed for now.

fwiw: your lighting is fine, feeding regimen is fine, flow should be fine(have numerous colonies, including some of Kevin's posting above in front of Tunze streams and some with little to no flow)