Will my GBTA ever split?

[Matt850]

Pretty much what the title says.. I have a GBTA that I have had for a few months and it is growing great! It was about 3.5" when I bought it and it has grown to a staggering 9-10" when fully open.... that takes up most of the top of my 24g NC. I feed it fresh seafood 2-3 times a week but it has yet to split... would be nice so I could get rid of some of it but I don't feel that I have the experience (or nerve) to try to split it in half myself.

I guess what I mean is... is there a point that it will stop growing... even if it weren't to split?

 

[Anemone]

Do a 25-50% water change. Wait a week, and if the anemone hasn't split, do another 25-50% water change. If you do regular (like weekly) water changes, go a few weeks without a water change, then do the above.

IME, if a well-fed BTA is ready or able to split, a couple of large volume water changes will do it.

Kevin

 

[NanoReefWanabe]

short of a knife i dont think there is any documented proof of how to split a BTA...

however as mentioned above stressing the animal is a good way to trigger a split, call it a defense/ survival instinct..

 

[STREAMLINEGFX]

I have had mine for just over 3 years and it just split last week.

 

[Matt850]

Thanks so much for the replies. I will try the big water change idea I guess... Is there a max size on these guys or do they just keep growing? Are they limited to their environment?

 

[NanoReefWanabe]

i have seen a single RBTA fill a 75g aquarium...but it has since become close personal friends with a vortech...

 

[Matt850]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13762929#post13762929 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NanoReefWanabe
i have seen a single RBTA fill a 75g aquarium...but it has since become close personal friends with a vortech...

yikes... yeah so I guess I need to figure out what I am going to do and get it done... It is about 4" from either side of the tank when fully open but luckily only stays open about 5"-6" front to back leaving enough room for my crocea to get ample light in the front of the tank.

This is the anemone about a month ago... its almost twice as big now...

 

[jmadison]

I had a gbta for about 5months and after the first month of owning it it formed a second mouth. It could eat through both of them and depending on the side of the nem that the food was caught on it would use either one. That being said, I feed 1-2 a week, and did weekly water changes of about 20 percent and It NEVER SPLIT. It was just enjoying life with both mouths. I later traded him/her to the LFS when I was doing some rearranging.

 

[reefusaca]

If it's too happy, it usually won't split. My did not split but I tore them in 3 pieces when removing it from a rock and all survived!

 

[Anemone]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13769507#post13769507 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reefusaca
If it's too happy, it usually won't split.

Sorry, I have to disagree here. My RBTAs have appeared to be very "happy" over the 13 years I've had them (they have even spawned). I've had over 120 splits, and with all the clones that have split in others' tanks and still go on living and growing, I can't believe they are "unhappy."

Yes, splitting can be a last-dtich response to an inhospitable environment, but it is also a "normal" method of reproduction.

Kevin

 

[LandLockedReef]

I got my anemone about 3.5 years ago and just about lost him in a 17 hour move (it was so miserable) he disappeared for 2 months after we set everything back up, then i found him healthy and with a friend in the back of the tank. Kind of an extreme stress example but it worked.

The two were getting to be huge in my tank and I wanted to see if i could manage cutting one. I was terrified of cutting it but I eventually got the guts to do it and it was surprisingly easy. Been slicing them up ever since when they don't split on their own. Its been a great currency if you will to trade for frags and such.

Good luck with your split