am I cruising for a bruising?

[Ballyhoo]

A few months ago I bought this baby RBTA. I placed it on the frag shelf and noticed it wasn't opening not much until I placed it all the way on the bottom. It's been a few months and it's only moved inch a on the shelf. But what are the chances one day it will release itself and float and go into one of the powerheads? thinking about this I just ordered a nem guard for the Nero mini. But I'm thinking I probably should get one for the Reef Wave too. Do RBTA's always eventually release their footing & float around somewhere? It is a small creature and not easy for me to get a good solid picture of it, but somehow it prefers to be on the bottom of the tank and whenever it closer to the surface, she closes down more.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

I have a gyre and 2 power heads in my tank, and about 50 RBTA's. Never had one float around. If they lose their ability to attach their foot, they are not well.

 

[Ballyhoo]

I have a gyre and 2 power heads in my tank, and about 50 RBTA's. Never had one float around. If they lose their ability to attach their foot, they are not well.

so I should not stress over this?

 

[Sophie"s mom]

so I should not stress over this?

I would not stress as long at it's foot stays attached. It will move around until it finds a place it likes both light, and flow.

 

[Dom]

A few months ago I bought this baby RBTA. I placed it on the frag shelf and noticed it wasn't opening not much until I placed it all the way on the bottom. It's been a few months and it's only moved inch a on the shelf. But what are the chances one day it will release itself and float and go into one of the powerheads? thinking about this I just ordered a nem guard for the Nero mini. But I'm thinking I probably should get one for the Reef Wave too. Do RBTA's always eventually release their footing & float around somewhere? It is a small creature and not easy for me to get a good solid picture of it, but somehow it prefers to be on the bottom of the tank and whenever it closer to the surface, she closes down more.

In my experience with Anemones, once they find a spot they like, they will not move. If conditions in its neighborhood change, making the Anemone unhappy, it may move.

 

[D-Nak]

It's a calculated risk. BTAs are notorious for inflating like a balloon and floating around the tank, and inevitably getting stuck in a powerhead.

As previously mentioned, they don't move if they're happy. But keeping them happy can be tough. And it can change quickly or slowly over time.

For example:

1. If a light malfunctions and remains off, the BTA may move
2. If the ATO adds too much fresh water drastically changing salinity, the BTA may move
3. If there are clones of BTAs living together, and one begins to shade another, the BTA may move
4. If you add another anemone or another BTA of a different color morph and there is allelopathy, the BTA may move
5. If you add cleaner shrimp or other inverts that walk on top of the BTA and annoys it, the BTA may move
6. If you add clownfish that are overly aggressive (this is actually very common), the BTA may move
7. If you clean a powerhead and all of a sudden there's a lot more flow, the BTA may move
8. If you clean a light fixture removing salt creep, and all of a sudden there's a lot more light, the BTA may move

Those are just a few examples.

The ideal tank for anemones would be one without any powerheads. If you do have powerheads, you can cover them with guards, but don't expect 100% protection. Frankly, I think a majority of the guards on the market are ineffective -- they don't offer enough projection and oftentimes we have the powerheads cranked up to a point where the water pressure pulling into the powerhead is enough to suck the anemone in through the guard.

All of that said, I too have BTAs in a tank with gyres and powerheads and none have guards on them. My BTAs rarely move. It's a matter of careful observation, doing everything you can to create a stable environment, along with a ton of luck.

 

[Ballyhoo]

It's a calculated risk. BTAs are notorious for inflating like a balloon and floating around the tank, and inevitably getting stuck in a powerhead.

As previously mentioned, they don't move if they're happy. But keeping them happy can be tough. And it can change quickly or slowly over time.

For example:

1. If a light malfunctions and remains off, the BTA may move
2. If the ATO adds too much fresh water drastically changing salinity, the BTA may move
3. If there are clones of BTAs living together, and one begins to shade another, the BTA may move
4. If you add another anemone or another BTA of a different color morph and there is allelopathy, the BTA may move
5. If you add cleaner shrimp or other inverts that walk on top of the BTA and annoys it, the BTA may move
6. If you add clownfish that are overly aggressive (this is actually very common), the BTA may move
7. If you clean a powerhead and all of a sudden there's a lot more flow, the BTA may move
8. If you clean a light fixture removing salt creep, and all of a sudden there's a lot more light, the BTA may move

Those are just a few examples.

The ideal tank for anemones would be one without any powerheads. If you do have powerheads, you can cover them with guards, but don't expect 100% protection. Frankly, I think a majority of the guards on the market are ineffective -- they don't offer enough projection and oftentimes we have the powerheads cranked up to a point where the water pressure pulling into the powerhead is enough to suck the anemone in through the guard.

All of that said, I too have BTAs in a tank with gyres and powerheads and none have guards on them. My BTAs rarely move. It's a matter of careful observation, doing everything you can to create a stable environment, along with a ton of luck.

moving and inching about from one spot to another is one thing, but releasing its foot and floating, how common is that?

 

[D-Nak]

moving and inching about from one spot to another is one thing, but releasing its foot and floating, how common is that?

That's a hard question to answer. It's really about how ticked off they are and how determined they are to move. Obviously these are creatures without the ability to think or have emotions, but you get the point.

One thing I forgot to mention. BTAs like to bury their foot into rockwork. So, if you only provide solid, flat surfaces, like a frag rack, the likelihood of them moving is very high. If you give them rocks with lots of crevices, ample flow and adequate lighting, they're more likely to stay put.