Anemone Colony Removal

[duesmortem]

Hey everyone!!!

I am sure alot of people have had this issue before so I thought I would reach out for some advice. My display tank has become overrun by BTAs to the point where I do not even target feed them anymore due to fear of them further multiplying and taking over more space in the tank. I have seen the infamous "anemone cannon" trap that is recommended for BTA removal but I would prefer removing most, if not all, of the colony at once. I do have a single female clownfish who has greatly benefitted from this BTA takeover in the tank and I think she will be upset by the sudden change. I would either sell the rocks with the anemone colonies as-is or I would just donate the colony to my LFS.

My plan was to add live rock to my sump and let it adjust to the water chemistry of the system for a few weeks (no light in the sump). Then I would do a good ol' switcharoo and remove the two large pieces of rock from the display tank with the BTA colony and place the "new" live rock into the display tank to fill that space. Thoughts? Opinions? Is this idea sound or am I going to crash my tank by trying to do all of this at once?

 

[KrisReef]

Depends on the condition and any attached life on the live rock. If it comes in covered in macroalgae or similar life, you might want to let it "cook" in a barrel for a month in the dark (so the macro life dies off in the barrel) before adding the rock into the sump.

Otherwise, it seems like a safe enough plan. I do feel heart broken for the clownfish, but I am familiar with this dilemma and the fish should recover.