BTA questions

rosecat · May 19, 2011

My husband and I are in the process of purchasing a 200g DD (48x36x27) reef tank. We are planning on having sps and lps as well as some smaller reef safe fish. Our lighting will be an LED setup.

We would like to eventually get a BTA. I was hoping I can get a few questions answered.

How big do they usually get? How long should we wait before buying one? I know that the tank needs to cycle before putting anything in it, but how established should it be before adding a BTA?

Thanks,
rosecat

CJO · May 20, 2011

The size depends on the anemone. Mine is about 12" in diameter in a 65 gallon tank! I would wait at least 6 months, but a year would be better before adding an anemone. If you can successfully grow SPS with good colors, you're well on your way to being able to raise a BTA.

CJ

rosecat · May 20, 2011

Wow that's pretty big. Do they split on their own very often?

Ok, so it sounds like the state my nano has been in for a while ... growing sps with amazing colors & at lightning speeds is what I'm looking for. That's good to know

When we had a 30g cube (4 1/2 years ago) we bought a green carpet anemone, but it ended up being a big mistake and causing lots of problems so we had to sell it. We've learned a LOT more since then, esp the one important thing ... ask questions first :)

t$sps · Jun 3, 2011

When I started my tank I put a gbta in about a week after cycling. I am a stickler on my water quality, test it once a day, and the nem did well with no problems. Be aware where the nem ends up to make sure he doesn't start to sting your coral.

cockybrock · Jun 4, 2011

I've had rose bubbles ever since I got into the hoppy, which was less than 2 years ago. The largest one we had was probably 18" across and split into threes a several months ago. I'm of the opinion that if you feed regularly, they'll grow faster and split more. We don't feed ours and the two pieces I have now are at least 8" across (but they never fully expand).

As far as waiting 6 months to a year, I have never once waited any significant amount of time to get a bta. Just make sure you're prepared for it to walk if it's unhappy and cover your powerheads!!

Here's our rose prior to the split. If you have any questions, PM me and I'll be happy to answer.

YouTube - ‪My Rose Bubble Tip‬&rlm;