Do anemones move to adjust to light when in the tank for the first time?

[Porcupine Reefer]

I guys new to the forum, I just got a rose bubble anemone from reef stock in Denver and had him for three days now. At first I put the anemone on the middle of my rock scape with the light and flow off, then later on that same day I turned the light on and moved him to the top of the rock scape because he floated onto the sand when the light was off. when the light was on and the flow was moderately moving him, he then opened up and seemed to stay there , but the next day he moved to the edge of the top rock shelf and then progressed to staying on the very edge of said rock, then on day three he moved underneath the rock at some degree where he now resides in the rocks shadow with some of his tentacles sticking out. Do you guys think that anemones move to readjust to light like how we readjust our eyes to bright light? or do I have to take action and put him back on top of the rock?

 

[reefbliss2344]

Absolutely they will move away from harmful intense light. . . But...in my experience most of the movement I've seen my nems and BTA's do is because of flow. Moving to find perfection.

 

[TranceLvr]

Yes, in my experience, they will move to find the best spot for themselves based on flow, lights, etc. And sometimes they move just because.

 

[TX_REEF]

Absolutely, nems will move until they find their happy place, literally. BTAs generally prefer to lodge their foot in a hole in the rockwork for security.

 

[Porcupine Reefer]

Absolutely, nems will move until they find their happy place, literally. BTAs generally prefer to lodge their foot in a hole in the rockwork for security.

Will the anemone move back into the light on its own or will it keep going into the cave?

 

[TX_REEF]

Will the anemone move back into the light on its own or will it keep going into the cave?

if it's moving into the cave, that generally means the light is too strong.

 

[JAS927]

Will the anemone move back into the light on its own or will it keep going into the cave?

They’ll usually stay where they’re comfortable and their needs are best met.

 

[dkelley]

The BTA might go in the cave and then come out four days later and head to the spot you placed it. Or somewhere completely different. Then two months later it'll move again to exactly where you don't want it. The routine will just go on forever.

I have six in my tank these days and they are horrible little children. Love them though.

 

[dakoop]

They will roam, especially when introduced

 

[Bpones]

Mine seem mostly concerned with water flow and tucked itself away from direct flow. But I could imagine under a cave might have to do with the lighting. Though I’ve seen some nems way up high under some pretty bright lights in other systems. May just need to acclimate.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

Will the anemone move back into the light on its own or will it keep going into the cave?

My rainbow BTA did the same a couple of times. The best thing you can do is leave it be. It can and will move where it wants until it finds the spot it likes best. But the more you mess with it, the more stressed it will become. Mine hid on the underside a a rock a couple times then came out to where he is now. been there a couple months

 

[Joe.D]

I’ve had my BTA coming up on a year. He’s moved about 4 times - but is back to a spot he was in before. Maybe he’ll stay there. I had to move a torch (again) when he moved back This spot was going to be a torch garden. But, BTA.

He took out a torch and Duncan before. This time I moved the torch right away.

Like a previous poster said, they like a hole in the rock to anchor. At least mine does. He’s tried both sides of the hole and came back to his current spot. While it took over the torch garden space, the spot he was in before was between my rock work and the back wall of the tank - couldn’t even see him, so I’m glad he is where he is.

Funny though, he’s stayed in about 1/3 of the tank - hasn’t ventured across to the other side yet - which is fine, there are some corals there I can’t move.

Ok. I’m rambling. Can anyone tell me what my torch was expelling yesterday? See video attached.

 

[crabgrass]

Not BTAs, but I dropped 3 RFAs onto a medium-higher section of the tank. 2 of the 3 slowly migrated to other sections on the tank. 1 is in the original position, although it gets up on its leg at night and moves slightly. The one moved under a cave for about 3 weeks and then decided to come back out for some indirect light

 

[Jekyl]

Will the anemone move back into the light on its own or will it keep going into the cave?

You cause stress every time you move the nem. They will just move to where they want to be.

 

[D-Nak]

BTAs typically take a couple of weeks to acclimate to a new home. During this time they have the ability to adjust their zooxanthellae population -- either by expelling it or by allowing the population to grow (sometimes causing the BTA to get darker in color).

As previously mentioned, BTAs like to bury their foor in a rock crevice. In my experience, this is most important, followed by flow (too much flow is when it's getting whipped around by the current). followed by lighting (as previously mentioned they can tolerate a wide range of lighting conditions by adjusting their zoox population).

The number one cause of movement for a BTA is typically a change in water conditions, be it excess nutrients in the water or the presence of chemicals from other anemones or corals (known as allelopathy). If you keep water parameters consistent (including flow, which means keeping your powerheads clean so they provide consistent water movement), they rarely move. Also note that excess nutrients oftentimes causes the tank water to turn yellow or green, and this slight coloration affects lighting conditions (clear water allows more light to shine through), which in turn make cause the BTA to wander. Using carbon helps to mitigate these changes in environment. Of course, make sure to change it regularly.