How can I help my BTA grow bigger rather than split?

lba4590 · Oct 6, 2020

I’m totally new to this, just got my first anemone (RBTA) two days ago.. I think he’s happy. Found a spot within two hours of putting him in and hasn’t moved since.

The guy I got him from said his split like crazy. All about the same size as mine now, if not a little smaller. He said it would probably split soon after adding it to my tank. I’ve read that’s generally a stress response? What can I do to prevent it from splitting if anything? TIA

Also, does he look happy? lol

xxkenny90xx · Oct 6, 2020

They do split when stressed, so make sure your tank is stable and don't touch the nem. They also split naturally when not stressed....

I have 4 right now. My green bta and rainbow bta split every couple of months. My red bta has never split. It's like 12" now. They are all within inches of each other. Sooo I have no clue how to keep them from splitting...

LesPoissons · Oct 7, 2020

I don’t know that there’s anything you can do other than just keep good parameters and see what your nem decides. I’ve had green, reds, and rainbows in “great” tank conditions and “way-way-less-than-ideal” conditions and only 1 nem has ever split in my tank- and it split in 4. Other people have nems that split constantly bc they are happy. Other have nems that split bc they are stressed. I think it just depends on the nem.

laverda · Dec 14, 2020

Maintain stable water conditions especially Alkalinity. ALK swings definatly stress BTAs. I suspect keeping nitrates stable around 10 will help as well.

StlSalt · Dec 14, 2020

laverda said:
Maintain stable water conditions especially Alkalinity. ALK swings definatly stress BTAs. I suspect keeping nitrates stable around 10 will help as well.

Found my Alk low, so I started dripping some RODI and baking soda into the tank, not even really close to my rose BTA. It immediately deflated and split into 4(2 splits). Since then I've noticed more and more threads that seems like an Alk swings really stress BTAs. I only added enough baking soda to jump .5* dKH

laverda · Dec 14, 2020

StlSalt said:
Found my Alk low, so I started dripping some RODI and baking soda into the tank, not even really close to my rose BTA. It immediately deflated and split into 4(2 splits). Since then I've noticed more and more threads that seems like an Alk swings really stress BTAs. I only added enough baking soda to jump .5* dKH

There is no question they definatly do.

sfin52 · Dec 14, 2020

You can feed them. Not a lot l, my nems get feed by the clowns. I have a diy fish food that my nems eat. No silver sides. Clams oysters muscles stuff like that.

laverda · Dec 14, 2020

Feeding is one way people say you can get them to split. I have not found that to be true in my experience however. Normally I never feed mine. I am feeding specific ones currently in an experiment to see if that causes them to bubble. I picked specific ones hopping they might grow and split as well. So far no signes of any changes. Only one has even gotten a little bigger.

LesPoissons · Dec 14, 2020

I think it depends entirely on the nem. Ive had one that the breeder said split like mad in his tank- I had it for years, it was a foot across and never once split. I think splitting can be both a stress response as well as a happiness response but much like inflated bubble tips, no one knows why or what exact conditions cause happy nems to split instead of getting big and just staying whole.

laverda · Dec 15, 2020

Raise your ALK a bunch and I can just about guarantee your anemone will split if it’s a boubble tip.

LesPoissons · Dec 15, 2020

laverda said:
Raise your ALK a bunch and I can just about guarantee your anemone will split if it’s a boubble tip.

The OP doesnt want it to split

D-Nak · Dec 15, 2020

Some believe that while most BTAs reproduce asexually via splitting, others reproduce sexually with eggs being produced by the female that are fertilized by the male (to further complicate this, some anemones species are hermaphroditic, and this could be the case with BTAs).

I would guess that if an anemone is determined to be a male or female or reproduces only sexually, then it won't split (or split as much if it can produce both sexually and asexually). That said, there's no way to tell them apart!

laverda · Dec 15, 2020

LesPoissons said:
The OP doesnt want it to split

Yed I know and addressed that in my first post in this thread. That post was in reply to someone that said no one knows what causes them to split. In my experience alk swings cause them to split. I am sure they split for other reasons.

shred5 · Dec 18, 2020

D-Nak said:
Some believe that while most BTAs reproduce asexually via splitting, others reproduce sexually with eggs being produced by the female that are fertilized by the male (to further complicate this, some anemones species are hermaphroditic, and this could be the case with BTAs).

I would guess that if an anemone is determined to be a male or female or reproduces only sexually, then it won't split (or split as much if it can produce both sexually and asexually). That said, there's no way to tell them apart!

I used to have a BTA that spawned several times (Male). It would happen right as lights were going out and wave devices went into slower mode for the night.

120g guy · Feb 4, 2021

xxkenny90xx said:
They do split when stressed, so make sure your tank is stable and don't touch the nem. They also split naturally when not stressed....

I have 4 right now. My green bta and rainbow bta split every couple of months. My red bta has never split. It's like 12" now. They are all within inches of each other. Sooo I have no clue how to keep them from splitting...

12"!! That's amazing. Can we see a picture.