How to Remove RBTA from Rock?

[Biokabe]

About a year ago, I decided to finally gift my pink skunk clownfish an anemone, a beautiful rainbow bulb-tip.

After a brief period of settling in, it started to do well, along with the rest of the tank.

Too well, in fact. I had one RBTA. I now have six. And while I enjoy them and they are beautiful, they have also now killed every coral in the top half of my tank. Yeah, I've kind of procrastinated dealing with them.

I've made a few attempts to get them off the rockwork, but thus far no luck. I've tried directly peeling them off, and I've tried rubbing ice along the foot to get them to release. What are some other things I can try to get them off?

I'm not super concerned about whether the excess anemones survive right now. In a perfect world I'd prefer a method that allows me to save them and sell them back to my LFS for store credit, but I don't have a basket for them at the moment and I'm more concerned with clearing the rock space so that I can add new corals to my high-light zones. So if my only option is to physically cut them from the rocks (assuming that's safe to do in-tank), then I'll cut them.

 

[Dragen Fiend]

If gently massaging their foot or the icecube trick does not work. Blast them with flow to get them to move in spots that are easier to get a hold of their foot.

 

[edsbeaker]

Try this!

Anemone cannon

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/safe-and-easy-diy-way-to-remove-nems.861213/

 

[bubbgee]

If gently massaging their foot or the icecube trick does not work. Blast them with flow to get them to move in spots that are easier to get a hold of their foot.

This worked for me. I have whisky stones in the freezer for this purpose. Then when the a piece of the foot unfurls, I massage and blow it with a turkey baster to loosen up

 

[Biokabe]

Try this!

Anemone cannon

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/safe-and-easy-diy-way-to-remove-nems.861213/

That's just weird enough that it might work! Haven't read through all of that thread yet, so it's possible that the answer is in there... do you need to do anything to keep the cannon from blowing away in the current, or should you just turn off internal flow while it does its thing? Just rubber band it to the rockwork if needed?

This worked for me. I have whisky stones in the freezer for this purpose. Then when the a piece of the foot unfurls, I massage and blow it with a turkey baster to loosen up

That's also worth trying. The issue with the ice was pretty obvious... it wanted to float away, first of all, and second... well, it melted. As ice is wont to do when you put it in 77 degree water. No harm in adding those to my Amazon shopping list for anemone removal.

 

[dvgyfresh]

Turkey baster , gently blasting under the foot will get them off easily just don’t be too rough of course

 

[edsbeaker]

That's just weird enough that it might work! Haven't read through all of that thread yet, so it's possible that the answer is in there... do you need to do anything to keep the cannon from blowing away in the current, or should you just turn off internal flow while it does its thing? Just rubber band it to the rockwork if needed?

I think the sponge at the end closest to the anemone will hold the pvc against the rock. I’ve never needed to use the cannon, but a lot of people say it worked for them.