Normal Behavior??

[mfrumkin]

I received my 1st. RFAs today. Most went into 1" end caps, but about 4 of them were large enough to place in the tank. Well one of them has left the rock and is sliding up my tank. And one of the little ones is climbing out of the end cap. Is this normal behavior?

Mike

 

[ahiggins]

Yes, if they don’t like where you place them. They will find their happy place and most likely never move again. I had one stay in the same spot for 2 years till I changed lights then he moved to the back of the rock face and stayed there the rest of the time.
The one that left the rock, was he moving in/out of flow or higher/lower in the tank? Take their cues. If he was trying to get to that perfect spot (and you obviously don’t want him on the glass) there’s no harm in taking their cues and moving them. They are hard to move from rocks/things they can squeeze their foot into but glass and sand are easy to pluck them off and move them to a place that’s acceptable.

 

[KrisReef]

The problem with these things moving around is that they can get into current machines or overflows and get into places where they will get injured and perish. Keep alert to ensure your pilgrims don't wander into harm's way.

 

[mfrumkin]

Yes, if they don’t like where you place them. They will find their happy place and most likely never move again. I had one stay in the same spot for 2 years till I changed lights then he moved to the back of the rock face and stayed there the rest of the time.
The one that left the rock, was he moving in/out of flow or higher/lower in the tank? Take their cues. If he was trying to get to that perfect spot (and you obviously don’t want him on the glass) there’s no harm in taking their cues and moving them. They are hard to move from rocks/things they can squeeze their foot into but glass and sand are easy to pluck them off and move them to a place that’s acceptable.

I had put him on the sand next to a rock. Low flow. He moved about 20% up the tank and stopped. Can I slide him off the tank if I am careful? I don't want to damage his foot.

 

[ahiggins]

Absolutely. Slide isn’t the right word though lol you want to take your nail or a blunt (NOT sharp) scraper and gently pry him off. Go slowly because if you rip his foot he will most likely die. When you get him off, You’ll want to turn off all flow and hold his foot against the rock for a few minutes where you want him to stay. I would suggest same depth as where he is now. Usually takes them between 2-5 minutes to take hold and then I usually leave the flow off for an hour or so once he attaches but I also don’t have any other coral in that tank other than the nems. Not sure how they would react to it.