Normal RFA Behavior?

[mfrumkin]

I received 10 RFA today. Placed them in the tank where I thought they should go. 2 Hours later they had all bunched up next to each other. Is this normal?

 

[James M]

They are going to move around to find a spot

 

[Katrina71]

I do think they exhibit some type of social behavior. Look at Ron Reefman's thread.

 

[Katrina71]

Do you have pics?

 

[saltyhog]

Mine have moved a little from where they were initially placed. If they are fully inflated and look normal they may just all be seeking the same habitat. Let's see what an avid keeper of RFA's on here has to say. @Ron Reefman

 

[tupes]

Unless you turn off all flow while placing them and allow the foot to grab. They will move a little until they find a good spot. RFA probably move the least of all nems. The good thing is, now you probably have room for another 10. :)

 

[Ron Reefman]

RFA's IMHO tend to move until they find a good deep hole in the rock to set there foot, or even more common, they move over the rock until they get to the sand. They will then set their foot on the rock below the sand surface. That way when bothered by anything they can retract into and under the sand.

I've found putting RFA's in appropriate sized PVC end caps works very well. I usually do the initial introduction of the RFA to the end cap in a small container full of tank water. Set the end cap in (clean it well, even if brand new) in the water and set the nem in the end cap with it's foot down. The end cap should be just a tiny bit bigger than the nem. It should pull down inside the end cap and will set it's foot. I leave the end cap and the nem in the small container for a couple of days. Two to three times a day I'll do as big a water change as I can in the container. I'll pull the end cap and RFA out, dump the water into the tank (it's not bad water) and refill the container with more tank water (more oxygen than the water that was in the container for 8 to 12 hours).

After a couple of days you can take the end cap and push it down into the sand in the tank. I usually go about half way down the side of the end cap to start. Then a few days later push it down so the top rim of the end cap just barely is exposed. Over time the RFA will grow and extend it's self out and over the rim of the end cap so you won't see it at all. Don't worry about sand getting into the end cap. Once the foot is set they can retract into the end cap and push sand out.

I've had a couple move in the first week or two. And I've had a couple move that have outgrown their cap after a long time. But if they haven't moved after a couple of weeks, they are unlikely to move for long, long periods of time. I have several of my full grown RFA's that have been in 1 1/2" end caps for over 3 years now and a couple of them are the parents to about half the other RFA's I have in my 40g tank (and that's about 40 RFA's at last count). I'm even building a bigger tank with more sand surface so I have room for all the current RFA's and any really special ones I may find and buy in the future!