Realistic Risk of Adding BTA

[Wandering Albatross]

Good evening all, what’s the likelihood of a rainbow BTA catching/eating any of the following fish, assuming they’re healthy: Young engineer goby, baby dottyback (1” or less), firefish, spotted mandarins. I don’t expect baby wrasse, coral beauties, CBB, or Toby puffers would be at risk. BTA would be for a pair of pink skunks.

I do have one adult dottyback that, while he is starting to swim again to some degree, he has a negative buoyancy issue that makes him sink when he stops actively trying to swim, and he spends most of his time on the bottom. He seems to be healing from whatever ails him, but his swimming is still abnormal when he tries. Will he be at risk?

 

[tbrown]

My BTAs have never eaten any fish. I've seen what I assume are potential stings on a few fish in the past but never resulted in any dead fish.

@fishguy242 thoughts?

 

[fishguy242]

Fish would have to be struggling ,swim into accidentally, or skunk gabs and feed an ailing fish to the BTA

 

[Schlafrig]

I've only ever had a BTA eat one fish. It was a small Scooter Blenny that I got when I first got into the hobby. The only reason the BTA was able to get him is because I didnt check the care requirements when I get him and he was likely already at deaths door. In my opinion it would never kill a healthy fish, but maybe one that is already on its way out.

 

[Wandering Albatross]

I've only ever had a BTA eat one fish. It was a small Scooter Blenny that I got when I first got into the hobby. The only reason the BTA was able to get him is because I didnt check the care requirements when I get him and he was likely already at deaths door. In my opinion it would never kill a healthy fish, but maybe one that is already on its way out.

Fish would have to be struggling ,swim into accidentally, or skunk gabs and feed an ailing fish to the BTA

My biggest concern if healthy fish aren't at any major risk, is that single weakened dottyback. The other 2 are babies, and he’s got them beat in size by 2-3x, but his swimming is abnormal. He spends most of his time sitting on the bottom, and my spare CBB has picked at him once or twice when he gets really still, but doesn’t chase or harass him. I’m thinking he’d be too big to be drug by the clowns, and I think he’d be able to get loose if they went after him, but of everyone he’s the weakest.

 

[JayM]

Your biggest risk is unintentionally ending up with an anemone dominated tank.

I started with one a little over a year ago, currently have 8, and just gave away 2.

 

[Wandering Albatross]

Your biggest risk is unintentionally ending up with an anemone dominated tank.

I started with one a little over a year ago, currently have 8, and just gave away 2.

I’d look at one that’s less likely to split, or doesn’t split as often, but I worry those will be the more aggressive types. I want something flowy for the clowns, but I’m trying to keep it angel-safe. I know polyps are at risk with some angels.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I have never seen my anemone go after inverts or fish. My only guess is that it would potentially eat struggling fish, but if they are healthy, you have nothing to worry about.

 

[PPBlimpy]

From zero to over 100 BTA in my system in less then 18 months.

my tank became a Anemone tank till it crashed from non anemone related issues.

I bought a green from petco, never split, a rainbow from the LFS and it split 15 times in 18 months.
The rose I got from the Saltwater FS split every water change, full moon, no moon, power outage, wife cycle, dog barking. no idea just split and split and split.

 

[Wandering Albatross]

From zero to over 100 BTA in my system in less then 18 months.

my tank became a Anemone tank till it crashed from non anemone related issues.

I bought a green from petco, never split, a rainbow from the LFS and it split 15 times in 18 months.
The rose I got from the Saltwater FS split every water change, full moon, no moon, power outage, wife cycle, dog barking. no idea just split and split and split.

Darn, I was hoping for a rainbow. In theory no corals have to go in here, but if there ended up being that many nems in this space, it could cause some issues. I wouldn't care if it was a clown tank, but this isn't. I know they get a lot of energy from lighting, if this was a lower par tank, but the nems were still fed directly once every few days to a week, and they had clowns feeding them, would the lower par reduce the chances of splitting by reducing the energy they have, or would it increase the chances because of stress, or would it wither away? Think 80-120 par. My understanding is higher par brings out better colors, but as I've never kept a nem, I don't know what the threshold is before they start really struggling.

It's also a relatively low/gentle flow tank with 2 not-that-great gyres on medium pulse mode and nothing else. I don't think the flow is strong enough to pull a nem or suck it in, but if I go this route should I cover the stronger gyre anyway?

 

[PPBlimpy]

mine were always fed heavily. I have a large porcupine puffer and unicorn tang who gets a piece of raw dinner shrimp almost every night. they are pigs and shrimp goes everywhere. The nems cleaned it up. I never measured my par but it wasn't super high or anything and flow was okay but not wild.

They just split.
I sold one to a local to put in his 20G tank beginning of 2025. He messaged me a couple months back after the crash and offered to give me 10 back to restart my collection.
I am not adding nems back to this tank. my clowns can deal

 

[X-37B]

Darn, I was hoping for a rainbow. In theory no corals have to go in here, but if there ended up being that many nems in this space, it could cause some issues. I wouldn't care if it was a clown tank, but this isn't. I know they get a lot of energy from lighting, if this was a lower par tank, but the nems were still fed directly once every few days to a week, and they had clowns feeding them, would the lower par reduce the chances of splitting by reducing the energy they have, or would it increase the chances because of stress, or would it wither away? Think 80-120 par. My understanding is higher par brings out better colors, but as I've never kept a nem, I don't know what the threshold is before they start really struggling.

It's also a relatively low/gentle flow tank with 2 not-that-great gyres on medium pulse mode and nothing else. I don't think the flow is strong enough to pull a nem or suck it in, but if I go this route should I cover the stronger gyre anyway?

Yea they split and split and split.
Never had one eat a fish though.
I had 6 in my 35g nem system along with 2 long tentacles.
The bubbles got to 9 and I gave all but one away.
I put 1 nice bubble in my 50 and it split into 3. One was very small. Its in my 13g now.
I removed all but 2 of the longs and now there are 5.
The tiny one in my 13g.

 

[Wandering Albatross]

mine were always fed heavily. I have a large porcupine puffer and unicorn tang who gets a piece of raw dinner shrimp almost every night. they are pigs and shrimp goes everywhere. The nems cleaned it up. I never measured my par but it wasn't super high or anything and flow was okay but not wild.

They just split.
I sold one to a local to put in his 20G tank beginning of 2025. He messaged me a couple months back after the crash and offered to give me 10 back to restart my collection.
I am not adding nems back to this tank. my clowns can deal

That's too bad, I can't afford to keep that many. There aren't many local reefers to trade with, and the nearest lfs is a pet store that doesn't carry saltwater. I have a spare 10g that could be temporary housing for a few, but that wasn't what I intended for that tank.

 

[Wandering Albatross]

Yea they split and split and split.
Never had one eat a fish though.
I had 6 in my 35g nem system along with 2 long tentacles.
The bubbles got to 9 and I gave all but one away.
I put 1 nice bubble in my 50 and it split into 3. One was very small. Its in my 13g now.
I removed all but 2 of the longs and now there are 5.
The tiny one in my 13g.

Do sebae behave the same?

 

[fishguy242]

That's too bad, I can't afford to keep that many. There aren't many local reefers to trade with, and the nearest lfs is a pet store that doesn't carry saltwater. I have a spare 10g that could be temporary housing for a few, but that wasn't what I intended for that tank.

@MERKEY & @Mschmidt ,I believe are close to you

 

[Uncle99]

The risk for healthy fish of BTA attack is zero.
Don’t feed it ever and it rarely will split.

 

[Wandering Albatross]

The risk for healthy fish of BTA attack is zero.
Don’t feed it ever and it rarely will split.

What if my clowns feed it? Or just no additional target feeding?

 

[Uncle99]

What if my clowns feed it? Or just no additional target feeding?

No additional. They don’t require that.
I have never feed mine in 5 years.
It split twice in that time.
Peeled the foot off….credit from LFS.

I put nems in first, let them settle with clowns, then I add other fish and corals.

 

[Wandering Albatross]

No additional. They don’t require that.
I have never feed mine in 5 years.
It split twice in that time.
Peeled the foot off….credit from LFS.

I put nems in first, let them settle with clowns, then I add other fish and corals.

Mine would hypotheticaly be going in towards the end of my stocking, with coral beauties coming in last as far as fish are concerned. The nem and clowns would come in my second to last batch with a blue spot puffer and cleaner gobies. Everyone else has been in for a little while, and with the mild concern of the puffer nipping the weak dottyback, everyone is settled. I've heard mixed reviews on toby puffer nippiness.

 

[JayM]

I’d look at one that’s less likely to split, or doesn’t split as often, but I worry those will be the more aggressive types. I want something flowy for the clowns, but I’m trying to keep it angel-safe. I know polyps are at risk with some angels.

I have 2 dwarf angels and they have zero interest. I also have 2 clownfish, and again, zero interest.