Ron Reefman's Rock Flower experience

[VTBig053]

I found four more baby RFAs this morning. I was able to collect three of them, the fourth had already attached to the rock. I have them in a small tuper ware container on top of my media basket in the rear chamber. I change out the water in the dish twice a day with a turkey baster, but I am concerned about the temperature fluctuations.

Anyone have any good ideas on how to coral these little guys in the tank? I was thinking of making a tiny nem basket out of the container they are currently in by just poking some very tiny holes in the side and fastening it to the side of the tank somehow. Any other ideas out there?

 

[Katrina71]

I found four more baby RFAs this morning. I was able to collect three of them, the fourth had already attached to the rock. I have them in a small tuper ware container on top of my media basket in the rear chamber. I change out the water in the dish twice a day with a turkey baster, but I am concerned about the temperature fluctuations.

Anyone have any good ideas on how to coral these little guys in the tank? I was thinking of making a tiny nem basket out of the container they are currently in by just poking some very tiny holes in the side and fastening it to the side of the tank somehow. Any other ideas out there?

Just put them in a shipping container. I'll take them all! I am a freak for babies.

 

[VTBig053]

Just put them in a shipping container. I'll take them all! I am a freak for babies.

Hah. These suckers are tiny! Can’t wait for them to grow up a bit so I can see what color(s) they are.

 

[Katrina71]

Hah. These suckers are tiny! Can’t wait for them to grow up a bit so I can see what color(s) they are.

Please post pics.

 

[VTBig053]

Please post pics.

Working on photos. I can’t seem to catch them all open at once. It’s like they know....

 

[VTBig053]

Please post pics.

These aren’t great since they are on a cell phone, but here they are.

 

[Undertaker]

I know most of your discussion is on breeding. But, I have a question for you guys. I'm just getting into rfa, and was wondering about acclimation. Do you just float them and put them into your tank, or do you acclimate them?

 

[Geebs19]

I know most of your discussion is on breeding. But, I have a question for you guys. I'm just getting into rfa, and was wondering about acclimation. Do you just float them and put them into your tank, or do you acclimate them?

I’ve read most on hear just float then for temp.

 

[mta_morrow]

I know most of your discussion is on breeding. But, I have a question for you guys. I'm just getting into rfa, and was wondering about acclimation. Do you just float them and put them into your tank, or do you acclimate them?

Floated my 3 to temp match and in they went.

 

[Katrina71]

I just float.

 

[Undertaker]

Yeah, that's what I've been reading also. just want to see what y'all's thoughts and experience has been. Thx. I looking to buy four from kush coral in the next week or so. Bought one last weekend, placed it and it moved, placed it again, and now I can't find it. I guess it found a nice hiding spot to adjust to my tank. It is only the size of a quarter. I'm sure it will surface soon enough. But, loved the color it added the two days I got to enjoy it. Knew the minute I put it in my tank I would be getting more.

 

[Ron Reefman]

I found four more baby RFAs this morning. I was able to collect three of them, the fourth had already attached to the rock. I have them in a small tuper ware container on top of my media basket in the rear chamber. I change out the water in the dish twice a day with a turkey baster, but I am concerned about the temperature fluctuations.

Anyone have any good ideas on how to coral these little guys in the tank? I was thinking of making a tiny nem basket out of the container they are currently in by just poking some very tiny holes in the side and fastening it to the side of the tank somehow. Any other ideas out there?

The first time I had babies I let them go where they wanted. But when I tore that tank down and sold off coral and rock I had to work a lot to remove the RFA babies which I kept. The second time I collected most of them and put them in a small glass bowl with some sand and a small rock. I did 2 full water changes every day for a couple of weeks until I had them all on small rocks or in small pvc end caps. Some attached to the glass sides of the bowl, but about 10 of them attached to the rock (see pic).
20180622_144303 R1 by Ron Lindensmith, on Flickr

This last batch of babies I let go where they wanted. Some have taken up spots among the field of zoas in my tank and some stayed close to mom & dad and are literally under the disk of the parent.

Hah. These suckers are tiny! Can’t wait for them to grow up a bit so I can see what color(s) they are.

It's a fun time. I had a magnifying glass and was always watching them. Quite a few ended up looking like the parents, but some are quite different. It's a rewarding process!

I know most of your discussion is on breeding. But, I have a question for you guys. I'm just getting into rfa, and was wondering about acclimation. Do you just float them and put them into your tank, or do you acclimate them?

I take new ones and put them in a pvc end cap and then put them in a small container with tank water. In a day or two they attach to the end cap and I can transfer them to the sandy bottom in the DT. I would do a 100% water change in the container every 12 hours (early in the morning and late at night). A few of my most recent babies even attached to the rim or outside of the pvc end cap where they are under the disk of the parent! I'll see if I can get a couple of photos later today.

Yeah, that's what I've been reading also. just want to see what y'all's thoughts and experience has been. Thx. I looking to buy four from kush coral in the next week or so. Bought one last weekend, placed it and it moved, placed it again, and now I can't find it. I guess it found a nice hiding spot to adjust to my tank. It is only the size of a quarter. I'm sure it will surface soon enough. But, loved the color it added the two days I got to enjoy it. Knew the minute I put it in my tank I would be getting more.

RFA's don't tend to move nearly as much as some other anemones (like RBTA's). They either find a good hole in a rock to set their foot or they will find the spot where a rock goes into the sand. They set their foot on the rock below the sand surface so the can retract and disappear into the sand. These are both very natural setting for RFA's in the wild. The colorful RFA's don't seem to be as attracted to the light (for photosynthesis) as the less colorful versions. So you may have to go looking for yours. Please let us know what you end up doing and how it turns out.

By placing them in pvc end caps they have the best of both worlds, a hole for protection and if you push the end cap down into the sand they can hide under the sand as well. They don't mind that the end cap gets full of sand and only one of the 10 that I've put in an end cap has ever moved... and that was because a small RBTA decided to move in with the RFA and I guess they didn't get along. The good news is they didn't appear to hurt one another!

 

[VTBig053]

Thanks Ron. I found four more through out the day yesterday, bringing the total to seven. I was able to suck them all up in a turkey baster and add them to the small tuperware nursery. Hopefully I can keep them all alive!

 

[Ron Reefman]

Thanks Ron. I found four more through out the day yesterday, bringing the total to seven. I was able to suck them all up in a turkey baster and add them to the small tuperware nursery. Hopefully I can keep them all alive!

Glad you were successful at collecting them. IMHO they are quite hearty even as new babies. My first round of babies were born and attached to rocks about a month before my chiller went crazy one night and lowered the tank temp below 60F. Over the next 12 hours I lost 98% of my sps corals which made up 70 to 80% of the tank. But the zoas and all the nems survived. Just keep changing the water in the tupperware regularly. I just dumped my RFA water back in the tank and refilled the bowl with water from the tank.

BTW, when I keep wild caught RFA's in a bowl I toss the old water rather than rick it going back in the tank. At least for the first week or so. After I know they are healthy and looking comfortable, I go to just doing a water change of the bowl in the tank. I've been collecting wild caught sea creatures for many years and I've almost never seen any issues other than ones that happen do to transporting them... just like any critter you might buy online. I've never had any issues in my tanks other than some aiptasia (in the early years) and a round of flatworms. And I'm 99% sure those were both due to rocks or frags I got from local friends and not from stuff I collected from the ocean or off the beach.

 

[VTBig053]

Glad you were successful at collecting them. IMHO they are quite hearty even as new babies. My first round of babies were born and attached to rocks about a month before my chiller went crazy one night and lowered the tank temp below 60F. Over the next 12 hours I lost 98% of my sps corals which made up 70 to 80% of the tank. But the zoas and all the nems survived. Just keep changing the water in the tupperware regularly. I just dumped my RFA water back in the tank and refilled the bowl with water from the tank.

BTW, when I keep wild caught RFA's in a bowl I toss the old water rather than rick it going back in the tank. At least for the first week or so. After I know they are healthy and looking comfortable, I go to just doing a water change of the bowl in the tank. I've been collecting wild caught sea creatures for many years and I've almost never seen any issues other than ones that happen do to transporting them... just like any critter you might buy online. I've never had any issues in my tanks other than some aiptasia (in the early years) and a round of flatworms. And I'm 99% sure those were both due to rocks or frags I got from local friends and not from stuff I collected from the ocean or off the beach.

Got it. Yeah, I've just been sucking about half the water out of the container with the turkey baster and putting it back in the tank. Then taking "new" tank water out and putting it in the tuper ware. Seems to be working so far. And I agree, my RFAs seem to be very hardy. Glad to hear the smaller ones seem to follow suit.

 

[Saltyanimals]

Great discussions. Glad I stumbled on this thread.

Anyone have experience with injuried RFAs and tips to help recovery? Woke up to my favorite RFA face down on a lobo. It looked really bad and maybe damage to the mouth. Needless to say it closed up and been like that for about a week. It still glows under blues on the edges, but can't tell if it's "alive".

 

[Undertaker]

Have you tried Dipping it in some Revive?

 

[Saltyanimals]

I've read horror stories of dipping nems in general thus assumed RFA would apply. Have you successfully dipped RFAs to recovery? I would do it as a last effort if I knew 100% death was around the corner, but I can't tell. It still glows...whatever is left of it. Thanks!

 

[Undertaker]

I personally have not. But, have heard of it being done. Revive is designed for Coral anemone dip.For Recovery

 

[tankstudy]

I've read horror stories of dipping nems in general thus assumed RFA would apply. Have you successfully dipped RFAs to recovery? I would do it as a last effort if I knew 100% death was around the corner, but I can't tell. It still glows...whatever is left of it. Thanks!

The only dip I've used on RFA's is Dr.G's. Its milbemycin oxime.