Ron Reefman's Rock Flower experience

[Katrina71]

You're tempting me one more time to try for a female. What are the odds if I get two more.....let's see it's 75% isn't it? Then again the odds of having 5 males is like 0.032% isn't it?:D.........................:(

Do it!

 

[ItouchedThebutt]

I found some pics of my RFA before and after it lost its skirt. The pic on the bottom will be oldest and the pic on top is how it is now. Middle is showing how its losing its skirt. Still perplexed on why it did it.
But I guess I was wrong looking at these before and after photos seems like its skirt is only 40% back. As far as length and color go.

 

[mmw64]

Thanks. Watch my RFA thread here and when I find something special in a RFA, price wise or quality wise, I'll post it. Right now I'm pretty busy getting my new sump/refugium set up. Selling off my 120g tank has created a lot more work than I wanted!

following

 

[Baldguy]

If any do Facebook there is "The Official Rock Flower Anemone Keepers Group". Some amazing deals and nice stuff.

 

[reef lover]

I only get one....;Shifty;Shifty

 

[cpschult]

Found my first!

Great read. Did you ever find a good online vendor? I was debating getting a pack of 5-10 just to spice up the variety in my tank.

 

[saltyhog]

Well, my over sexed RFA's are at it again. Yesterday morning I came downstairs to a cloudy tank just as the blues were coming on. It was my trochus snails spawning. Last night just before bedtime as the light were down to just low level blues, my RFA's spawned again.

This is the third time the snails and RFA's have spawned at the same time or the same day. Any ideas on that?

First video is the RFA spawn. All 5 cupped up this time. Did not see any "smoke" from the little yellow one


This is the snails doing their thing.....couldn't find Barry White music :D

 

[Kevin Beadle]

I haven't had any spawn in my tanks yet but these are by far my favorite Coral

 

[Weedy Sea Dragon]

Awesome thread! RFA's are my girl's favorite new thing. She probably has 20 or so split between two tanks and I know she'd be thrilled if they spawned. There are a couple good stores here that sell them, Professional Fish Keepers in Coral Springs and Exotic Aquatic in Oakland Park. Not sure if they sell online though but I can check and report back here once I find out.

Our RFA's are fed reef roids, do you think if we start feeding meaty foods they will be more prone to spawn?

 

[saltyhog]

Don't know about that but they are more likely to feed on larger pieces of food. I only feed mine once or twice week (directly) with chunks of LRS that are too big for the fish to eat easily. RFA's are very hardy and as long as water conditions are good and they are well fed they should spawn.

 

[starypotter]

I don't remember the name but it's out of Ohio. They came to a first annual reef expo in CT

I just got my first RFA from a vendor based in Ohio called Frost Corals, they were posted about before just a page or two ago. They were at Aquatic Experience in New Jersey recently.

I placed my RFA on a rock like the vendor told me, but I didn't look too close at the rock itself, I just wanted to put it in a somewhat low spot away from corals and things that might bother it, only it's really sunk into the crevices. It's fairly small, maybe the size of a half dollar, I got it last Saturday and so today I fed it a bit of fish, it was still eating it here. It readily took it and it's nearly gone now so I'm taking that as a good sign that it's happy. I'm really excited to get more!

 

[dsfirstsltwater]

Don't be surprised if it moves on you lol. Good pick up though I really like it. They will find some small spaces sometimes so don't worry. The new one I got recently made a home under my big one. Took a week or so but it moved out to the open and it's been visible ever since.

I just got my first RFA from a vendor based in Ohio called Frost Corals, they were posted about before just a page or two ago. They were at Aquatic Experience in New Jersey recently.

I placed my RFA on a rock like the vendor told me, but I didn't look too close at the rock itself, I just wanted to put it in a somewhat low spot away from corals and things that might bother it, only it's really sunk into the crevices. It's fairly small, maybe the size of a half dollar, I got it last Saturday and so today I fed it a bit of fish, it was still eating it here. It readily took it and it's nearly gone now so I'm taking that as a good sign that it's happy. I'm really excited to get more!

 

[starypotter]

Don't be surprised if it moves on you lol. Good pick up though I really like it. They will find some small spaces sometimes so don't worry. The new one I got recently made a home under my big one. Took a week or so but it moved out to the open and it's been visible ever since.

I made sure to put it in a big empty area so if it moves I don't need to worry too much about it getting too close to other things luckily. It hasn't moved yet but it's only been a week so you never know. I'm glad to hear I shouldn't be too worried about it being all crunched up.

 

[mta_morrow]

Hello @Ron Reefman

I have some rock flower nems coming tomorrow. It looks like you are using pvc pipe tp place them? (i'm sorry, i'm skimming thru while at work and may have missed it)?

I have kept bubble tips and maxi mini's successfully, first time with RFA's

Thanks in advance.

Mike

 

[Ron Reefman]

Mike, sorry I didn't reply sooner, somehow I missed your post. Yes, I use different size PVC end caps for my RFA. I want to keep mine in the sand and this seems to work really well. I have about 10 in end caps and only one was a mover and I found out that it moved because a tiny baby RBTA moved in!

 

[mta_morrow]

Mike, sorry I didn't reply sooner, somehow I missed your post. Yes, I use different size PVC end caps for my RFA. I want to keep mine in the sand and this seems to work really well. I have about 10 in end caps and only one was a mover and I found out that it moved because a tiny baby RBTA moved in!

Thanks! I figured that’s what you did.

I have 3 now in pvc endcaps in the sand.

Works great!

One more question. Have you ever taken them out of the endcaps and if so, how did you do it?

Thanks

Mike

 

[Ron Reefman]

I haven't. But I don't think it would be too hard. All my bigger ones are in big end caps and they have been the breeders. But now I have some small ones (dime to quarter size) that are about 6 to 12 months old from previous spawns. They were all moved from rocks in a big tank I sold off so they all ended up in end caps now. But I just discovered I have a bunch of new babies that we just found yesterday (Thanksgiving)! There are a 5 or 6 in the sand and at least that many or more in the rocks with all my zoas. Some are easy to find as odd man out in a colony of zoas that are very different colors, but some blend in so well I'm not even sure if they are baby RFA's or baby zoas!

 

[Salty.Reefer]

Here some pictures of my flower anemone giving live birth. I also have a video but need to put it up on you tube or something. I thought you could upload videos here but I guess not.
I have seen it give birth twice and I believe it has happened 4 time total. I have about 40 babies ranging from 1/16 of an in to 1/2

 

[ItouchedThebutt]

So sad to say this but if you have nems as well as a aptasia problem dont go buy a peppermint shrimp.. bought one for 9$, he made short work of all my aptasia but then 3 days later ate one of my 2 rock flowers. So just a word of caution..

 

[Ron Reefman]

Here some pictures of my flower anemone giving live birth. I also have a video but need to put it up on you tube or something. I thought you could upload videos here but I guess not.
I have seen it give birth twice and I believe it has happened 4 time total. I have about 40 babies ranging from 1/16 of an in to 1/2

Salty Reefer, thanks for uploading those photos, they are AWESOME! I've seen a video or two of a RFA 'spitting out' babies, but your stills of the babies right there at the mouth and just around the mother are so cool!

BTW, When I want to do a video here, I upload it to youtube and then just paste the link here. And I'd love to see your video. I've had 3 rounds of babies now and I've never caugth the spawn or the live birth... one of these days I'll get lucky!

So sad to say this but if you have nems as well as a aptasia problem dont go buy a peppermint shrimp.. bought one for 9$, he made short work of all my aptasia but then 3 days later ate one of my 2 rock flowers. So just a word of caution..

A) You are a bit lucky to get a peppermint shrimp that eats aiptasia in the first place. I've had many that wouldn't even approach them let alone eat them!

B) How big was the RFA the peppermint shrimp went after? I could certainly see it take on a baby, and maybe even a young RFA up to about 1/4" or 1/2" in diameter. But I wouldn't think it would try a RFA any bigger than about 1/2".

C) I have baby RFA's, some as small as just 1/8" in diameter and some as big as a quarter. If you'd like a replacement, I'd send one your way for just the cost of shipping?