BTA problem

[Jenemone]

I've had my BTA for about 6 weeks now, and for five of those weeks, it stayed in the same spot. A week ago, it started to migrate, and has since moved to five different spots. It is rejecting food, but I think its nematocysts are fine (food still sticks).

I have been feeding silversides and krill, about every other day. I know this is more than most people feed, but I am basing it on a RC post by Dr. Ron (in a nutshell, he states that it is hard to overfeed them).

Is this normal behavior for a BTA? Do they get antsy before dividing?

Thanks in advance.

Jen

 

[MedicineMan1]

I don't know if they get "antsy" before dividing. I DO know that mine will be in one place for months then move to a different place for no known reason.
If it's not eating krill or silversides, perhaps some squid would be more to its liking. Shimek wrote a nice article on feeding anemones in his Without a Backbone series. In that article he explained that you cannot train an anemone to take foods it doesn't normally eat nor can you train it to stay in one place. They don't have brains so there's nothing to "train"! He also said that many anemones require a fairly varied diet. Keep trying!

 

[TooBad]

Try feeding it some scallops from the supermarket. Make sure there are no preservatives. Ithis is what I have been feeding mine and it just split. I've had it about a year.

 

[Anonymous]

What are your water/lighting parameters,tank size and water motion?

These things are necessary for us to help you. First we must know if the anemone is suffering from something out of the above categories.

If not we can look at what is being fed(such as store bought or LFS bought). I personally prefer LFS purchassed foods just for the simple reason that those foods are specifically for the hobby. Therefore,they will be handled in a fashion that should not affect inverts or fish due to the lack of preservatives.

Anemones move when they are not getting the food/water motion/lighting they prefer. I am a firm believer that there are general proceedures that need to be followed for invert health,but each specimen is different. A BTA collected from deeper water will not want as much light as one collected from the shallows. Most inverts will adapt to new conditions but it may take some time. More than likely your anemone is just in search of the conditions she wants. Tose initial weeks may have been the anemone getting used to it's new surroundings like salinity and nutrients. Now she is in search of the right light and water motion.

IMO BTAs do not need that much food. It may make them grow but in no way are they subjected to that much food in the wild. I feed mine every six days religiously. I am not suggesting that your feeding of the BTA is making her move. But I do feel you are wasting food.

Splitting is a possibility,so I would not do anything to disturb her. Just keep an eye on her and make sure she is not withering away(melting).

Get back to us.

Dan

 

[Jenemone]

Good news! Although the BTA is now in its sixth spot, it did take two halves of a silverside a few minutes ago.

My tank is a 29 gal. with two 65 watt PCs and will have an actinic in about two weeks (when the hood is finished). Water params are as follows:

8.2 pH, calcium around 400, salinity at 1.022, temp is 73 - 76 deg, no nitrates, etc.

I am using a Prizm skimmer and an Emperor 280 (not using the bio-wheel, and only carbon on occasion). I have about 25 lbs. of LR.

Other inhabitants are a damsel and Royal Gramma, various mushrooms and polyps, pom-pom xenia, a leather, and hermits and snails. Also, loads of clams and feather dusters in the rock.

Now, I am not so sure that it is actually eating the silversides or just holding it.

 

[Rich-n-poor]

an anenome goes where it want when it wants theres no way to control their location in your tank hes probably just looking for the right current light combination

mines not a bubble tip but it eats the following frozen brine, krill, and seaweed based frozen foods

you could try adding some filter feeding food to the tank as mine always percs up when i do this

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