BTA F 6

FAQs on Bulb, Bubble Tip/Rose Anemone Use in Marine Aquariums 6

Related Articles: Bubble Tip, Rose Anemones, Entacmaea quadricolor, Use in Marine Systems by Bob Fenner, Bubble Tip Anemones by Jim Black, Recent Experiences with BTA's by Marc Quattromani, Anemones, Cnidarians, Colored/Dyed Anemones,

New Print and eBook on Amazon:

Anemone Success
Doing what it takes to keep Anemones healthy long-term

by Robert (Bob) Fenner

Saltwater Aquarium Identification Question
Crew,
<Marshall>
I want to thank you for the amazing job you do in provide the best information available to your fellow aquarium fanatics. I donate regularly on your website and I urge others to do so also.
<Thanks for your kind words! we are really glad to help fellow hobbyists and thank you so much for your donations too.>
I have a question for you that I have not been able to find a clear answer to either on your website or through a general Google search.
I have attached three pictures (hopefully not too large) that are the basis of my question. As background, I have had my around 110-gallon saltwater reef tank for well over 20 years.
<Wow !... You’ve been doing things right.>
It has fish, live rock, corals, bubble tip anemones, conches, snails, and other lifeforms. I have not added anything to the tank for probably over 10 years, and all of a sudden a couple of months ago what I think may be a white anemone basically appeared out of nowhere. As the photos show it is obviously thriving in my tank.

For my personal knowledge, I was wondering what genus & species it is. As I said I cannot find the answer so I am hoping you might be able to help me.
<Does look like a Long tentacle anemone (Macrodactyla doreensis)... Bob, what’s your guess?>
<<Oh, answered concurrently. He lists BTA... so would go w/ that anemone as my guess. B>>
Stay Healthy and Be Safe!!
<And you!>
Thank you.
Marshall E. Ochylski
<Cheers. Wil>
Saltwater Aquarium Identification Question /RMF
Crew,
<Marshall>
I want to thank you for the amazing job you do in provide the best information available to your fellow aquarium fanatics. I donate regularly on your website and I urge others to do so also.
<Ahh, I thank you>
I have a question for you that I have not been able to find a clear answer to either on your website or through a general Google search.
<Okay>
I have attached three pictures (hopefully not too large) that are the basis of my question. As background, I have had my around 110 gallon saltwater reef tank for well over 20 years. It has fish, live rock, corals, bubble tip anemones, conches, snails, and other lifeforms. I have not added anything to the tank for probably over 10 years, and all of a sudden a couple of months ago what I think may be a white anemone basically appeared out of nowhere. As the photos show it is obviously thriving in my tank.
For my personal knowledge, I was wondering what genus & species it is. As I said I cannot find the answer so I am hoping you might be able to help me.
Stay Healthy and Be Safe!!
<Endeavouring to>
Thank you.
Marshall E. Ochylski
<Am glad you listed your livestock... this is very likely a (pedal) tear of a BTA, Entacmaea... your Bubble Tip Anemone... this form of asexual reproduction/cloning occurs under both good and stressful conditions... and in time this piece will grow to be a new (though genetically identical) individual.
Thank you for sharing. Bob Fenner>

Bubble Tip Anemone Question 11/20/19
Hello again, Sorry to bother you again, but I have a question. (this is not the anemone that got sent to me by mistake and then died. I had this one first and it was doing very well. ) I have a tank Raised BTA,.... it was doing very well for a while,....then it started looking uninflated more and more often. Now I have seen it poop, so I believe it's eating enough of the Frozen thawed mysis shrimp I feed the tank with daily. It has never taken food from me dropping it onto the tentacles,...it never holds on to it so it just floats away.
I guess I'd say it is not sticky? Which seems strange to me. They are supposed to be sticky, right? So they can grab food?
<Yes. Non-sticky tentacles are a bad sign>
I had a pair of tank raised clowns that loved on it,...I got them a month after the anemone so it would be in good shape before I got them.
<Good move>
They did well together for a while,....But recently it just doesn't seem happy at all It has started moving around,....I could watch it go.
<A moving anemone is an unhappy anemone>
And when I asked the breeder he said maybe the clowns were too rough on it so I gave my female
clown to a friend and only kept the little male. He loves it too. Nuzzles it and protects it all day and night. That said, removing the female didn't help. It is still smaller and very brown and not very inflated ever.
So, in the last few days it has climbed up the glass to the top of the tank, ...I think to get more light. So I have put a light above it's spot, an extra LED light.
<Good... are you able to borrow a PAR or PUR light meter? These animals need quite bright illumination>
It seemed to like that and opened up and faced it. I was happy! But during the next water change it was hanging in the air!
<Mmm; not a good idea>
I only did half as much water as usual and hurried fast to cover it back up,....and it did sort of slide down a little bit, but not enough so that I could do the whole 30% water change....so I waited hoping it would move lower. It never did.
So, I had to remove it from the top of the glass in order to do the next water change,....So I used a silicone very slender and smooth spatula to slide under it, let it drop in to a cup and then put it back on the bottom again near where it had started.
<Neat application>
It looked ok that night,....but then the next day it turned over up side down,....then righted itself again but crawled into the back corner of the tank. MY question is, did I need to remove it from the top of the glass when I did the water change?
<Yes, I would not expose anemones to the air any more than necessary>
Or could I have left it there, it would have been in the air though, not in the water. I thought that would kill it! But now I read on your sight that moving it would kill it!
<Better not to move them if you don't have to.>
He is not fading in color at all, he's a deep brown color,....he used to have beautiful green coloring, but now just dark brown.
<Ahh, not enough intensity, wave length, duration... of light>
All of him. His base is lighter when he's expanded. But in general all his beautiful coloring he had when he got here is gone. I read somewhere that phosphates in the water can increase the number of zooxanthellae in the corals and that makes them look brown instead of showing their pretty natural pigments. I did test for Phosphates and it was 0.50,...hopefully the big water change, I did about 40% and also cleaned both filters,....(not cleaned with fresh water, just with tank water,.....they were dirty!) should help the phosphates. I also ordered SeaChem's Phosphate remover. In case that might be the problem.
<You do want/need some HPO4>
I also added some Charcoal pads to each filter, to help with the water quality,...don't usually use charcoal in my reef tank. I guess I am worried he isn't expanding his tentacles out like he did when I first got him. And that is a sign he is dying.
<May be>
It's funny, back when I first got him, he was in a 13.5 gallon tiny reef tank! I moved everyone a 55 gallon and he has never been the same. I guess he like the little tank, he was closer to the light then. I don't have any large rocks that pile up high....I like my tank to look like the top of a reef, not a whole reef. So I spread out my rocks in a single layer,....I guess that's not so good for him maybe.

I have ordered one large piece of man made reef rock that is very tall....I will put it near him when it
comes It's just dry rock.
<Ahh! Fine>
I'm going to attach a link to a short video of him that I posted to Facebook
Maybe if you see him you can tell me what to do to help him. Does he look miserable to you too? He sure does to me. Here is the link.
https://www.facebook.com/Ingrid.Mandy.Wilson/videos/10219844361516180/
Thank you,
Mandy in NJ (again).
<Might be that the profuse pulsing corals are outcompeting the anemone (allelopathy). I would try some other food items... placing them near the mouth (with tongs)... Perhaps silversides or fish fillet, a bit of large shrimp (uncooked). All else looks very good/healthy! Bob Fenner>
Re: Bubble Tip Anemone Question 11/20/19
My reef base rock from Seachem came tonight! I can't believe Amazon,... they are so fast!
<Ah yes; an excellent company>
Tomorrow I will put it in as a stack....It's a rough kind of base rock,...
I hope it won't be uncomfortable for him to sit on.
<Should be fine>
But we'll make it high enough that he won't have to cling to the glass To get close enough to the light, that must me hard for him, glass is slippery.
Thanks for the advice again!
Mandy in NJ
<Cheers, BobF in Ca. tomorrow HI>

My Bubble Tip Anemone Split! 2/13/20
Dear Bob Fenner,
<Hey Mandy>
The Bubble Tip you helped me save got really big and this evening I now have two!
<Ahh!>
My poor Clownfish is so confused! LOL! He's trying hard to love on both,...
but they are a few inches apart, so he's having a hard time.
I am so thrilled!
Now there are two! Nature is so amazing.
<Indeed>
Thank you again for helping me save his life.
<Glad to have helped you; in turn it is you who saved this life. Bob Fenner>
Mandy in NJ

New? BTA varieties? 5/12/18
Greetings.
It's the new variety of rare bubble tip anemones like Inferno, Flame, Sunburst, Lemon drop, Rainbow. Where were these pretty color strains earlier and how did they come about all of a sudden, is my question. Could you throw some light in this regard?
<Strange... after decades in the trade, I never heard these names applied to Entacmaea...
Looked on the Net, and do see such...
Know nothing regarding; have never encountered in the wild; though other bizarrely colored specimens that I make out as BTAs.
See here on WWM:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm
I say "let the buyer beware". Bob Fenner>

Attn, Bob... Report: Dyed "Sherman Rose" BTA! 6/28/17
Hey ya'll, Sean Morris, down here at Acadian Mariculture (what I am now calling my marine breeding operation, hehe)...I was trying to make my true perc broodstock happy because my last two clutches weren't... well.. alive
for long...and so my LFS who I do a LOT of business with, had these beautiful "Sherman rose anemones" ... purple disk, dark brown base, pink tentacles no green showing at all. I recently recovered a bleached gbta from
there, so my water quality isn't a problem... again... I breed true percs.So my wife bought one... and it hasn't been doing well (thought it was due to quick acclimation)... so I went and bought another... did a 3 hour acclimation... brought it home in an ice chest...bought two gbtas with it...-I want my mama percula to imprint on rose and regular so the babies will take to both. at least that was my plan-Well... today, after waking up to the three new anemones looking perfectly happy... ... this first Sherman is still showing the same symptoms:-tentacles sticking together, sticking to algae, bacteria.-overly frequent defecation of body-colored bits.-enarging at night with mouth open-color fading, turning white in some spots, brown in others-as sensitive to hands in the tank as a ritteri(whereas most btas, you can touch and they don't care, this one shrivels when I pull have a finger in without vinegar soaking, and even then, its only a matter of time)-and now, today... a green tentacle. just the one?
<Mmm; they can/do change color/s at times>
A single green nub, surrounded by pink and purple... cant really see it well in the photo, but I tried. one green tentacle...for now...but the bleached areas seem to be showing a little green, as well.i will more closely document the progress of the other, formerly identical, specimen, and post progress on my YouTube channel, The Lost Begotten. Feel free to check it out ;)-also filming an ultimate anemone guide series, so you may find that helpful.
<Oh yes; my pitch/presentation this year (August) at MACNA is titled Captive Anemone Use. Do make it known when and where this is posted>
In addition to my 30yrs exp, this past weeks panic has made me update my research-base, and I feel like I've got some complete info that needs sharing. For now, I had to let you all know about this, apparently, dyed RBTA... makes me wonder if Sherman's are all dyed. It would be sad, but not surprising, if con-artistry had become so elaborate.

Welcome to Trumpland.Thanks again for all your helpful info. Peace-Sean Morris (Baton Rouge, La)
<Thank you for sharing. Bob Fenner>

Bubble-Tip Anemone Compatibility 2/23/17
Hi Crew,
<Hey Shelby>
I am working on growing my 30 gallon saltwater aquarium. I currently have 2 Percula Clownfish, 1 Engineer Goby, 4 Mini Carpet Anemone, and 2 Nassarius Snails. I want to get a Bubble-Tip Anemone eventually for the Clownfish to host with, but am also interested in urchins or sea stars. I am wondering if a Bubble-Tip is considered compatible with Blue Tuxedo Urchins or Chocolate Chip Sea Stars. Thoughts?
<Mmm; the one word answer here is "no"; but I'd like to offer some explanation/s: First, it's hard to keep even the better species of anemones in small volumes; like your thirty gallon here. They're just not stable enough. Second, there is very little chance an Entacmaea would live with the Mini-Carpets... they're incompatible in such a small space... would
likely either physically meet and fight (to the death) or chemically compete. Third, sea urchins cruise about, especially at night time and will poke sessile life forms like anemones... Unless the latter are mounted high up on rock out of the way. Lastly, see here re CCS: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ccstarselfaqs.htm
and the linked files above>
Thanks!
Shelby Shotwell
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

RBTA issues. Using WWM 3/23/16
Hi all,
<Have you searched, read on WWM re Entacmaea?>
I have a question about my rose bubble tip anemones. I apologize for layman terms in advance...
I currently have 3 RBTA's that have been beautiful and healthy for over 3 years. They've never "bubbled" but from what I've read this is a normal condition for alot
<No such word>
of these.
I recently added a "tube" anemone
<Incompatible. Add "Cerianthus" compatibility to your WWM reading>
that is a beautiful bright pink and brilliant green. I added this one to the opposite end of the tank just as a
precaution. About 2 weeks after it was added my roses turned the same bright pink color as the tube. I'm concerned the new addition has been releasing chemicals affecting the roses.
<Oh yes... the reading>
Do you think this could be possible?
180g
1.026 salinity
Nitrate about 10ppm
Phosphate .02ppm, Cal 400ppm, ALK 6.4dkh
Lighting is t-5's 10k, 14k and 460 actinic
<Bob Fenner>

Bubble Tip Anemone 2/29/16
Hello,
<Dameon>
I just bought a bubble tip anemone, two actually. One is perfectly content in a little nook of a rock I could fit it in as it is very small still. The larger one was moving about, yet I bought different live rock that is more "dish" like, with a support wall to encourage it to stay put. It actually has taken to this spot, however I have noticed the last two nights it seems to stretch out.
<The colored one appears fine; the other... badly bleached, likely starving>
First night (before I got the live rock) it stretched from the rock it was on all the way to the other side of the tank. Seeing this I automatically went and got the rock and placed it where it had stretched to the night before.
<Mmm; will move where it wants, needs to>
This morning I found that it was yet again stretched out upright this time towards the center of my tank (nothing there this is the free swim space) yet it isn't trying to move based on what I saw. Do you know why this is and what I can do to give it better space or keep it content in the tank?
<These are clones or not? You have soluble N, P, K present? What are you feeding... oh, see this below>
I have read to go buy a shrimp and cut it into tiny bits and feed it,
<More than this... see as in READ on WWM re Entacmaea... en toto>
I haven't done this yet. I have been feeding it brine shrimp and ROI Fish Eggs. Could it be hungry?
<Yes>
I have borrowed three photos from the internet,
<... stole. Won't post them then>
close to what I am seeing as I haven't gotten pictures just yet of mine personally. I appreciate, any and all help or advice. The anemone has progressively lost its "bubble" tip as seen in the pictures though.
[http://www.reef2reef.com/attachments/nem_palys_13-2-2-jpg.50813/] When I bought it, only looked similar to this only green.
[http://www.reef2reef.com/attachments/1417807035142-jpg.200828/] The next morning it had stretched even longer than this across the floor of my tank.
[http://www.livingreefs.com/attachments/anemone-jpg.21459/] How it appeared this morning (only not as small as mine is a larger anemone).
[cid:image001.png@01D15502.06608760]
Dameon
<http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Fungia Frustration 10/17/15
I have attached a picture of a small plate coral, Fungia, I hope.
<Ah yes; I see it/this.... are those Dinoflagellates.... growing on your substrate? Not BGA I hope/trust>
He has been a resident for about six weeks. He acclimated well, is on the sand bed and moved himself to within 6 inches of a large mushroom. You can see his skeleton receding in the area around his mouth. He eats mysis every few days. Could he be weak from the proximity of the mushroom?
<Could be a factor; yes>
He moved to the current location, at this point is moving him away to<o> stressful?

The tank is new, 6 months, 1.025 salinity, 0 ammonia or nitrite, 10ppm nitrate, 7.5 dKH, 400 calcium, 8.0 ph, no chemical additions.
<Good point, data. Oh; I would add a bit/dose of iodide-ate weekly; likely during water changes>
The tank parameters seem stable with weekly 10% water changes, with ro/di water. I have Kessil leds, the 160s.
The other issue is my bubble tip anemone, he has only been in the tank for two weeks.
<Oh... could be a bit of allelopathy with this organism as well. Do you "mix water" during quarantine? Please see my SOPs re archived on WWM. The best way of introducing disparate (and competing) Cnidarians>
The first week he settled and ate. After a water change he moved during the night. Next day he looks beat up, but improves his look over the last three days to normal appearance. He is attached upside down(bad) in a plastic tube the fish use, no apparent access to light. Should I assist him back to a better position?
<... could you send a pic of this Anemone, its placement? I would NOT move it if it can move itself>
There aren't any known predators in the tank,
<But, other competitors. Read here please: http://wetwebmedia.com/CorlCompArt.htm
and as much of the linked files above till you feel you have a good understanding of the situation>
he isn't damaged to look at. If it makes sense, looks like he was jostled heavily, but now the third day without light. Since he is in a man made plastic tube could he be confused, lost?
<Not likely; no>
Or could the anemone crab be irritating him to the point of seclusion?
<This is a possibility>
There are a couple of mushrooms and polyps on the other side of the tank, on the bottom.
<... could be trouble>
He was elevated on rocks. Or is there some allelopathy and he is retreating from that?
<Yes; this is the most likely, greatest factor>
Although he seemed good until the water change and any commotion in the tank seems to upset him, like feeding or algae removal. Is this a sensitivity or perhaps a weakness?
<I'd say a sensitivity and a strength>
Would another water change be more stressful or helpful?
<The reading; perhaps use of GAC, Polyfilter for now.... removal of some of the competitors to isolation>
There is Chemi-pure in the filter.
<Ah, good; this is mostly GAC>
Just don't want to wait and see if something is amiss that I am not accounting for. Btw your site and Karen's anemone sight are both so informative for myself and others trying to provide for this creature. I'll continue to read.
<Ahh; thank you for your kind, encouraging words. Bob Fenner>

Re: Fungia Frustration 10/17/15
I took and attached a couple of pictures of my distressed bubble tip anemone. His color is accurate, though he doesn't seem to accept food, obviously struggling but the cause I am unsure of. Would you remove the crab? Or move the anemone at this point? Your assistance is invaluable.
<Unless you have some other system; I would move neither. Search WWM re Entacmaea; and READ. BobF>

Re: Clownfish Obsessed with new Feather Duster! BTA now gen. f' 2/5/14
Thank you so much Bob for the response! If you would kindly allow me to ask a few more questions regarding the BTA, I would also very much appreciate your input. :) As I have already been researching them, I have to admit, I am timid about getting one. One reason, is coral. Once the anemone finds a comfortable and Happy spot, do they continue to travel around?
<Not usually; no>
Ie, daily routine, search of food, etc? Or do they pretty much stay put when they are in a good spot?
<Aye>
Another concern, laughable as it may be... is the handling factor. How do you get the darned thing out of the acclimation bucket once it is time to put it in the tank?
<IF stuck to something gently edging off with your fingers or using an olde credit card edge... slowly>
Lol Is that kind
of a " as gently as possible" thing I just have to figure out?
<Yes; experience; but with nothing sharp. And take your time>
I have read
about BTAs splitting and reproducing quickly. This also scares me a bit and kept me from ordering or searching for one.
<Not to worry>
I will continue to read up of course, but I have a very invert heavy tank and don't want them to see the anemone as a new jungle gym. I don't believe I will have any issues, however , this is what is in the tank... a fairly large thinstripe hermit(3in shell), 1 left handed zebra, 1 mexican red leg, 1 dwarf blue hermit and two electric blue hermits, a 4in coral banded shrimp, a blood fire shrimp, 2 serpent stars, bumble bee,cerith, and nassarius snails, zoanthids, eight tentacle daisy polyps, glove polyps, a couple ricordeas, 2 purple mushrooms, a ricordea yuma, the featherduster and two calcerous macroalgaes. My clowns are tank raised occilaris and they are the only two fish. I always read, and from here as well that tank raised clowns do "fine" without an anemone, and was not really concerned about it. Any ideas as to why adding an anemone in this situation specifically, might cut down aggression?
<Many... have you read Frank Herbert's "Dune" series? Familiar w/ ecological principles otherwise? The more diverse/complete a system is the greater its capacity to engage/support life; and that life in turn adds to the growing capacity. Do you feel "more at home/ease" in a setting w/ familiar furniture, foods, people/animals?>
You are All a world( an Ocean) of knowledge and I appreciate the time you All take to talk to those of us really seeking to be sucessful in this hobby. These fish are my first tank inhabitants and I want to see them live out their Life Span with me. Not just look pretty ;) Again, Thank
You and Good Evening :)
Amber
<Cheers, BobF>

Could you tell me what's wrong with my anemone? /Jordan 11/9/13
<Hi Bethany. No message was included in your email. What exactly are you looking to find out? From the pic provided, I can only say that it is an E. quadricolor.
Jordan>

Could you tell me what's wrong with my anemone? /RMF 11/10/13
<... data? Read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BTAHlthF12.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

RE: Could you tell me what's wrong with my anemone? 11/9/13 11/11/13
sorry it was in subject line- my anemone has white spots- I was wondering if you knew what was going on and if you could advise me......
Beth Shene :)
<Keep reading. BobF>

Question... BTA, no data, reading 10/8/13
I have a 55 gal. Salt water tank. The tank has been set up over a year and a half. I have 2 yellow tangs,
<Mmm, need more room>
3 orange nemo clowns and a bubble tip anemone that has been in the tank for almost a year. I have a protein skimmer, two circulation and wave pumps.
The anemone used to blow up near the lights and the clowns swam in it. This lasted for many months, maybe 6 months. Then it moved to the bottom of the tank, on the live rock and closed up. Sometimes it just has its bubble tips out but hasn't inflated for several weeks.
<Mmm... something amiss here... lighting, nutrition, water quality likely...>
Today it moved again to the back of the tank on a live rock. The clowns are still swimming around it but it is mostly closed. Haven't seen it inflated for a long time. Any suggestions on what is going on?
<... Yes; read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BTAHlthF12.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Bubble Tip Anemone 1/30/12
Hey crew,
<TJ>
I ordered a green bubble tip anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor)
<Mmm, this looks more like a badly damaged Heteractis magnifica...>
online about 2 weeks ago and immediately acclimated it. It looked horrible (shriveled tentacles, open mouth) throughout the acclimation, but when I put it in my tank it immediately inflated and took hold just below where I put it.
It's foot was shaded, and the tentacles were exposed to light. I have fed it 3 times (pea size raw table shrimp) and it immediately ate when I fed it.
I went out of town for the weekend, and when I got back, the anemone wasn't in it's usual spot, and I noticed it was on the glass in the back corner of the tank, with it's tentacles still inflated. I thought maybe it was splitting but I've read many people say theirs split overnight, and mine hasn't changed much in the past 18 hours or so. I have attached two pictures of it, one from the front, and one of it's foot. Can you tell if it is splitting, or if it has a torn foot?
<Looks like both... "last ditch effort"... at survival>
My tank is 75 gallons with 4x54 T5HO bulbs, 2 blue plus, one purple plus, and one white (bulbs are 6 months old).
Temp: Constant 78 degrees
Spg: 1.025
Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate: 0
pH: 8.1-8.2 (hard for me to tell the color on the API pH test)
Calcium: 400-420
dKH: 8
Phosphates: reading 0, but I suspect there are phosphates due to nuisance hair algae
<Could be>
I should also add that it's current position in the tank is about 6 inches below a powerhead that I immediately unplugged upon finding the anemone so close to it on the glass. I don't believe it was damaged by the powerhead, as my water is clear and the skimmate hasn't deviated from it's normal disgusting goop.
Thanks in advance for your advice. I absolutely love your site and the advice you give!! :)
-TJ
<I'd "keep on keeping on" w/ what you're doing and hope for the best. Bob Fenner>

Re: Bubble Tip Anemone 1/30/12
Bob,
I've never seen a Ritteri with bubble tips before!
<Mmm, it's mainly the color and shape of the pedicle...>
This particular anemone was gorgeous prior to this incident, or whatever occurred. In two weeks it kept it's bubbles the entire time.
<Ok>
Are there any types of vitamins or anything I could "dose" the tank with to promote healing?
<Iodide/ate are useful>
Also, should I continue to feed it?
<Yes>
Thanks again!
-TJ
<Welcome! BobJ>

Bubble Tip Anemone Question/s, gen. 1/30/12
Hey,
<Hey you.>
I hope you guys have not answered this before, I read through the site and did not see anything about what I want to ask, sorry if there is already an answer. Okay time for the Question : My BTA has been in my tank for over a month now, I bought it too early, about two weeks after I set up the tank, the tank is stable now, the BTA was 2 inches when I purchased it now its 5 inches across, so its growing.
<Or expanding to it's capabilities.>
It's tentacles do not have the short bulb shape it had in the pet store anymore, it kind of looks like a long tentacle anemone.
<Not uncommon and isn't a problem.>
I have it in a 60 gallon cube , with 300 watts of light the tank is deep though and its near the bottom,
<BTAs do not require intense light, should be fine here.>
I feed it shrimp weekly, I do 10 % water changes weekly, the ph is 8.0, all other parameters are okay, not perfect.
<What is OK?>
Do you think there is enough light?
<Don't know for sure. You did not state type of light or Kelvin temperature.>
Is shrimp a good choice for anemone food?
<This can be found on our site. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/btafdgfaqs.htm>
It does have a good green color. Is there any supplements that they like?
<This can also be found on our site, here, http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm,
under feeding.>
Thanks for any info, this is the best site ever !
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>

Re: two fish dead from same or different issue(s)? BTA gen. 10/30/11
Bob, et al-
<Cass>
Thank you so much for your time and wisdom :-) It helped us greatly in the following days as corals started to be affected by the chemical warfare.
We went through several water changes, aggressive skimming and new carbon to help minimize the damage. In the wake, we lost a Favia (a disappointing loss- it was a fast growing specimen), two mini-colonies of Zoanthids, obviously the anemone itself, the clown and scooter blenny. Other corals were unhappy but rebounded and have all returned to their standard growth rates and the algae blenny is still fat and skittish (I really don't think he will become social again....). We allowed the tank to have several weeks of "hands off" before adding a new inhabitant. In that time, I have also seen a noticeable increase in brittle star population and some near-microscopic baby snails, along with a noticeable decline in the amount of baby abalones that were prevalent before the long tentacle mishap. I don't know if that last bit is important, but I do find it intriguing.
My husband and I discussed at length what would be an intelligent addition considering what happened with the long tentacle. We have a good friend that has clones of a RBTA that we had purchased 4 years ago from a fellow reef club member. These clones are incredibly hardy and reproduce regularly.
<Are faves of mine>
Fortunately, this friend is also blessed with "the cup overfloweth" with all his corals. Unfortunately, the rbtas have reached plague proportions in his 280g tank and he ends up peeling babies off the glass and putting them in his lighted sump/refugium since there is absolutely no open real estate in his main tank. We decided to ask him for an anemone, and drove 4 hours round trip to retrieve it from him.
Our friend was more than happy to oblige, and when we got home we realized that he had given us two small anemones, a small handful of macro algae, a well established gorgonian, and a stag horn frag (in separate bags, deceivingly put into one cardboard box). ::sigh::
My question lies in anemone husbandry- first the facts:
In the tank (30 gal tank, with 10 gal in sump) param.s remain constant, temp has been the only swing that has been cause for concern in the past. The temp has settled now that summer is over to a regular 79.3-ish. My husband also wanted me to clarify that the specific gravity is 1.025 (and that I shouldn't rely on the hydrometer that lives suction cupped to the side of the tank since its only good for an amphipod breeding zone). The evaporated water has an auto top off, which goes through ro/di as well as Kalkwasser before dripping into the tank. When the nem's were added they moved very little (less than an inch from where placed). At our friends they were under MH light, the lights they now live under are Ecoxotic led panorama strips-three strips, one all white, one all blue, one blue/white combo. Their homes in the tank are about 1/4 of the way from the floor, about 15 inches from the top. One of them has sunk its foot deep into a hole in the rock and retreats every night, the other has its foot on a flat rock and it balls up into a blob when the lights go out.
These specimens are small, but the 12 full sized anemone's in our friend's tank are between drink coaster sized to dinner-plate sized when fully inflated. Our friend does not target feed his anemones since he doesn't wish for them to grow and reproduce any faster. I would like to add a new clown eventually, but I do not want for any over loving to injure these anemones.
What feeding schedule would be appropriate for these little guys and also, what is an appropriate rate of growth for an anemone?
<Mmm, a couple times per week... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/btafdgfaqs.htm
I read on WWM that krill is not ideal for nem's (oops), but we rarely feed processed flake.
The bio load of the tank now if very small with just the hermits and blenny eating algae wafers or the occasional mysis/krill/Nori/bloodworm blend sold by the LFS. Also, at what size would the nem's be large enough to be able to handle the introduction of a clown fish?
<If a gentle species like Ocellaris or Percula, right away likely... IF big, bad, perhaps never>
I will be purchasing another tank-bred clown when it is ok to do so.
I realize that as the nems grow and reproduce that I will need to remove/sell/give away clones to avoid interaction with the other coral.
The rock work is set up in an effort to discourage direct interaction- the nem's each have their own "leg" of an archway set up and the flow is directed to help them choose a more appropriate direction of travel should they wander.
Is there any way to help avoid chemical warfare as well? Thanks so much for your time, I'm sure that's more info than you needed for those few questions.
:-)
-Cassandra
PS I have attached a photo of the rbtas, the color looks washed out in the photo, but their color is much closer to highlighter pink.
<Nice. Cheers, BobF>

Re: green bubble tip anemone 2/6/11
Hey I'm back with another question for you.. Went to bed last night after my tank lights went off for the night and my bta appeared to be doing its self cleansing thing (was all deflated) and woke up with my 10month old so at about 4am and decided to turn on my dinning room light to check on things and discovered my anemone had almost completely spilt in two.. So now I'm wondering what type of care do I need to provide the btas and please don't say to move them to a qt tank as unfortunately I do not have one at this time but I do fully intend on getting one set up asap just had a few financial drawbacks that have kept me from getting one. Looking forward to hearing back from you on what I can do to ensure both halves recover and then continue to thrive in my tank
<Same as it ever was. Reading. Here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm
and the linked files above. BobF>

Bubble Anemone feeding and behaviour -- 02/02/11
Hi Guys and Gals,
<Dayna>
My husband bought us a marine aquarium after our months of diving in the Maldives.
<Wow! Months!?>
We have sent you pics and emails when we were discovering interesting little creatures living in our tank for IDing and your crew havenÂ´t failed us yet!
We have had our tank for over a year and thought we were ready for an anemone as a gift for our Clowns. We purchased it with the rock it was attached to, as recommended by you all and selected a rose bubble tipped as they were recommended to be easier that others.
<Are; particularly "clones" of individuals already doing well in captivity>
It moved only once and has planted itself for about 3 weeks now in the center of the tank. It opened up after about 36 hours, (we know this as we took turns getting up in the middle of the night to make sure it didnÂ´t die or kill everything else in the tank). Our clown finally enjoyed it about one week ago.
(see pic) However, today I noticed its mouth inflating, I am quite paranoid about over feeding it and now I am paranoid about it starving. Please tell me this is normal behaviour and what are the signs of both?
<Is normal... Not to worry>
Help me get some sleep.....
Dayna Macdonald,
<Rest well. Bob Fenner>

Joy

green bubble tip anemone... beh., fdg., and gen. et al. 1/22/11
Hey guys! I'm back for some more of your wonderful advice regarding my green bubble tip. I've had it in my tank for almost 3 months now and up until yesterday it had remained in the same spot where it had a good current flow and excellent lighting (I have t5s, 2blue and 2white),
<Unless you have a great bias/appreciation for the "blue", I'd switch one of these out for another "white". Your photosynthetic life will benefit>
it moved around a bit which caused me to have to move some live rock that had some pulsing xenia on it and a large blue mushroom as they were being stung by my anemone. The anemone has now moved itself to the back glass and is in between the glass and some live rock and my poor Allards clown can no longer get inside it. I was wondering if you could give me some insight into why it would have moved after being in the same spot for 3 months.
<Mmm, other than "it happens", not much. Could be that the current is better where it is now... perhaps the Clown was "bothering it" too much...>
I feed it small pieces of thawed frozen shrimp
<... needs more, different than this. Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/btafdgfaqs.htm
every 2-3 days (my clown actually will move the pieces from its tentacles to its mouth). All my water parameters are right on the money and my salinity is between 1.025 to 1.026 which is where I was told from day one to keep it from my local LFS.
<Correct>
Looking forward to hearing back from you guys as your advice had always proven to be helpful.
oh and on another subject I have Aiptasia on a piece of live rock, I went to my LFS and they told me to use Joe's juice, however this does not seem to be killing them off whatsoever, I'm wondering if there is a better product out there that I should be using that is reef safe?
<Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/AipChemInjFAQ2.htm
I would just take out the piece of live rock but it has a few mushrooms on it and some feather dusters along with another type of coral.. hopefully you can help me out with all of my questions
Christina
<Please learn to/use the indices and search tool on WWM. I fear you may lose livestock awaiting responses. Bob Fenner>

Re: BTA question, was H. malu 1/19/11
Dear WWM crew,
<John!>
Did I mention you guys are the best? Think I did. Having Bob answer a question is kind of like getting soccer tips from Pele.
<Heeee! And yes (!) we're both still alive!>
Digressions aside, the Heteractis anemone (certainly what he is...was, sadly) has passed to that great aquarium in the sky; no surprise as the requirements for E. quadricolor - which I could handle - and H. malu - outside my ability - are not the same. Fortunately diligent (obsessive) observation allowed me to remove him almost immediately on expiration with no change in tank parameters. New testing paraphernalia yielded good results with phosphates at unmeasurable and calcium in the high 400's.
<Mmm, no bueno>
Now, the new issue. LiveAquaria, being as wonderful as they always are with customer service, has sent the correct E. quadricolor to arrive Thursday. I'm a bit worried still about the allelopathy issue that Mr.
Fenner mentioned. E. quadricolor will also violate the Geneva convention and conduct chemical warfare on his neighbors?
<Could well do so... best to greatly ameliorate this possibility by separately housing (in isolation... quarantine) and after a few days begin mixing some (a small percentage) of water twixt the systems (with a
pitcher)... to allow both systems organisms to "get used to each other">
I can try to alleviate this somewhat by overfiltering (say, a new Biowheel or an extra skimmer), a small sump or reservoir, or perhaps chemical filtration. Will any of those work out?
<All these will/do help, but do the isolating and water mixing for a few weeks or more... you may well observe some behavioral changes in the Cnidarians when you do these exchanges...>
Thanks again. I've included two small pictures that unfortunately are in violation of your size limitation - I tried using iPhoto as suggested and failed utterly, so my apologies for the file size and thanks again for
your help.
John
<Welcome. BobF>

BTA question... gen. 1/11/11
Dear WWMedia Crew,
<John>
First and foremost, thanks for what you do for this hobby. I know that what I've read here over the years I've been a novice aquarist can almost always be trusted completely as primary authority, and I thank you for the time and effort all of you spend answering questions - hopefully knowledge that your readers share with those of the opinion that goldfish are disposable pets one can keep in a wineglass, etc.
<Thank you>
My current tank is an acrylic 30 gallon tank 18 inches deep. Lighting is provided by a 130 watt Coralife Aqualight PC Daylight/Actinic unit with fresh bulbs on a 8:30-6:30 timer; filtration by a little over 35 pounds of Fiji live rock, an aragonite bed roughly 1 inch deep in the lowest areas varying by 1/2 inch upward in the deeper areas and a Red Sea Prizm skimmer (surface skimmer attachment and media box filled with carbon). I use Red Sea salt and the current parameters are Ammonia/Nitrite 0 Nitrates ~ 20ppm (working on that) at a pH of 8.3/8.4. Currently the only source of water movement besides the skimmer return is an Eheim Aquaball; within the week a second Aquaball will arrive along with test kits for kH, calcium and phosphates which I currently have no way of measuring. Also in this shipment an Instant Ocean nitrate reducer for obvious reasons. The tank has been stable at these numbers for around 6 months.
Two corals are resident; a brownish leather coral that seems to be growing and thriving quite nicely and a small cluster of Zoas happily spreading near the top of the rock structure.
Livestock; one Green Spotted Puffer, pride of the fleet, upgraded from skinny and worm-ridden to a healthy, club-shaped 2 3/4 inch happy specimen in the last 5 months.
<Yay!>
A bicolor blenny has been doing his part to assist the previously all-human cleanup crew necessitated by the puffer; he's new, around 3 1/2 inches in length and happily reducing the built-up algae in the tank to shreds. A tomato clown, added at the same time, fills out the fish roster at around 2 inches. Everyone gets along nicely; the clown has the GSP under control, the blenny is largely ignored by all and aside from a few hard-to-catch Aiptasia all the live rock hitchhikers are benign.
Which brings us to the resident in question, a recently purchased E. quadricolor.
<Mmm, this volume is really too small... and there is likely to be chemical rivalry twixt the Alcyoniid and Zoanthids and this Anemone... Which may well cost you your fish livestock>
He was added this week, and immediately on arrival took up residence in a live rock crevice. Unless symbiotic algae can be yellowish, he arrived bleached; his foot is a very nice red,
<?... are you sure this is an Entacmaea? Of the principal anemones used in the trade, only Heteractis malu and some Condylactis have such deeply colored red pedicles. Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm>
tentacles seem to be whitish yellow and while not fully bloomed he does have them extended.
The tomato clown took up residence almost immediately upon the anemone's arrival. He does seem to be feeding the anemone but I have yet to witness it actually eat anything, and the spot that it's in seems a bit dark for a photosynthetic organism.
<Mmm, may well be artificially colored. See here: http://wetwebmedia.com/coloredanemones.htm
and the Related FAQs linked above>
My chief concern is that the anemone has not moved from its original placement 5 days ago; I wonder if perhaps the nearly constant attention from the clown is preventing it from going where it would prefer to be in the tank.
<Not likely... and you really don't want this animal moving about... may physically contact your other Cnidarians, get sucked up by the Ball...>
It is wedged into a deep tunnel in the rock about 6 inches down in an area that has decent flow with around 50% of its tentacles facing upward and out of the hole and the remainder in darkness. It never seems to be particularly in danger, although it can be sheepish about the lights when they first pop on. Maybe it just found exactly what it was looking for in a home, but is it possible the clown is bullying it into staying put?
<Could be, likely is, a bit of both. But nothing really you should do re...
Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/anembehfaqs.htm
and...>
Thanks in advance,
John
<Welcome! Bob Fenner>

Anemone... gen., Carpet? 1/6/11
Hello,
<Hi Mike>
I have a carpet anemone in my 60gl 4 year old tank.
<Mmm, these species (Stichodactyla) are not easily kept.>
I've had it for roughly 30-45 days. I have a maroon clown that is hosting in it. Here is what I am attempting to do. I have been running my light for 10-11 hours. Too much. I want to cut the light time down by 3-4 hours. However, I'm concerned about how much light my anemone needs.
<Try it and see... these species can derive a good part (most) of their nutrition from feeding rather than photosynthesis>
Furthermore, he has (for a number of weeks) moved underneath the rock he was originally placed on.
<... are you sure this is a Carpet species?>
As you can see in the attachment, it's still in an open space so it gets some light. I'm trying to gradually reduce light time and get it to where I have the light off for the morning and afternoon and turn it on around 4-10ish. Should I manually move him back to the where he faces the light directly?
<No. This animal will move when it is ready>
what do I do if he moves back under it? how will the variance in light time affect him? Knowing what I'd like to accomplish, can you help me lay out a better plan to do it?
As always, Thanks!
Mike
<Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/carpetanemones.htm
and all the linked files above. We'll be chatting. Bob Fenner>

Re: Anemone, gen., now BTA 1/6/11
You were right..it's a green bubble anemone. Now that we know for sure the type, how does that apply to my queries below?
<... same advice to read what is posted on WWM Mike...>
Thanks very much for your help and patience!
Mike
<No worries. BobF>
Re: Anemone 1/6/11
just to confirm, I should read the link related to carpet anemones even though I have a bubble?
thx
mike
<Heeeee! The ones covering Entacmaea Mike. B>

Bubble Tipped Hitchhiker 10/20/10
Hiya from the Victorian Alps of Australia,
<Hello Jamie. Ahh, brings back memories of my skiing days in the Garmisch/Bertchesgaden area.>
I have had my shiny new Red Sea Max 130D up and running for 1 month and 3 days. I added live rock in the first week of cycling and at the time I noticed a small, maroon polyp of sorts as a hitchhiker. I assumed it was a zoa of some sort and placed it under decent light to give it a chance at surviving the cycle.
Much to my surprise, over the intervening weeks this little "zoa" has swelled from 3-4mm in size to about 5cm or so and has developed very distinctive green and pink bubble-tipped tentacles. I started target
feeding him (her? it?) as soon as I realised with a mix of Cyclopeeze and frozen phyto, it's quite a ravenous little thing.
My problem is I am unsure what to do with it now.
<Or what it actually is.>
It seems to be thriving under the current conditions, I would hate to damage it but I don't like my chances of keeping it happy and healthy in the long term in a 130 litre tank (I gather these guys can/do grow quite
large).
<Deeper water types can grow to 20 inches across while shallow water specimens can span 12 inches across.>
It seems to have buried it's foot deep into the rock and the research I've done suggests damage to the foot is to be avoided.
<Definitely.>
Thus I'm at a bit of a loss as to how to remove it - or indeed what to do with it if I remove it.
<Remove the entire rock would be the safest way.>
Living up in the 'sticks' I purchase my livestock through mail order, my nearest 'LFS' is over 3 hours away.
I do have a second tank, 3 weeks into it's cycle that I'd be happy to dedicate to this colourful little hitchhiker, however this is only an 80 litre tank. Do you think that an 80 litre is simply too small, even with
the BTA as its sole inhabitant?
<The system is much too small for continued success with this animal and they do not appreciate "new" systems.>
I suppose a bigger worry would be the inherent instability in a system that small.
<Exactly.>
Any advice you could throw me would be a massive help, I'm at a bit of a loss.
<You may want to read here.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm
http://www.aquariumslife.com/anemones/anemone-reproduction/>
Cheers muchly,
<And to you my friend. James (Salty Dog)>
Jamie

RBTA Split/Anemone Systems/Feeding 6/27/10
Hello friends and saviors,
<Rhonda>
This morning I came downstairs and my RBTA had split! At first I thought this was a reason to celebrate but after reading your site for the last few hours to learn more I'm a little nervous. I have it in a 28 gallon Nano with LED hood. The daylights are on for about 8 hours with moonlight the rest of the time (unfortunately the actinics are broken, along with everyone else's apparently, so on backorder).
<Not to worry, actinics do not do much for photosynthesis.>
He's been in there for about 6 months (the tank is 1.5 years old) with a little black ocellaris. He was the showpiece at the top center but about a month ago moved down to the side-middle of the tank. He gets pretty big throughout the day but is only fed about 3 times a month with various parts of a silverside, which I'm also reading here is not the best choice for him. What is, by the way? I know I need to pick up some Selcon but what do you feed yours?
<May want to read here.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm>
My tank parameters are great, salinity at 1.023 - 1.025.
<Mmm, only one water parameter?>
This seems to be the only thing that really fluctuates and it doesn't seem that often. 25% water changes weekly and siphoning every other week. Everything else in the tank is beautiful and spreading/growing. What else...? I only have 3 fish---I did lose a fuzzy lionfish recently that refused to eat ever since he was brought home. I'm trying to think of anything that's changed and nothing really had.
<Have you tried feeding the Lionfish live foods? Most will not accept prepared foods, and, your tank is too small for this fish.
Have you read/researched here on this fish before purchasing?
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/lions&rels.htm>
Thanks for your response. Don't know what I'd do without you guys!!
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Rhonda

My website name has changed 2/26/10
Hello from Karen , owner of Karensroseanemones.net
I have had to change my website name to .net from .com and hope that you will be so kind as to change it on your WWM site so that everyone will be sent in the correct direction when going to my site.
Thanks much, I appreciate your posting my site on your help page.
Karen Hair
Owner
<Will try my hand at the "find-replace" command on WWM. Thank you Karen.
BobF>

Bubble tip anemone question, comp., no reading 1/24/10
Crew;
<John>
I have a simple question, I hope.
Some tank info for help:
TANK SPECIFICS:
55 Gallon wide
Small Refugium (made from an HOT AquaClear 70 Power filter) with macroalgae
(recently added x3 weeks ago).
40 lbs. LR (more to be steadily added as budget allows) Jebo 304 canister with 2 Eheim fine pads, Eheim sponge (course) pad, ceramic Bio-ring and 2 bags of activated charcoal (one under each fine pad) AquaTech 40-60 HOT Power filters with bio screens. Media is a simple filter media with Activated Charcoal in both.
RedSea Prizm Skimmer
Last H2O change was 12 Jan. 10 and was ~13 gallons
Lighting: T5 HO x2 (one 54w Actinic / one 54w 6700K Life-Glo) (Both bulbs just replaced x9 days ago)
OCCUPANTS
Ocellaris Clown (x1)
McCosker's Flasher Wrasse (x4 males)
<All males? This won't work... see WWM re Cirrhilabrus spp.>
Mexican Turbo snail (x2)
Nassarius Snails (x2)
Porcelain Anemone Crab (x1)
Small Zoanthus colony
Small star Polyp Frag
Small Trumpet Frag
Various hitchhikers to include spaghetti worms, feather dusters (x3 that I know of)
Latest testing (all done with API test kits) this Date
Ammonia: .00ppm
Nitrite: .00ppm
Nitrate: 10ppm
Phosphates: 0ppm
pH (high): 8.3
dKH: 14
Calcium: 380
I purchased a BTA (Entacmaea quadricolor) yesterday,
<... not a good idea to mix with other Cnidarians... Read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/btacompfaqs.htm>
put it in my tank after an hour acclimation and it immediately blew around the tank.
<Bad>
I hurriedly retrieved it to prevent it from hurting itself and placed it near my live rock. Based on the ton of info on WWM As well as on other sites, everything led me to think it would climb the rock, find its new home and move on from there.
<Not likely enough, no>
I let it alone all evening and when I went to see where it decided to call home I was surprised it had not moved one bit.
It actually anchored itself to a few pieces of rubble rock on the substrate.
It is 2/3's lying on substrate. Everything I read tells Me to not move it around, so at this writing, it remains on the substrate.
Is this OK or dare I attempt to move it onto the rock someplace?
<Read please... I would not move this animal, except to another system>
I did fed frozen Mysis shrimp early today (thawed of course) and it appeared
to have eaten it immediately. did not give much.
I am planning on getting some silversides this evening ten feeding a small portion to see if it will eat it then base feeding schedule from there since I have no idea when it was last fed.
It appears healthy, nice green color from the zooxanthellae (due to lighting), absolutely no white and overall pinkish in color.
<Good>
I am not sure if lighting is adequate but I suspect not.
<Can be w/ feeding... do please read WWM re>
A funny thing happened this AM right after feeding the Mysis shrimp. It literally shrank and shriveled up to almost nothing.
<Not funny>
This scared me greatly as I thought may the shrimp was still too cold and hurt it. I left it alone and after a few hours started to bubble up again. Now, almost 8 hours later, it is fully bloomed, looking content.
I have an Ocellaris clown who I hoped might host it but reading here does not give me great hope of that as it is a tank raised species,
<Just have to wait, see>
and the type of bubble I have seems to be more of a maroon clown match.
Any chance at all it could work?
<Yes>
Last evening when I put it in the tank, the Ocellaris looked at it then moved away. I deliberately placed it on the side of the tank the clown seems to favor and last night after lights out the clown, for the first time ever (have had now for 3months+) actually hid inside the rock as opposed to hanging out near the front corner of the tank to rest. Why would that be?
<... Read. Bob Fenner>
John

Newly acquired RBTA... cart, horse turnaround -- 09/08/09
Hello WWM crew,
<Nick>
I'll start off with Tank Parameters:
90 gallon tank
70-90 #'s LR
40#'s LS
~20 gallon sump with protein skimmer, 300W heater, and LR(no lighting)
Aquaclear 110 refugium
2 10K PC
2 Actinic PC
Hydor Koralia 4 (positioned near the top of the tank)
Poly Filter to help with diatoms (as well as the Mexican Turbos)
Actinics are on for 14 hours and 10k's are on for 10 All water parameters are good and tank has been up for 7 months
Livestock:
Kenya Trees
Mushroom Corals
Zoanthids
Candy Cane Coral
Finger Coral
1 peppermint shrimp
2 ocellaris clownfish
1 Sailfin Tang
1 purple pseudo
1 pajama cardinal
~12 Mexican Turbos for some diatom issues
~20 Astrea snails
2 sand sifting stars
2 Nassarius
I've just recently acquired a rose bubble tip anemone
<... not compatible to degrees with the other Cnidarian life you list>
and introduced it into my tank after some drip acclimation. I've only had him for 4 days and have had some troubles. I've tried to read as much as I could on your website about care (unfortunately after I bought him). He was a clone from another persons tank and is about 3 inches in diameter. My trouble began the second night that I had him. He was roaming about the tank,
<Typical>
which is to be expected. I checked on him before going to bed and discovered him intertwined in the uptake for the Aquaclear refugium.
<...>
I promptly turned off the pump, detached the uptake tube, and set his foot near the glass. He took hold of the glass and worked his way out. I didn't do a thorough inspection to check for tearing, but he seemed fine. The next two days I have disconnected the refugium at night, when I can't watch him. He continued to wander about the tank and has since last night settled in the back corner of the tank, under a piece of rock with hardly any flow or light. He has been there all day and I'm a little worried. Also, during his travels he came in contact with almost all of the corals in the tank
<... bad!>
and I'm not sure if this is okay.
<...>
I'm also concerned about the peppermint shrimp as he doesn't seem to be compatible with anemones. I bought him to clear out some aiptasia, which he did a long time ago. I just don't want him to target the RBTA as an alternate food source. Any information or suggestions will be welcome and helpful.
Thanks,
Nick
<... read: http://wetwebmedia.com/cnidcompppt.htm
and the linked files above. This Entacmaea needs to live elsewhere. Bob Fenner>
Re: Newly acquired RBTA 9/9/09
Hello Bob,
<Nick>
I'm a big fan of your website and book. Thank you very much for your response; you've confirmed my initial fears. I am going to try and keep him for a few more days and see if anything improves.
I removed the peppermint shrimp and re-aquascaped so that the anemone has his own rock formation
with no impediments from the mushroom corals. My question is in regards to his current behavior. I moved him to the rock formation
<Keep reading. I would not move>
and, by this morning, he has moved to the bottom of the pile and is hiding under the very bottom rock. I checked him over yesterday for any signs of distress (droopy mouth, signs of tearing), but there was none. What is this current behavior and do you still think that I should find him a new home?
Thanks,
Nick

Re: Newly acquired RBTA 9/10/09
Hello again,
<Nick... are you reading?>
I appreciate the quick response and all of the resources you provide on your site. I really would like to keep the RBTA and am willing to get rid of the other cnidarians. Which would be best to remove or should I remove them all? I promise this will be the last on this matter.
Thanks again,
Nick
<The chemical et al mix that is in the present all-together system is too toxic for the Actinarian... It really MUST be moved elsewhere for right now, even if the other Cnid.s are to be vacated. B>
Re: Newly acquired RBTA 9/10/09
"<... read: http://wetwebmedia.com/cnidcompppt.htm
> > > and the linked files above."
Bob,
Thanks for the response and I'm sorry I wasn't understanding what you were trying to say originally. I really have been reading as much as I can, but didn't see anything about the system becoming toxic after encounters and when to remove specimens. I will remove him right away and would it be good to run activated carbon to absorb the toxic chemicals?
Thanks again,
Nick

Anemone Tank 4/8/09
Hey Crew!
<Dean>
Don't really have a question, just want to say thanks and give a picture of my healthy BTA. Your site contributes so much to the health of my pets I just wanted to share a little for a change.
<Looks nice, Dean, and thank you for sharing. James (Salty Dog)>
Dean

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