BTA - fantastic

[Tau2301]

Got home from Tony’s place a few hours ago. Just pickup my BTA, it’s a beauty.

I took Tony’s advice and placed Him (an affectionate term) in a spot with lots of flow and a place to wedge his foot. He’s got a good toehold going and his tentacles are waving about. He must like it as he has already gone pooh. Yuk, right where he eats. :eek:

I tell you Alan, you need one of these, the colours are fantastic. The tentacles are green with pink tips.

All the corals that I received at the May meeting are also doing well. Thanks once again Tony.

[Bob I]

Maybe I could have a BTA. I would put it in my new Nano. I read a post on Nanoreefs.com about a BTA in a small Eclipse, which had filled the whole tank. That sounds like fun. smile.gif Tony has been our main supplier of a lot of stuff. I think we owe a large vote of thanks to Tony.
Bob

[ 11 May 2002, 18:40: Message edited by: Bob Ipema ]

[Delphinus]

I am happy to hear that he is adapting well! Thank YOU Kim, for giving him a good home.

This is a strain of BTA that has been in captivity a very long time. I myself have had it for about 4 years now (hmmm maybe more like 3.5 years now that I think about it), but it had been in another fellow's tank for about 10 (10! :eek: ) years. He sold it to me because he was taking down his tanks and getting (mostly) out of the hobby (I think he kept a little nano tank going).

Bob, the whole "clownfish/anemone" relationship is one of the main reasons I got into (and kept going) with this hobby. I know that puts me in the same boat as like 80% of the people in this hobby (Baaa! Baaa! No sheep here :D But in my defense, I didn't let myself get an anemone until almost a year into the hobby). But I took it as a challenge to learn everything I could about anemones. After 4 years I am still learning! But never getting bored of the topic. I dunno ... I guess I have always been fascinated by anemones. Whenever I go to the sea, I find myself always looking for them. I never grow tired of them.

[ 12 May 2002, 11:05: Message edited by: delphinus ]

[Bob I]

Weeeeell, next time it splits maybe you could put me down for one. Now that I have set up the 15 gallon high as a nano again, I think a BTA, or LTA and the (or some) clowns would do great in there. Maybe a Maroon would be nice in there. It is really a Fall project as I am away on weekends for the summer, and could not do a new fish justice. :D

[Tau2301]

Tony, you were right. He just did a little walk about and he is back were he started from. smile.gif

[Tau2301]

The BTA has stayed put for the last day and a half, but it looks like he might be on the move.

I fed him 3 very small pieces of raw shrimp on Sunday maybe I should have fed him more to keep him happy where he was.

Tony: What was the feeding schedule that you had him on and how much do you recommend that I feed him?
Two questions for the price of one - right. :D

[AJ_77]

Now Kim has me wondering, "How responsible is it to advise a newbie to get a BTA?" ;)
On the other hand, I have a pair of Ocellaris clowns that may have a better life with an anemone host, such as the one you have. (Or, they may ignore it, as they have ignored Bob's conch shell... ;) )

So, yeah, how cool would THAT be? But, wow, arent' these things really difficult? tongue.gif

Cheers mates,

Alan

[ 13 May 2002, 19:35: Message edited by: AJ_77 ]

[Delphinus]

Kim -- about 1/2 to a full piece of shrimp from the grocery store, about once a week is what I was feeding it.

He IS going to be unhappy about the move for a little bit. Even the guy who stayed behind sulked for a good day (and has actually moved a little bit too). Just the stress of being out of the water like that. These guys haven't been huge on wandering, they have on occasion when they've gotten a little big and started crowding themselves, but generally speaking they've stayed put. If the wandering is only for a little bit (like, only a day or two and only a few inches) then he's just making himself comfortable. If the wandering is incessant, though, like, large distances and doesn't stop after a few days then it's something else.... These BTA's are tough little buggers, they've lived through tank crashes where the nitrates have gone tyhrough the roof (>80ppm!), temperatures >86F, float valve disasters where the SG has gone to 1.000 (don't ever try these things, BTW!). So I would expect a little sulking for the next little while, but nothing more than that. Keep me posted on things though, if you wouldn't mind?

Alan -- the best bet for an anemone is to get a division of one, or one from a fellow reefer who's had it for a while. If you're going to try a store bought one, though, it's best to wait until the tank is a solid half-year to a year old. Store-bought anemones are STRESSED (from the collection process, handling, etc. -- and where do wholesalers and retailers put their anemones? All into the same tank -- and the worst thing you can do to a stressed anemone, IMHO, is put it in a tank full of other stressed anemones .... and they wonder why anemones have such a high initial mortality rate!). So a store-bought-stressed anemone really needs a really solid environment where it can try to heal itself without undue external pressures.

[ 13 May 2002, 12:56: Message edited by: delphinus ]