I've been trying to kill my RBTA inadvertently for the past couple weeks. It was doing great for the first month I had it in the clown tank but then started retracting and not coming out during the day. It seemed to be doing better then the light bulbs fell out of the hood right into the tank. The fixture was just touching the water and making a small arcing sound with smoke raising up from the hood. My wife was home but upstairs and didn't notice what was happening.
When I got home the top 2" of the water column was Smokey looking and the clowns were huddled at the bottom of the tank. I quickly unplugged the fixture, don't know why the GFIC breaker didn't trip but I am going to change it, put some carbon in the overflow and started the pumps up, (they were off for the feeding cycle). The clowns were stressed but OK and all the other inhabitants survived. The RBTA was retracted smaller than I had ever seen it but was still OK. I did a 50% water change and things seemed to be getting back to normal.
2 days later the RBTA was starting to extend again and I thought it would be fine. I had to leave on business for 10 days so I cleaned the tanks filled the ATO Res., set the feeders and left. I forgot however to open the valve to the ATO so it didn't function. 3 days later my dad stopped by to pick up some RODI Water and noticed the 10g Clown tank was not circulating. The water had dropped so low it couldn't reach the overflow. He got there just in time and opened the valve to the ATO. The pumps started right up and everything was still alive.
When I returned home I found the tank in good condition but the RBTA was smaller than I had ever seen it. My big Maroon Clown wouldn't leave the RBTA alone through all of this and kept forcing it open for him. The RBTA continues to recede so I removed the RBTA and its rock and placed it in my frag tank where it would be able to recuperate without the clown bothering it. That was this afternoon and I am wondering if the RBTA will recover.
So here are my questions.
1. Is there anything special I should do for the RBTA other than let it rest in the frag tank?
2. Will an aggressive Maroon Clown damage a normally healthy RBTA as it tries to host with it? I am particularly wondering about the barbs on the sides of the Maroon Clown's head.
This Clown will not leave the RBTA alone and only leaves it to eat. She will take Krill or chunks of food to the RBTA but doesn't swim around the tank except to eat.
Edited by bfessler - October 24 2009 at 9:57pm
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