BTA won't stop moving
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: Invertebrates
Forum Description: This is the place to ask questions about invertebrates.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=29243
Printed Date: July 27 2025 at 7:02am
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Topic: BTA won't stop moving
Posted By: emothman
Subject: BTA won't stop moving
Date Posted: November 13 2008 at 9:04am
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I have had a BTA for about 8 months. Two months ago we upgraded from 50/50 10k/attintic pcs to 14k - 175w MH's with attintic pcs. Since then this guy won't stop moving around. This morning as I was leaving for work he was sitting on my crocea. Any ideas? He looks much healthier with the new lights. Even healthier today than when I bought him at aquatica.
-Eric
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Replies:
Posted By: emothman
Date Posted: November 14 2008 at 12:36am
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Couple of ideas-
I have a pure attintic dawn/dusk that seems to be when he moves. Doesn't like pure attintic? Or possible hermit crabs or something is bothering him? I think he is just afraid of commitment.
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Posted By: BobC63
Date Posted: November 14 2008 at 1:20am
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As a general rule, anemones move around when they are not happy with either the lighting, water flow (current), or availablity of food in a particular location. You can try adjusting your pumps / powerheads to change up the flow pattern in your tank. It sounds like you have already upgraded your lighting. How long (per day) do you have the MH lights running?
Do you feed your BTA? Sometimes, if you hold off feeding a few days, then when the anemone gets to a place you'd like them to 'remain' at, feed well (but not too heavy) every day for a few days in a row - it may be a way to signal to the anemone that this is a 'good' spot and (hopefully) stop all the wandering around...
------------- - My Current Tank: 65g Starfire (sitting empty for 2+ years) - * Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 * |
Posted By: jpndave
Date Posted: November 14 2008 at 2:19am
| I will second the feeding idea. Get it where you want it and then feed it regularly. |
Posted By: emothman
Date Posted: November 14 2008 at 8:50am
| I have not been target feeding. I will try that. Now I just have to wait patiently for it to find a spot I like! |
Posted By: Shane H
Date Posted: November 14 2008 at 9:05am
This is a tough one. Anemones move - there really isn't much you can do about it. Its tough to train something that doesn't have a brain. 
I had a beautiful LTA that found a perfect spot, center right in my 120. It stayed right there, hosting a pair of oscellaris for several years. The corals grew around it, the clown laid eggs near it. Life was good. Then one morning - it moved! It began to open in the back of the rock instead of the front! So, I poke it with a stick - literally. Everyday I poked it with a stick and forced it to open on the front side. I thought I had "trained" it when one morning, it opened in the ususal front side.
 Then when I came home from work, it have moved three feet across the tank and was working its way to the top! In the end, I removed it because it was damaging so much with all the movement.
 Good luck. I hope the target feeding will settle it down. But always be prepared. Anemones move.
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Posted By: MrNewbie
Date Posted: November 14 2008 at 9:57am
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My experience has been if you want them to move to a specific place put a power head there and they will most assuredly find their way into said power head. Now seriously we have a couple of RBTA's and a Green and they wandered for a couple of months before settling in.
------------- Just a couple of glass boxes full of slimey things |
Posted By: jpndave
Date Posted: November 14 2008 at 12:20pm
| The only experience I have is with BTAs. They always settle in the same place in my tank. I have had 4 different unrelated BTAs and every one settles within inches of the same place. Two entered the tank unhealthy and I tried to save them but didn't survive, the third was removed after killing my picassos (it's now hosting a large pair of maroons that keep it in line) and the fourth is still there and happy. In fact, the last one (currently in the tank) I put in that spot. It moved, released and started floating before attached. I put it back and it is now about an inch from the spot I placed it. I just feed regularly and they stay put. Maybe I have just been lucky but It seems to be working. And, luckily the spot they pick is ideal for the tank. Occasionally things do go right, LOL. |
Posted By: Crazy Tarzan
Date Posted: November 14 2008 at 1:42pm
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mine move--quite a bit, within a 4" square area. did I mention I have some of the rare splitting bta's that mark and mel had? I started with 2, I now have 4, and it's only been a few months. they get up to about 3" across and split. wonder how long it will take to have a whole rock full of them? However they do all stay together so it looks like one big one. Mark and mel had tons--probalby 50+ of the same size I do. I've had luck in the past with feeding after they settle in one spot, if they won't settle change the powerheads and/or isolate thier rock from everything. ------------- Was that in there yesterday? Casper--WY windier than ? Down to a 20, soon to double or nothing |
Posted By: Turbostud653
Date Posted: November 14 2008 at 3:29pm
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From the Podcast of Mark, who came to our club, he suggest the following. Get your BTA and put it in a spot where you would want it. You need to hold it down in that spot with a stick of some device. You need to keep it there for a min or two. Then right after that sport feed it with shrimp or something like that. The BTA will reconize this is where I get food. He states that if you reguraly feed it there it won't have a tendency to move as his has not. Hope this helps. Matt ------------- Here is what a customer said while on hold Oh my gosh! Did you open the door? I told you not to open the door. Dre is in here completely naked and he's got freak'n Macaroni and Cheese in his hands. |
Posted By: emothman
Date Posted: November 17 2008 at 10:21am
| Okay, so how do you get them to move when you don't want them where they are? This guy is driving me nuts! |
Posted By: Bluespotjawfish
Date Posted: November 17 2008 at 9:17pm
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Silly kid, it will tell you what to do, not the other way around! Let it be where it wants to be and then work around it. ------------- Home of the baby Picasso! |