Bubble Tipped Anemone and Frogspawn war: BTA not looking too good

SeahorseKeeper · Jan 16, 2014

I made the mistake of sticking my hand in my tank yesterday after working 16 hours on very little sleep. I decided to move my frogspawn to a new spot so it wasn't getting pounded by the flow. Well, I chose a nice spot but did not ensure the rock was stable. Overnight, the rock fell with the frogspawn directly on the anemone.

I immediately removed the frogspawn and moved it to the other side of the tank completely away from the anemone. I noticed that there was definitely evidence of warfare. The anemone and frogspawn tentacles were intertwined and there were some frogspawn tentacles in the anemone.

Now, the anemone is not looking too hot. Actually, it looks HORRIBLE. The mouth is open and it is not inflated. I have no idea when the rock fell and how long they were at war. Any advice?? Both of these specimens are by far my favorite in my tank and I really do not want to lose either.

Anemone:

Daimyo68 · Jan 16, 2014

Hope for the best. The Nem will probably split as a way of trying to survive. Just keep an eye on it, and stick with your normal routine. My Inferno bta looked far worse than that and has come back to normal.

Eienna · Jan 16, 2014

Poor thing! Hope it recovers!

I've been told that it's bad to feed an anemone when it's hurt like that, because you could give it a bacterial infection inside. Not sure if it's true, but I thought I'd give you a heads-up.

SeahorseKeeper · Jan 17, 2014

Eienna said:
Poor thing! Hope it recovers!

I've been told that it's bad to feed an anemone when it's hurt like that, because you could give it a bacterial infection inside. Not sure if it's true, but I thought I'd give you a heads-up.

Thanks! Personally, I am not a believer in target feeding anemones in my system. I have a h. crispa that has been in my system for over 3 years and this RBTA has been in the system for over a year. Both have never been target fed. I just keep the water parameters in check and have a good lighting system. Each anemone also hosts a clown.

Update: From what I can see of the anemone, it looks a little better. The tentacles seem to be more extended. Unfortunately, the anemone has moved to a spot in the rock work where I can not get a good view. It has moved to the back side of the rock and I can't see it fully. It seems to be footed but it is not as securely footed as it was before the incident.

SeahorseKeeper · Jan 20, 2014

The anemone is gone. I can't find it anywhere!!

Now, my clownfish is looking lost. For its protection, I am going to be placing it in the seahorse tank. Now, I am on the hunt for an anemone so the clownfish can be hosted.

Mikey Maroon · Aug 6, 2021

I hate to resurrect a dead nearly decade old thread like this but I am dying to know if you found the BTA. I recently had an RBTA walk into a frogspawn colony and after what I assume to be a short war, the BTA has retreated deep into a rock crevice and I am wondering if it is preparing to split or not. I target feed mine and it has grown quite quickly in a span of about 5 months.