Ever wandering BTA

potatocouch · Mar 30, 2018

My Orange Tips BTA just never stops wandering around; it's exactly 1 month & 5 days since it went in. Reading from all reefing forums, some say it's normal and some said theirs settled in a matter of 1 day to a week. I wonder if it hosting the 2 clownfish may got anything to do with it. The max duration it settles in 1 spot is approximately 3 - 5 days, then off it goes like a monk wandering around the world.

What to do? My next best attempt may just be add rock hopefully with lots of crevices and hope for the best?

savetheocean · Mar 30, 2018

Make sure you have your powerheads covered. What color is the anemone? What lights are you running and whats the highest point it can reach in the tank?

saltyfilmfolks · Mar 30, 2018

Quite possible it’s the clowns.
My bTa only splits because of the clowns. I have four now.
Two of them moved recently , and I think it’s because thier feet were in the clowns favorite place to lay eggs.

savetheocean · Mar 30, 2018

saltyfilmfolks said:
Quite possible it’s the clowns.
My bTa only splits because of the clowns. I have four now.
Two of them moved recently , and I think it’s because thier feet were in the clowns favorite place to lay eggs.

Why are they so aggressive with them? Poor thing just sits there and takes it.

saltyfilmfolks · Mar 30, 2018

savetheocean said:
Why are they so aggressive with them? Poor thing just sits there and takes it.

Clownfish are actually not a sweet and tender fish. Very territorial Esp when it comes to the eggs.
It’s also worthy of note , aggression is what drives the sex change.
And a bTa is not the natural host.

potatocouch · Mar 30, 2018

So hosting is bad? Bad for Nem

saltyfilmfolks · Mar 30, 2018

Eh, I think host is a kind word. More like they hide there and the nem puts up with it.
But the fish have developed a need to do so over the millennia.

It would be a pain , but you could try putting them in a acclimation box and let the nem settle. I honestly haven’t heard of this problem.

Nems are weird.

Let me see if @Amoo is around. He’s a nemspert.

Amoo · Mar 30, 2018

Can you take a few closeup pictures of your rocks as well as a full tank shot that shows your lighting.

My thought is you may not have good spots for the BTA to bury it's foot in an area it finds to be acceptable lighting. Hard to tell without photos.

savetheocean · Mar 31, 2018

saltyfilmfolks said:
Eh, I think host is a kind word. More like they hide there and the nem puts up with it.
But the fish have developed a need to do so over the millennia.

It would be a pain , but you could try putting them in a acclimation box and let the nem settle. I honestly haven’t heard of this problem.

Nems are weird.

Let me see if @Amoo is around. He’s a nemspert.

They both get something out of the relationship in my tank because my clown always grabs food for my anemone first.