How to get fat tentacles on BTA

[aggrofish]

I know getting a BTA to bubble is all guesswork, but I'm wondering if there's a way to fatten em up a bit. I've had this anemone in my tank for only 10 days now. sometimes food falls on it and it eats and I occasionally shoot some brine shrimp it's way which it happily eats.

It hasn't moved from where I put it. It's directly under an MP40. Params are a little screwy as I'm battling dinos and I've been dosing PO4.
NO3 8-10
PO4 .10
DKH 9
CA 440
MG 1400
temp 78.5
Lights 2x red sea 90s currently at 90% (had them down at 50 to help control dinos and set them to a 50 day ramp up)

Everything is stable, nothing really swings. Should I just be happy? I really dont want to turn down flow it help blow the finos off the sand. It spreads out during the day and the oral disk gets 2x the size as in the morning.

 

[KrisReef]

If it is not moving then be happy!

If you lower the light maybe it would expand more?

Have you tried feeding it spinach?

Looks nice, be happy.

 

[aggrofish]

If it is not moving then be happy!

If you lower the light maybe it would expand more?

Have you tried feeding it spinach?

Looks nice, be happy.

Spinach I didn’t think of that. Worked for popeye

 

[Paleozoic_reefer]

I personally think that the bubbling of the tentacles is more genetic than environmental. For years I had a rainbow BTA that had long stringy tentacles (like yours) and all of its splits had exactly the same characteristic. Then I acquired another BTA with a little more orange and with bubbled tips. All of the splits from this one also had bubble tips. Eventually the two types mingled together in the tank in the same various lighting levels in the tank and they both retained their diagnostic tentacle characteristics. If bubbling or stringy tentacles were a function of lighting or chemistry both nem lines would have similar tentacle characteristics. Just my 2 cents…

 

[Jekyl]

Spinach I didn’t think of that. Worked for popeye

Don't start messing with things. You've only had it 10 days. Get things stable and dino free. Leave the nem alone and don't try and feed. First month with nems is the tough time, if you go messing with everything it could stress it out. I have my kessils at 90% and they are still as high as they can get reaching for light.

 

[aggrofish]

I personally think that the bubbling of the tentacles is more genetic than environmental. For years I had a rainbow BTA that had long stringy tentacles (like yours) and all of its splits had exactly the same characteristic. Then I acquired another BTA with a little more orange and with bubbled tips. All of the splits from this one also had bubble tips. Eventually the two types mingled together in the tank in the same various lighting levels in the tank and they both retained their diagnostic tentacle characteristics. If bubbling or stringy tentacles were a function of lighting or chemistry both nem lines would have similar tentacle characteristics. Just my 2 cents…

I tend to agree. I've never had a BTA bubble and this is even including an old tank ages ago running T-5s.

 

[aggrofish]

Don't start messing with things. You've only had it 10 days. Get things stable and dino free. Leave the nem alone and don't try and feed. First month with nems is the tough time, if you go messing with everything it could stress it out. I have my kessils at 90% and they are still as high as they can get reaching for light.

yeah. I bought it from a seller on here and then had a Dino outbreak. I had the seller hold off on shipping for like a month. I was a little sketched, but waited until the dinos were manageable and only on sand. It was shipped in so it took a little bit longer acclimating than just buying local.

 

[Sleeping Giant]

I really wouldn't recommend having a Powerhead directly above it, the tentacles can get quite long.

 

[aggrofish]

I really wouldn't recommend having a Powerhead directly above it, the tentacles can get quite long.

The image is somewhat misleading as far as proximity. It's free to move, moving the powerhead would mess with the flow. I do put covers on at night.

 

[fcmatt]

Patience. 10 days... live animals are not toys. Wait a few months before even thinking about doing anything except keeping parameters stable.

 

[Pistondog]

3 btas, the larger bubbled one is in lowest flow.

 

[aggrofish]

3 btas, the larger bubbled one is in lowest flow.

I dont think it's coincidental that the vast majority of the ones I've seen that are bubbled are in lower flow. Every one I've had has moved next to a power head though. This rainbow was put at the bottom of the tank and moved to the top next to a powerhead. This is right after it split.

 

[Jekyl]

I have 6 anemone all in low to medium flow and none are bubbled.