RBTA Splitting Too Much?

[BoneXriffic]

The ice cube and flow methods may be not consistent but they may work and cause no harm. Try this befor you try to scrape them...that can often result in a bad time

 

[cromag27 Verified Sponsor]

Correct.

This sort of answers another question I had about rock flower anemones. They put they're foot in a hole in the rocks, at least mine do, and there's no way to get them out short of breaking the rock apart.

 

[Dancingmad]

Started with 1 wild caught RBTA and now have ~15+(they get hard to count...that was my last stem count, but there could easily be 3-4 I don't even know about).

I've witnessed them split
-when they get damaged
-a few days after a water change
-or when I've missed a couple of waterchanges
-when they're large
-or they can be small
-a few days after changing the lighting spectrum/schedule
-or when the specutrum/intensity/schedule is totally constant
-at a wide variety of water temperatures
-split in 2
-split in 3
-split on a Saturday
-split on a Tuesday
-split morning/noon/night
-split with/out clown fish
-split because I was staring too intensely and made it nervous
-or when I wasn't even looking like a ninja

Its totally random - (with exception to damage maybe...? folks do cut them which is technically damaging them)

Bubbling seems totally and completely arbitrary. I've toyed with all sorts of trace elements (Mg, Fe, I, Ca) to see if bubbling could be dis/encouraged. I've also experimented with lighting configurations (T5 only, T5+MH, LED only, LED+T5), as well as spectrum (just...too many configurations to even think about). They just do it when it feels right to them *shrug*. They'll even be right next to each other touching - one bubbles, the other doesn't.

Here's a question: Do/Did you name them? If so, as individuals (Bob, Joe, etc), or like a cult (There are no anemones. There are only Gilberts)

 

[Cary Hover]

I bought a rose bubble tip anemone about 18 months ago. Now I have 4. One of them just split again yesterday. I think it was my original. It gets about 4-5 inches across and then splits. I feed it once a week maybe. My parameters are good. The only change in the last month is my easing the salinity up from 1.023 to 1.025 over 2 weeks. My KH dropped to 6.5 a few weeks ago but recently it's been kept at 8.5 to 9.0.

Is this normal behavior? Is it a sign of health or stress?

If they are on the move, the flow or water is not to their liking. They really don't need feeding and it only will add waste to the water.I don't feed mine at all and the are huge. Lighting is everything. The one did split into three about six months ago but that was it. All three havn't moved a inch.

 

[Cary Hover]

Started with 1 wild caught RBTA and now have ~15+(they get hard to count...that was my last stem count, but there could easily be 3-4 I don't even know about).

I've witnessed them split
-when they get damaged
-a few days after a water change
-or when I've missed a couple of waterchanges
-when they're large
-or they can be small
-a few days after changing the lighting spectrum/schedule
-or when the specutrum/intensity/schedule is totally constant
-at a wide variety of water temperatures
-split in 2
-split in 3
-split on a Saturday
-split on a Tuesday
-split morning/noon/night
-split with/out clown fish
-split because I was staring too intensely and made it nervous
-or when I wasn't even looking like a ninja

Its totally random - (with exception to damage maybe...? folks do cut them which is technically damaging them)

Bubbling seems totally and completely arbitrary. I've toyed with all sorts of trace elements (Mg, Fe, I, Ca) to see if bubbling could be dis/encouraged. I've also experimented with lighting configurations (T5 only, T5+MH, LED only, LED+T5), as well as spectrum (just...too many configurations to even think about). They just do it when it feels right to them *shrug*. They'll even be right next to each other touching - one bubbles, the other doesn't.

Here's a question: Do/Did you name them? If so, as individuals (Bob, Joe, etc), or like a cult (There are no anemones. There are only Gilberts)

Wow...interesting...lol

 

[RJinPV]

If they are on the move, the flow or water is not to their liking. They really don't need feeding and it only will add waste to the water.I don't feed mine at all and the are huge. Lighting is everything. The one did split into three about six months ago but that was it. All three havn't moved a inch.

The now 3 anemones are in the highest spot under a T5 and an AI Prime. They get lots of light and they've stayed put. Only one decided to move. That one must have wanted different conditions, or maybe they've evolved to have a roaming tendency to spread their kind around the ocean

 

[Dancingmad]

Movement is a funny thing with anemones. In general I feed them a couple times when they move to a spot I like (maybe they have a reward response? I have no proof of this whatsoever other than I don't know any animal that doesn't like to be close to food. I get pretty upset when my proximity to bacon is distant). At this point I only feed in three cases: The before-mentioned, if company/guests would like to see them get a snack, or if dealing w/ a bleaching problem.

Sometimes they just need to go for a walk too...thankfully its been years and I haven't had any walk into a powerhead/overflowbox/etc: The event all anemone keepers fear. Wake up in the middle of the night, "Noooo bubba don't go towards the powerhead".

That reminds me - As FYI these guys have some reach. I've seen their column (what I call the stem) extend 7"+ easy from the base of the foot. They'll even tie themselves in knots and around each other (don't worry - they're fine, just silly). Tentacles I've seen extend ~3-5" out too.

Bonus Joke because its the weekend: How many tickles does it take to make a squid laugh? Ten tickles...!