Where Have My RBTA's Gone?!

[JohnPH]

On two separate occasions recently I added a BTA to my tank & both times they vanished overnight. They were both fairly small (1-2") but I drip acclimated them for a couple of hours and carefully placed them on rock where I thought they would be happy.

They remained there for the rest of the day but when I came down in the morning they were nowhere to be seen. It's now been nearly two weeks since I added the first one and neither have reappeared.

What might have happened to them? Water quality is all good, powerheads are all covered so I'm at a loss to know where they might have gone. The only thing I can think is that they might have been eaten - is that possible? My fish are all reefsafe and I have nothing unusual - foxface, clowns, coral beauty, small sixline and a few blennys, gobys etc

I would like to add another anemone but I'm concerned the same thing will happen again

 

[Rjukan]

Have any shrimp in the tank, especially peppermint?

 

[JohnPH]

I have one peppermint but he's tiny. do you think he's the culprit?

 

[Peng1606]

Same thing happened to me. I had a very nice pink rose RBTA. Quarantined it for 16 days and then put in tank. Disappeared after 24 hours from rock to a corner in sand... then moved again and it’s been 3+ weeks now.

 

[Rjukan]

I have one peppermint but he's tiny. do you think he's the culprit?

Yeah. But just a guess.

 

[JohnPH]

Do you think if I got a larger specimen to begin with it would survive?

 

[Rjukan]

Maybe, but those shrimps are the devil imo. Especially if it got a taste for BTA now, and likes it. Only way I would keep a shrimp in my tank these days is if I had a uncontrollable aiptasia outbreak. Even then I would be hard pressed to put any in my tank again.

 

[James M]

How big is your tank ?

 

[Uncle99]

I had one “lost” for 6 months.....thought he was surely toast.
Then, one day, he reappeared, but 1/2 the size.
Very strange member of my tank.

 

[JohnPH]

How big is your tank ?

It's a Reefer 350

 

[JohnPH]

I had one “lost” for 6 months.....thought he was surely toast.
Then, one day, he reappeared, but 1/2 the size.
Very strange member of my tank.

OK so there's still hope!

 

[James M]

It's a Reefer 350

They are probably out of sight pretty big tank for 1-2” nems

 

[JohnPH]

I thought that but surely if they need light & flow they'd eventually come out of hiding wouldn't they??

 

[DinoMagnet]

Look between rocks I had one move around so much in my tank he finally went deep inside the rocks n only one or two tentacles could be seen

 

[JohnPH]

Believe me I've looked wherever I can! It's possible they are both right at the back of the tank where I can't see them but I thought they needed decent light & flow so expected them to be out in the open more

 

[tony'stank]

I had the same thing happen with three different bubble tips and no peppermint shrimp in the tank. I think it was either they didn’t like my water chemistry or my lights were to strong.

 

[SaicoReefer]

I had one go into the overflow and went down into the filter sock. Its possible its in your sump some where.

 

[JohnPH]

Believe it or not, I saw one of them for the first time yesterday. It was just sitting there on the rock. It's now disappeared again but at least I know it's still in there somewhere

 

[sunken3]

sometimes when they are first introduced into a tank they move around and find a bad spot to land... they get trapped and waste away.. i would recommend moving whatever rock it may have got itself stuck under so that it can see the light again.. hopefully this time it thrives. but, if you leave it in the dark too long it will die.

 

[JohnPH]

Thanks for the info. Both are now out in the open and looking happy. I think it must have just taken them a couple of weeks to settle in and get comfortable enough to show themselves