Who's afraid of anemones?

[Ardeus]

(I will keep updating this thread according to the experience other members have and post here).

LIST OF CORALS ABLE TO COEXIST WITH BTA'S:

- Pavona (mixed reports)
- Frogspawns
- Torches
- Xenias
- Plates (green fungia)
- Favia
- Tougher paly's
- Hydnophora
- Some montiporas digitata

Currently testing:

- Milka Stylo and green slimer acro.

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I placed this milka stylo in the middle of my BTA colony and at least for now, it seems that the anemones avoid it.

I have seen them immediately retract their tentacles if they brush against the milka.

Xenias are even worse for the anemones. They don't seem affected at all by their sting and in weeks, they manage to evict them.

I am also testing how an acro fares near xenias and anemones.

 

[Webslinger]

My Euphyllia's always wins the battle with BTA's

 

[W1ngz]

Last week my BTA decided to hang out next to an acan and I lost at least one of 4 heads, with another in doubt. I had to shade that spot to make the anemone move away.

 

[Ardeus]

It doesn't surprise me that euphyllias win. Using my own skin as a test, the bta's never cause a big reaction. Brushing against the milka, does.

 

[Ardeus]

Last week my BTA decided to hang out next to an acan and I lost at least one of 4 heads, with another in doubt. I had to shade that spot to make the anemone move away.

I haven't found a list of corals that can outsting the bta's or that can live well side by side and I am curious how this test with the stylo and acro will go.

 

[ScottR]

I haven't found a list of corals that can outsting the bta's or that can live well side by side and I am curious how this test with the stylo and acro will go.

Interestingly, I’ve had BTA sting montis and they bleached. My BTA currently brushes up against a plate and favia both are fine. Very odd.

 

[Ardeus]

Someone just told me that pavona also keeps bta's in check.

 

[Webslinger]

My frogspawns keeps my BTA's in place.

 

[Ardeus]

My frogspawns keeps my BTA's in place.

If hammers can keep bta's in check, then it would be safe to say that all euphyllias do.

 

[Ardeus]

Interestingly, I’ve had BTA sting montis and they bleached. My BTA currently brushes up against a plate and favia both are fine. Very odd.

What kind of plate?

 

[ScottR]

What kind of plate?

Green fungia. Not sure of fancy name. My friend snuck it back from a Malaysian diving excursion.

 

[Ardeus]

Now that you mention it, I happen to have 1 green fungia that came as an hitchhiker on a rock. It's almost 14 years old now and at times it has been near the bta's.

 

[ScottR]

Now that you mention it, I happen to have 1 green fungia that came as an hitchhiker on a rock. It's almost 14 years old now and at times it has been near the bta's.

This is an older pic. The BTA moves around and touches this favia with no stinging

This is the fungia that the BTA has grown to bother but the fungia seems to not care.

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Cool thread!

 

[skydirt]

i moved tanks and my RBTA decided to set up right next to a huge colony of acans. killed the whole colony before i could get the BTA to move. Now he is just happily attached to the dead skeleton like a victory trophy

 

[dmantz1]

My acros don't last with long exposure from my nems.

 

[sawdavis]

Everyone here is only talking about BTA. What about the others, like rock flower and tube anemones. I have those. I tried the BTA and it died two weeks after I bought it after traveling around the tank and never finding a spot it liked. It disappeared and I found it dead under a rock. So I have never bought another one. Besides, I don't want traveling stuff. I want it to stay put so I have Rock Flower and tube anemones, which stay put most of the time. I bought a fifth RFA which has been traveling but it is my only one. The tube anemone only traveled when it detached from his tube. I was able to cover his body with sand and he is fine now and stationary while working on creating another tube.

 

[sawdavis]

My rock flower anemone grew really big and is encroaching on a colony of Acans. It has slowly been killing the heads that it touches but the rest of the heads are fine.

 

[ScottR]

Everyone here is only talking about BTA. What about the others, like rock flower and tube anemones. I have those. I tried the BTA and it died two weeks after I bought it after traveling around the tank and never finding a spot it liked. It disappeared and I found it dead under a rock. So I have never bought another one. Besides, I don't want traveling stuff. I want it to stay put so I have Rock Flower and tube anemones, which stay put most of the time. I bought a fifth RFA which has been traveling but it is my only one. The tube anemone only traveled when it detached from his tube. I was able to cover his body with sand and he is fine now and stationary while working on creating another tube.

BTA are notorious “walkers and wanderers”. I had a sebae that walked a bit and would smother corals rather than sting them. I believe RFA mostly stay put - haven’t kept them but that’s what it seems. But BTA will split and the split part starts to make its way around the tank. So I just throw the splits into a FO tank.

 

[Ardeus]

I have a mixed reed with around 30 BTA'S and a magnifica.

Here's how I manage it:

- Almost all the BTA's are in an island.

- They normally like to have their foot hidden in a crevice, but when they are in colonies they are much more tolerant and rarely wander, even having the foot attached to a flat surface.

- They are right under a pump (a Jebao CP-150 with a max flow over 8500 gallons/hour). This means that if they let go, the flow will take them to the pump. They're not big, so if they get shreaded, it's no big deal. The pump has a very fine grill so it never managed to kill any anemone.

- I change carbon every couple of weeks. When they spawn I change it immediately.

- When a BTA moves into the coral areas, I try to remove it. If I can't remove it, I watch if it's hurting anything. If it is, I kill it.

- There are a few BTA'S in other areas where I can't remove them but they are not bothering anything. If they do, I kill them.

- The BTA'S are a safe haven for Banggai cardinals of all ages, including the parents. I have Banggai cardinals of all ages living there.

- The BTA's island has par ranging from 500 to 50. They look the same no matter what light they receive.

- The magnifica has proven to be even more sturdy than the BTA's, after being treated for an infection after I got it, 2 years ago.

- I treat the magnifica like she's Marilyn Monroe: I put her on a pedestal, blast her with light and blow her skirt up.

- She's sometimes moves one inch, mainly because the clowns bite her foot when preparing to spawn, but that's it.

- I positioned her in a way that she can't reach the glass. She would climb up immediately.

- Magnificas pack a strong sting and I wouldn't dare put any coral near.

- Banggai cardinals can adapt to their sting, but it's not easy. The largest Banggai kid lives there (he was sucked bynthe return pump and landed there) and the parents don't dare to bully him when he's in the magnifica.