BTA Question

johno4 · #1 05/03/2006, 06:27 AM

I bought a BTA from a lfs along with a tomatoe clown. The BTA was in great shape at the store and seemed to be doing well in my tank for the first two days. Since then it has shrivelled up numerous times to the piont where I thought is was dying. I thought it was my water at first but after testing it, it was fine. I came to the realization that the clown was being really rough once it began hosting in the anemone. I have since removed the clown and put him in a seperate tank. Since the move the BTA has been doing great. It has been about 3 days, my questionis how long should I wait before reuniting the two?

Thanks for your help.

SEAFLOWERS · #2 05/03/2006, 07:24 AM

What is the size of the nem compared to the clown? They can be really brutal to the nem. I believe the nem should be two to three times the size of the clown. If the fish is too big you might return it and get a smaller one. FWIW

johno4 · #3 05/03/2006, 07:31 AM

the fish is way smaller than the nem. The fish is 1 inch., the BTA is about 6-8 inches across.

SEAFLOWERS · #4 05/03/2006, 07:39 AM

are you feeding the nem? what kind of food and how often?what is your salt level compared to the LFS?What is your lighting vs. the LFS.

johno4 · #5 05/03/2006, 10:06 AM

the lighting is the same, so is the salinity. My paramters are all in check, My question is regarding the relationship between the BTA and the clown. I realize that the BTA did not have a host while in the LFS so it probably was not used to it, that coupled with the fact that it had to adjust to my tank as apposed to the LFS tank. I probably should have given the BTA some time to adjust before adding the clown. Which leads back to my question, How long do you think it needs to adjust before I reintroduce the clown?

johno4 · #6 05/03/2006, 05:40 PM

no one as a suggestion?

AngeloM3 · #7 05/03/2006, 05:50 PM

has the anemone found its place in the tank? or is it still moving around?

johno4 · #8 05/03/2006, 06:23 PM

it moved a couple inches yesterday, since then he has stayed in the same spot. He seems ok, he looks good and ate a piece of raw shrimp yesterday. Should I wait untill he remains in one spot for a few days, before returning the clown? Or should I wait longer?

kyleka. · #9 05/03/2006, 06:27 PM

tagging along

Thurge · #10 05/04/2006, 04:04 AM

The only time myine is out is when the MH is on, and for a while after that. Inthe morning it looks like its ready to split (unfortunately it doesn't) and as the lights come on he gradually moves out and reinflates. Early in the morning or late at night it does take on a sickly appearance though.

zoomin · #11 05/04/2006, 05:48 PM

Be patient - they take a while to acclimate. I was a bit hasty with the first one I got - I thought it was dying and now, I know otherwise.

The one I have now still shrivels up maybe once a day - usually to expel waste after eating, I think.

She is a RBTA but I never saw the bubble tips until I upgraded from 110w PC lighting to 300+ watts of MH/T5 lighting - what a difference.

rubysmomma1 · #12 05/04/2006, 08:16 PM

We had a lot of trouble with our GBTA when we brought him home. He looked great at the LFS, but when moved into our tank he shriveled, turned brown, and I thought he was a gonner.

After three months of moving from one side to the other and then realizing that he couldn't hide behind the rocks where we couldn't feed him, he finally settled down at the front of the tank. When he finally moved from the back, he had not been hand fed in over a month.

He was again shriveled, brown, and had no bubble tips. He wouldn't even take silversides because he was so weak. It took another month of feeding him brine and mysis before he was able to even hold a silverside. He now has beautiful bubble tips, which are green, not brown, and expands to about four inches across during the day.

Our clown had already been in the tank four months when we added the GBTA and she still doesn't seem to want anything to do with him. I've seen her attempting to host a few times, but she seems to have no interest in him.

We tried adding a second clown and since he coupled with the female we already had, he never showed interest in the BTA either.

I would allow the BTA to settle in for at least a month before reintroducing them.

Gook luck!!

johno4 · #13 05/05/2006, 07:16 AM

Thanks for the replies. He seems to be doing ok, he eats fine and looks good most of the time. About once a day he shrivels up for several hours. I guess its normal and he is still adjusting to the new environment. It just gets me nervous, I think hes a gonner sometimes. I'll give him a month or so, I hope everything works out. Thanks again for sharing your experiences.

John