GBTA Split - experiences

[Vitaly]

I come home this evening and was excited to see that my GBTA, that I was fortunate to purchase from andycook this past March, has split. I am amazed that this all happened over the course of a single day. This morning when I left at 7am the GBTA looked the "same as usual." I returned home around 7:30pm and there were two.




For those of you who have had anemones split...what have been your experiences with survival rates? Are there any special procedures and precautions I should take (light feeding, heavy feeding, etc)? He is a cute little guy and I would like to see him survive.

[redvipe2010]

Don't feed for a week to 10 days. The mouth needs time to heal. I always do a 10% water change after a split, just to ensure water quality and help the healing along.

I have never lost one due to a split. Yours look healthy, you should be fine. I would definately check all your water parameters to see if anything changed that may have caused it to stress and split.

[Vitaly]

redvipe2010,

Great information about the feeding. I assume that applies to the "parent" GBTA and the "clone" GBTA.

In your experience, does one assume that a GBTA split in captivity because of "stress cue" or is there an accepted timeframe in which a GBTA in stable conditions...being directly fed ~1-2 times per week will split..."on its own?" (this is my first GBTA and it has been in my tank for 4 months)

The only major change that the GBTA has experienced recently would be the clowns beginning to host. Could that be a possible stressor or a cue to split? Otherwise the GBTA has stayed in th same place for the past 3 months and the water parameters/chemistry have remained stable.

Thanks for your feedback!

[redvipe2010]

Originally posted by Vitaly
redvipe2010,

Great information about the feeding. I assume that applies to the "parent" GBTA and the "clone" GBTA.

Yes, applies to both.

Originally posted by Vitaly
[B]In your experience, does one assume that a GBTA split in captivity because of "stress cue" or is there an accepted timeframe in which a GBTA in stable conditions...being directly fed ~1-2 times per week will split..."on its own?" (this is my first GBTA and it has been in my tank for 4 months)

In my experience, mine have been stress related, equipment failure, heat, alkalinity. However it can't be assumed that this is the case every time. I would have to say most are caused by stress. It does not always have to be something that "we" think as significant. A rise or fall in temperature of just a few degrees, an old bulb, or a new bulb, change in feeding, feeding a large portion, or increased feedings can cause a split. It will also split if it gets too large for its environment, or if a nearby coral is bothering it.

There is really no time frame that I can give you as being acceptable for a BTA under stable conditions to split.

Originally posted by Vitaly
[B]
The only major change that the GBTA has experienced recently would be the clowns beginning to host. Could that be a possible stressor or a cue to split? Otherwise the GBTA has stayed in th same place for the past 3 months and the water parameters/chemistry have remained stable.

It is a possibility, but unusual. Have they been at all aggressive? Stealing food maybe? The anemone looked to be large enough to be able to handle those clownfish.

You're Welcome!

[hounddog01]

I have had my RBTA split many times. Probably 8 in a year. I got really tired of it since it was infringing on my corals and I had to remove them. They are not easy to remove one from a rock. My wife would feed them 3 times a week and they got big and split. My tank parms are always the same and stable. I did not notice any other changes in environment that would have made them split.

Finaly after the last split (I had 4 of them) I told her not to feed them anymore, just let the hosting clowns do it. It has been 4 months without a split. I could not be happier! I have 2 very nice deep red ones that I love but do not want anymore. I am about to change my lighting and hopefuly the tips will bubble more.

On that note, Why do they look really nice bubble tips sometimes but not others? Am I lacking the lights necessary to make them bubble tip? I am going to tripple my light hopefuly this weekend.

[Vitaly]

redvipe2010...in my opinion my clowns do not seem to be aggressive wit their hosting. I have seen some clowns that are "frantic" and constantly brush/rub in the tentacles. Mine will swim away, explore the tank and return for a brief rub/wiggle through the anemone every minute or so. They are not stealing food, as best I can tell, but I have seen them "spit" food into the anemone on a few occasions.


hounddog01...did you manage to remove them from the rocks...or did you leave them? I have read some methods to encourage them to move off from rocks (ice chips against foot, direct current from powerhead), but do not know how reliable they are...as this is new to me.

Regarding your second comment about the formation & maintanence of bubble tips in the anemone...I have been wondering the same thing since receiving this GBTA from Andy in March. I have read a couple of articles about this and all say that it continues to be a mystery why in some tanks the bubble tips form and in others they do not.

I was speaking to Rod Beuhler about this same topic this past weekend. He too has no idea why some specimens bubble up, while others do not. He told me that he was tried experimenting with various conditions (placement, lighting, current, etc)...but has not been able to discern any noticeable difference in bubble formation behavior.

It will be interesting to see whether the increase in light will promote the formation of the bubble tips.

[webbstock]

From the site: http://www.centralpets.com/animals/f...s/swi1663.html

Breeding and Propagation: Relative Breeding Ease: Average

Large Bubble Tip Anemones will often reproduce when healthy. Over a period of weeks, the anemone will increase in size. This large anemone will usually seclude itself in a protected rock or crevice. A second mouth will form, and gradually the anemone will appear to divide, pulling away from itself to form two anemones. Bubble Tip Anemones may reproduce multiple times in this manner, and usually new anemones remain close to the original as long as the water conditions are good.


bubble tips-

In the wild, Bubble Tip Anemones are found in two locations. Large specimens, with tentacles that are more streaming or stringy, are often found in deeper waters with more dimly lit conditions. These specimens are often solitary. Smaller specimens are often located in groups or colonies, nearer to the surface, in bright sunlight. These specimens tend to show the bulbous tips on their tentacles that are characteristic to Bubble Tip Anemones. Although there are various theories about why some Bubble Tip Anemones develop these tips and some do not, it is widely believed that the bulbs are related to the light level in the anemone's habitat; specimens given more light are believed to have bubble tipped tentacles.

It will be interesting to see if hounddog's BTA "bubbles up" with the increase in lighting.

[Vitaly]

webbstock...nice article...thanks!

Now go find something that has been peer-reviewed :-p

[webbstock]

Vitaly shouldn't you get back to writing?? (or getting knocked out of CPT?)

Unfortunately, most of the peer reviewed papers are concerned with the toxins (go toxins!) of BTA, however here are two interesting reads:

Anemonefish symbiosis: vulnerability and resistance of fish to the toxin of the sea anemone. Toxicon. 1994 Sep;32(9):1059-68.

A new perspective on size hierarchies in nature: patterns, causes, and consequences.
Oecologia. 2006 Aug;149(2):362-72. Epub 2006 Jun 23.

[Vitaly]

I am writing...you should see how many RC citations appear in my dissertation.

CPT...4 weeks to go...I am not out yet!

Regarding the anemones...anyone know of a typical range for the splitting process itself? Will a BTA typically split completely within a 10-12 hour time period as mine did? Again, in the morning it looked completely normal. The mantle/base was round and not pinched in. I did not look/notice whether there were two mouths.

I find it quite amazing...even though it is an anatomically "simple" creature, I still would have guessed that splitting would be a more gradual process...requiring a more than a day.

[llewoh05]

ive had 1 for a year or so that has split 6 times already. (time to sell them to the local LFS) they are all about 3in across and i also have a similar version that has split about 35 times but they never get bigger then an inch. I know they aren't glass anemones and im not sure of the name, if i remember ill post some pics of them and maybe some of you could tell me the name. ( also they would be free to a good home if you can get them out)

[andycook]

To me the faster the better so it can get back to what ever it is BTAs do with their time.

Originally posted by Vitaly
I find it quite amazing...even though it is an anatomically "simple" creature, I still would have guessed that splitting would be a more gradual process...requiring a more than a day.

[hounddog01]

Originally posted by Vitaly

hounddog01...did you manage to remove them from the rocks...or did you leave them? I have read some methods to encourage them to move off from rocks (ice chips against foot, direct current from powerhead), but do not know how reliable they are...as this is new to me.

[/B]

On a couple of occasions I was able to get my hand under the rock and there is a ring around the bottom of the anenome. Kind of like a O ring. If you get it started off the rest comes off easy. The other times I was able to get the rock out of the tank turn it over and with a small screwdriver chiseled the rock under the base and got it off that way. I like the ice cube thing. If I ever decide to raise them again and start feeding them I will try that. At this point I am happy where they are and do not want them to get to much bigger.

[medic29]

Originally posted by hounddog01
I have 2 very nice deep red ones that I love but do not want anymore. I am about to change my lighting and hopefuly the tips will bubble more.

Are you getting rid of a couple of your anemones??