BTA question! Please Help!

[kodiak1313]

Ok all what is the deal! I have read about every article and post on the internet reguarding BTA's and why in captivity they tend to not Bulb but have a stringy long tentacle appearance. I have even read the technical study done by the Waikkii Aquarium on their BTA display. I have Green and Brown BTA's that have all split multiple times in my tanks. They have resident clownfish. I am happy to report that all are very healthy and eat well. My green BTAs are in 65g reef with 300 watts of VHO and 175 watts 14k MH. My Brown BTAs are in 29g with a 65 watt CSL PC smart light. Very diffrent ligiting but same behaviors in the two tanks. They rarely put on bulbs and when they do it is not all the tentacles. Any Ideas or suggestion on what I need to do to make my BTAs bulb?

[Mad Scientist]

What's your current like?

[kodiak1313]

The current on the 65g green BTAs is low current and in the 30g with the brown BTAs it is medium current. Any information will be helpful.

[kodiak1313]

The 65g with the green BTAs is low current, the 30g with the brown BTAs is medium current. Any information would be appreciated

[Special K]

Just my observation on my Green BTA.

During peek lighting, the arms are stringy, when the light is reduced for dusk and when the lights go out, the tips bubble out.

My uneducated guess, too much lighting reduces the bulbing of the tips. Maybe to reduce the light taken in by the BTA?

[Dean Ladd]

Special K! I was going to say the same thing. I have a green BTA that split 3 times for me. They were all in my 135 tank with 3 175 watt 10000K M/H (on 8 hrs a day) and 2 140 watt VHOs(total 12hrs a day of light). All stretched way out with long stringing tenticals. I moved one of them to my 45 gal tank to host a pair of paired Clarkiis. This tank also has 175 watt 10000k MH on it and 2 20watt NOs on it. But due to the fact I have no corals in this tank and to save electricty I only run the M/H for about 4 hrs a day. The rest of the time (12hrs) the BTA gets only 40 watts of NO lighting 1 10000k bulb and a true actinic bulb. Remember this BTA was in my 135 and would stretch way out and never bulbed. Since moving it to the 45 it now bulbs. The tenticals are much shorter and fat with slight bulbing on the ends. The reduction of light has not seemed to affect the health of the BTA. Infacted I think it looks better than the ones in the 135. Its much darker green color now even with the MH on.

Please don't think I am saying that you can keep a BTA in tank with less the 1 watt per gallon of light. But i figured if the BTA stressed due to lack of light I could just increase the photo period of the MH. But so fare it seems to be doing quit well with only 4 hrs a day of MH lighting.

[Ironreef]

I have a rose bubble split into 3. It has bubble tips except in the dark= morning. Its under 2_250w halides and 440vho. But it comes out or reaches into the light and when it has had enough shrinks back under the rock but always bubbled. I doubt it can be controlled many ppl have different results. Some say they need intense light

[prevyet]

I have read that the Rose BTA is from shallower waters then the normal browns and greens. I changed my tank from MH to VHO last March and my brown BTA gained its bubble right away. I have increased the photo period this winter from 8 hours to 12 to keep the tank warm and it has lost its bubble again. It is feed twice a week with shrimp soaked in vitamins.

[Ironreef]

There are 2 common rose. 1 from deeper waters that is said not to clone often. 1 from shallow waters that clone often. Theres a few ppl here who have them and many clones. same tank. Some have bubble tips some don't. Maybe they will post. But IME the ones in higher lighting have bubble tips.

[Evangeline]

I have to agree with the lighting hypothesis. When I first got my green BTA I tried to put him near the light, but he moved down into the corner, where most of him is shaded, and he stays bulbed most of the time.