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wakepunk21
03-01-2009, 01:50 AM
I had just purchaced a bta today and it is a small guy, really cool actually cuz my clown is small lik 1 inch. but the clown is a bitt to big for it. will the bta grow? i know it is a dumb question but i am new to the reefing and all the information i can gather is awesome. I am going to start feeding tomorrow i need something to feed it with.
thanks
CarmieJo
03-01-2009, 02:06 AM
Hey Zach,

Will it ever grow, mine is the size of a large dimmer plate. You need to have strong lights and very good water quality to keep them successfully.
PhotoJohn
03-01-2009, 03:29 AM
it all depends if you can provide for its needs. If you can it will grow if not it will die. If you can keep sps corals you should be okay, if not well...

what size tank? How old? Lights?
wakepunk21
03-01-2009, 03:39 PM
my tank is a 29 gallon, my lighting is a coralife pc light. and it is 5 months old. i have 8 peices of liverock, and 20 pounds of live sand. a peice of live rock that i got had some polyps that i didnt see at the store and tehy flourished. there were only 7 when i noticed them now there are around 15 and they moved to different rocks. so i dont think there should be a problem. i have a feather duster that is doing realy well. he is quite large, i tested my water and the nitrate, nitrite, ammonia levels and overall ph was very good. very happy with that. i have a cyano bacteria problem right now, the red slime ugly crap. but i am currently treating it. the tank isnt deep so my light has no problem penetrating to the annenome. he seems happy and has really opend up. my clown was in tehre first, will he go to the annenome?? i heard you have to get the clown second. if so i will be upset, didnt lknow that. the lfs didnt tell me that when i bought the bta. also how often do i have to feed it. a differnet fist store, a more respeted one in my opinion said dont feed it for the first month. is that true.
thanks
Phurst
03-01-2009, 04:53 PM
As I said in your other thread, I really thing you should return the BTA. I don't believe your lighting is going to be adequite. Anemones also require stable, mature systems with PRISTINE water quality to survive long term.

To answer your questions though, there is no guarantee your clown will host in anything. You don't mention what kind of clown it is, but I'm assuming it's either a true percula or an occelaris. Neither of these naturally host in a BTA. Some will, some won't. At this point, you might hope it doesn't. A large clown and a small anemone aren't a great pair, as the clown can literally harass the anemone to death in those situations. It makes no difference if you get the clown or anemone first. You can feed the anemone a couple of times a week with small meaty food such as mysis shrimp, squid, or finely chopped raw, unseasoned table shrimp. There's no reason you can't feed it as soon as it's settled into the tank.

BTW, corals don't usualy move. Post a pic of your polyps if you can. i have a feeling they may be aptasia or majano anemones. Both are unwanted pests.
wakepunk21
03-01-2009, 09:34 PM
my clown is small about 1.5 inches. and the annemone opened up is about 4 inches across. my friend who gave me the light said he had no problem with the bta in his tank with the same light setup, but every one is different. i know the one he has now has moved to a spot in the corner of his tank kind of under a rock, it still gets some light but not much. we will see what happens here. i dont like teh idea of the bta not surviving, but i will do everything i can to support it. thanks for the help.
wakepunk21
03-01-2009, 09:36 PM
what color are they usually, the polyps or what you called them. cuz these are green/brownish clear. and my crabs and snails have no problem feeding right next to them, and touching them.
Phurst
03-01-2009, 09:40 PM
Kinda like these?

http://library.rit.edu/files/library/u16/photos/aptasia.jpg
spanko
03-01-2009, 10:04 PM
kinda like these?

http://library.rit.edu/files/library/u16/photos/aptasia.jpg

oh my!!
Phurst
03-01-2009, 10:07 PM
Not mine, thankfully.

Maybe majano, or tulip anemone? Corals don't move.
wakepunk21
03-01-2009, 10:16 PM
no nothing like this, is it possible for corals to split or branch off?? mine have real short tentacles or whatever and they are circular and the tentacles are around the outside,

Buy Goblin Zoanthids (Zoanthus sp.) - Frag 5-7 polyps: - Vivid Aquariums - Buy Online - Fish Store in Los Angeles (http://www.vividaquariums.com/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=05-5090-10)

they look like this but not in a cluster, whell kind off and they are not this color they are brown outside and green in teh center, and they are from very small size to about the size of an m and m.

i will post pics tomorrow for you.
Phurst
03-01-2009, 10:48 PM
OK, I'm sure we can ID it with a pic.
wakepunk21
03-02-2009, 10:46 PM
i was at the lfs and they had the same polyps i have and that is what they are. they are definately not the aptasia annemones.
CarmieJo
03-02-2009, 11:44 PM
What did they call them?
PhotoJohn
03-03-2009, 12:58 AM
I must agree with Phurst, a PC light is not adequate lighting for a BTA over the long haul. You can give it a shot, but it will probably die eventually. I would suggest taking the anemone back and getting a torch coral. They look almost just like an anemone and will grow well under PC lights.