best impulse buy EVER!

[r00onmac]

So i went to a LFS to look at some superman monti's that i was told were there... and they were really nice, but what caught my eye the best was a small rock with 2 bta's on it... a half dollar sized rose BTA and a starburst green BTA about 2-3x as big directly next to it... instead of having them peel one off and risk damaging either beautiful BTA i bought both... with aptasia covered rock for a combined $53... both have beautiful bubble tips (which i hope stay) and are perfect in every way... since they are pretty scarce around my area i plan to grow them and propagate (via attempts to force a split or Calfo's razor method) when they get too big for my tiny tank... before anyone flames having 2 BTAs in a 5.5 i am upgrading to a new tank in august... im hoping to find someone to make me a 20x20x16 which is like 30 gallons... not too big that i cant move it each year (im in college) but not too small that the BTAs will be constantly dismembered for the purpose of keeping them small enough to fit...

ill have pics up later tonight, i get off work at 7... hopefully they will move off that aptasia rock so i can take it out and kill them off...

after an hour or two in the tank they held on to some CE but didnt seem interested in eating (expected because they are getting used to their surroundings) and still have decent bubble tips although not as good as in the store. they react to touch like any healthy nem would and i hope this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship (also i hope my clowns will move over as the BTA grows because they are irritating the crap out of my torch)


already i see the future in my mind... when they are big enough i will cut each down the middle and try and pair up the two halves to possible heal together making a G&RBTA (inspired by that article in reefkeeping a few months back)

wish me luck.

[PupChow]

Good luck! I have been looking for a RBTA around my area with no luck so far...

Are you serious about cutting the anemones in halves and pairing them?!

[r00onmac]

yea... its worth a try right? if it works for corals why not a nem... odds are it will try to heal with flesh that is touching it than try to grow a new side... worst case scenario is that the touching halves die and the other two grow into two more nems... and i know next time to not try and pair them...

for $50 i cant go wrong... ill make that back by selling 2 or 3 clones to locals... for this hobby to get into more aquaculturing/etc someone has to be daring every once in a while...

[r00onmac]

http://www.reefbucket.com//files/22/IMG_7281.jpg
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[r00onmac]

http://www.reefbucket.com//files/22/IMG_7288.jpg
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[ek9vboi]

Where did you get them?

[r00onmac]

aquarium concepts off 117th and 72nd... i know you go to FIU so im sure you know where that is

[55semireef]

If I had to estimate, they won't last longer than a month in there. Many have tried to keep a BTA in a small tank (yet you have two) and many have failed.

BTW, your RBTA isn't looking good.


Word of advice, do not take any razor to any BTA unless you know what your doing by all means.

[OCDP]

Yeah I can't see long-term success here either. The clowns are far too big for the anemones to boot..

[55semireef]

which is like 30 gallons.

E. Quadricolor will easily outgrow a 30 gallon (if either of them make it that far).

Honestly, I would sell them to someone around you with proper tank size, lighting and conditions. When your clowns take towards your BTA,
they will literally love them to death.

[Ebisan]

I had a half dollar sized rbta in my 30g. It quickly outgrew it in less than a year. Moved it to a 50g and it split and now I have 2 huge rbtas taking up 1/4 of my tank. Good luck with yours.

[r00onmac]

lets all stop drinking the hater-ade and speak like adults here...

if they outgrow, ill sell them off for way more than the 50 i paid... simple

the red doesn't look good because he is tiny, he only has one row of bubble tentacles, the other rows are nubs.... i think you underestimate how small it is...

both mouths look great, the gbta moved to a "more suitable location" in the corner and is now hiding a big portion of his body but has bubbled up bigger than yesterday...

proper lighting? 150 DE MH isn't proper enough for a nem? wow... guess everything ive been reading is wrong then...

30g was just a guess right now, honestly i would like to buy as big of a tank as i can setup and breakdown each year to move until my fiance and i decide where we are officially going to live (here or the caribbean)

If you guys wouldn't put 2 btas in a 5.5 gallon and take a chance experimenting say that... dont say that it will never work, etc... the only things working against these nems is your negative attitude and my peppermint who likes to pick at new things in the tank (i caught him messing with red last night but all looks well this morning) Instead of the "that will never work" how about a "Holy crap, your nuts but im down to see what happens"

Please dont take my post count as a measure of my experience, i read A LOT... like literally all day during my classes (the people that sit behind me call me the fish guy). I have read about Calfo's razor propagating method and i think i am competent enough to try it.

lets see some support for the crazy guy rather than that negative BS...

[traveller7]

How about keep the language and the tone family friendly?

[Jovreefer]

Well I'll support you! Your lights are well enough :) I also agree that people should not jump to conclusions before even knowing what kind of lights you have.

Take for example ... 3-4 years ago people said OH SPS CANNOT BE KEPT IN A NANO! OR WITH PC LIGHTS ... those people are eating their words now on a regular basis.

I will say, keep a check on you water quality on such a small tank, feed those bad boys to get them healthy & get that RBTA under some light instead of so shaded.

I agree though ... they will probably outgrow that tank & a good portion of the 30, probably killing your other corals. But if your able to get them healthy and propagating on a regular basis you can keep the size down :) good luck in your new anem ventures

[r00onmac]

well if it pleases everyone im actually looking at a 54 corner.. i think thatll give me the water volume i crave without being too high or too long causing me to need new lights... ill probably use the 150 and then a couple PC 50/50's to cover the outer regions of the tank... now to find one used in my area so i dont have to drop $600 on a tank, stand combo....

[55semireef]

proper lighting? 150 DE MH isn't proper enough for a nem? wow... guess everything ive been reading is wrong then...

How far are you MH from your 5.5 gallon? Seems like a bit of an overkill to me that you have that much lighting for a 5.5 gallon. All you really needed for that is a PC and that would of been fine for that small of a tank. In fact, that RBTA looks like its hiding from the light in one of the pictures. I am also curious to why you would have a heater on that tank when you have MH light on it. Whats your temperature like?

lets see some support for the crazy guy rather than that negative BS...

I didn't have "negative bs," I was just simplying stating what I believe. You came here to post and get feedback, if you don't like it don't post. Simple as that.

If we all said wow, those anemones are doing great, keep up the good work, that would be wrong of us because of false information.

Nothing personal here.


Good luck crazy guy:lol:

[BLANKENSHIP76]

I bought 1 green bubble tip about 3 months agao and I now have 3 of them, I have done nothing excpet let my tank get up to 87 degrees a couple of times, and I think made them split. It is weird, becasue the two splits are almost the same size as the orginal and eat more than the mother.

I've had bubble in a ten gallon for a yr with 50w PC light and it was fine until, I traded it in when i moved. Know I keep dual 250W DE on the new ones and they hide all day under rocks or int he shade, bubbles tend to like the lower light, so I would be more worried about them not having some where to shade in a 5 gallon cube. Just a thought!!

Good Luck you wild and crazy guy!

[r00onmac]

thank you... the red wasnt hiding i arranged the rock that way when i put it into the tank... they two hadnt moved yet... the green is hiding and so is the red now... but not completely out of sight, just away...

there will be more low light areas when i get a bigger tank... cross your fingers ill find a good 54 corner...

[55semireef]

They are hidning because of excessive light. They are probably receiving to much UV light from the halide.

[Ciarán]

I'm more worried about the fish. It looks like you have a true perc and a false perc in there. Do they not fight in such a small volume? I consider a 20G with two fish fully stocked but yet you have 2 fish in a 5.5 gallon!! The old 1" of fish per 5 gallons may not be a catch-all stocking guide but its certainly relevant here. Your Zoos look great, kudos for that. How do you deal with nutrient export and filtration? The LR would take care of biological considerations i suppose but you seem to have a fair bit of algae on the zoo rock. Do you have any skimming/mechanical filtration/activated carbon at all? Personally i wouldnt go near an anemone with a razor, regardless of what Anthony Calfo has said, to me anemones are living creatures, beautful animals that we have taken from the sea for our own indulgences. The least we can do is provide premium replication of their natural environment and leave them be. Its just a personal belief but i think its unethical to take such a "entrepreneurial" and profit driven approach to live animals. Good luck anyway and i hope the anemones do ok, for their sake.

[Hopestar075]

I'm positive and what to follow to see what happens, I too am a college student and think its great!!! Reef-on!

[55semireef]

I am curious to see what the anemone experts have to say on this thread.

[dantodd]

I suspect the real experts will realize the futility of trying to help....