BTA

[pufferman]

i just introduced a bubble tip anemone into my tank and it hasnt really moved around much. Is this normal, and if it is, how long may it take for him to start looking for a good place. I have put him on the sand right now.

 

[Fluff]

It's hard to say for sure. It will depend on your tank as well as the anemone. Mine sat still for a day before it began wandering. Then wandered around for close to a week before settling down. Good luck with your new anemone.

 

[HoopsGuru]

You might want to place it on the rocks. My BTA will not travel across the sand, nor will all the clones...I actually use the sand to isolate them from the coral side of my tank. This is anecdotal.

 

[pufferman]

GOOD NEWS

i put him on the rocks and he didnt really move so i guess he likes his position. we had some fresh wild halibut in the freezer so i tried and cut him a little piece. First he didnt want it so i though he was getting used to his new position. I tried again five minutes ago and i come back to see his mouth open HUGE which means he is eating. I am so excited as this is my first anemone. wut really makes me frustrated is that my clowns have not given him an second of attention.

 

[Fluff]

Actually, if it is eating, it's mouth would be closed and it would be curled around the food. The gaping mouth is a sign of stress. I would discontinue the feedings and give him some time to settle in. Feeding them sometimes can be more harm than good. I suspect it's spit the food out which is really stressful.

 

[pufferman]

well last time i checked, he consumed the food. He never actually spat it out, but drew it in. Check these pics i took and judge by them.

 

[Fluff]

Hard to tell but that anemone looks like a sebae instead of a bta.

 

[pufferman]

lfs told me bubble-tip.

 

[Fluff]

Here's the best pic of a sebae I could find. I do believe this is what you have and that the animal you have is bleached. (as is the one from swfish.com.

http://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_1...=4&PHPSESSID=1dd63dd2b1bd06f83b0c20fb247f84af

While I'm at the site, here is a pic of a bta for comparison.

http://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_1...ategory=4&category_search=63&root_parent_id=4

 

[MT79]

That is NOT a BTA! That is a Sebae- Heteractis sp. possibly H. Malu. Sebae's are high light anemones and do not tolerate feedings. They much prefer to get their energy from an intense light source and what ever food it happens by from fish feedings. The gaping mouth is not a good sign, I would let it be and give it some time. They are more difficult to keep than BTA's. How much light do you have?

 

[MT79]

I do believe this is what you have and that the animal you have is bleached. (as is the one from swfish.com.

Sebaes are commonly found in shades of white under proper lighting, those are not bleached

 

[pufferman]

i have 130w PC fluorescents. wow. i was wondering why the pics looked different before. Hmm. great thing to get from the lfs when they dont tell you the right things. i should have double checked.

 

[thesuthern1]

I feed my sebae krill, every other day and sometimes daily. It is about the size of a dinner plate. Have been doing this since February with no problems.

 

[HoopsGuru]

Sebae's are high light anemones and do not tolerate feedings. They much prefer to get their energy from an intense light source and what ever food it happens by from fish feedings.

This doesn't make much sense, if it would enjoy whatever floats by from what is fed the fish....it would also like direct feedings of similar fare directly. In fact, if it is bleached, it may very well be a necessity.

I just attended a presentation with Anthony Calfo a month or so ago, and he made it pretty clear that the VAST majority of whitish "Sebae" anemones are bleached and unhealthy....I do not quite believe that a light color morph is common in the hobby. The healthy color should be brownish as many people find out if they give them the right conditions.

 

[Fluff]

I just attended a presentation with Anthony Calfo a month or so ago, and he made it pretty clear that the VAST majority of whitish "Sebae" anemones are bleached and unhealthy....I do not quite believe that a light color morph is common in the hobby. The healthy color should be brownish as many people find out if they give them the right conditions.

HoopsGuru, were you at TFP for the seminar? If so, I was there as well. And this is where it was reinforced to me that most sebae anemones are bleached.

 

[pufferman]

well all i know is that i will be asking for a refund from my lfs because of the mixup. I cannot get a carpet anemone because of its high lighting requirements. I specifically want a bubble tip anemone. Nothing else.

 

[MT79]

This doesn't make much sense, if it would enjoy whatever floats by from what is fed the fish....it would also like direct feedings of similar fare directly

Maybe I should have been clearer. Target feedings consist of much larger pieces/amounts of food than anything it would regularly catch just floating by, and would be an addition to what it was already getting. Target feeding these anemones is not only unnecessary but often detrimental to their health IMO and IME(unless severely bleached). They are high light anemones b/c that is where they prefer to get the majority of their energy. Target feeding my Sebae has always, now and when under VHO's, stressed it more than benefited it-*more so since upgrading to MH. On the other hand my 3 BTA clones appreciate occasional target feedings.

The healthy color should be brownish as many people find out if they give them the right conditions.

I've had the same Sebae for 23 months now, and yes when I got it it was very white. After 14 months under VHO it became very brown(yuck!). Now it's under MH, as many vendors/aquarist recommend, and it is much whiter and as healthy looking as ever. I've seen bleaching and it is in no way bleached. Have a look- http://www.aquariumadvice.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=9217&cat=all&page=1 Cream colored is different from bleached. Severely bleached anemones are transparent white looking.
BTW I'm not trying to discount A. Calfo in anyway, I'm a reader of his articles.

I specifically want a bubble tip anemone. Nothing else.

I think you would be much better off starting w/ a BTA. Best of luck.

 

[Fluff]

I hate that this post is getting off topic but MT79, I understand what you saying. The anemone in your picture, is a healthy looking sebae. You can see the algae at the base of it's tentacles. Pufferman's anemone is lacking that and in my opinion is bleached. A cream colored or brown where you can still see it's algae present would be obvious to me a healthy animal. The one pufferman has looks bleached and stressed to me. Perhaps we see differently but I think we can all agree that the anemone isn't a bta right?

Also, pufferman, I think you are doing the right thing for yourself and the anemone by returning it. Sorry this one didn't work out but there will be others. Good luck.

 

[HoopsGuru]

I believe terminology is indeed an issue here. It's hard to see the anemone because the lighting washed it out in the picture, but can see the base of the tentacles are darker. I've gone off on a tangent because what you consider consider "shades of white" I consider "shades of brown"...i.e. the cream color which yours appears to be in my terminology is a light brown. So we are pretty much on the same page...cream through dark brown is a healthy sebae. However, I have yet to see the light colored sebaes at LFS to be of the "healthy" variety but instead are pretty much bleached white....and it seems that many LFS are equally surprised (or annoyed, since bleached is often how they receive and sell them) that these "pretty white anemones" are not healthy.

Fluff....I was at the TFP Calfo seminar, sitting right next to the projector during it. I was also about the only 6'6" lanky guy huddled around the frag cutting table afterwards I am still amazed at how he cut the sebae right down the middle 8O .

 

[MT79]

It's hard to see the anemone because the lighting washed it out in the picture,

That color is very close to the way it appears in person. It took quite a few trys to get an "accurate" pic of the color lol.

what you consider consider "shades of white" I consider "shades of brown".

I see what your saying. I think we are all on the same page HoopsG and Fluff

I am still amazed at how he cut the sebae right down the middle

Wow!
Lets us know how the BTA works out for you Pufferman.