BTA vs SPS, who to introduce first?

[Gyr]

I have been sitting on a Live Rock Only tank (OK, it's had a few actinodiscus corals, too) for a few years now and I up-graded to metal halides two months ago. I have added 2 M cap frags, a captive bred percula clown and coral beauty, and then had to cool my jets for a while till a nitrate bump got itself under control. Nitrates have been stable at zero for over 3 weeks now(other parameters all good, too, except maybe calcium being too high at over 520ppm--don't really understand why, as I don't add any calcium supplement), so I am getting the itch to add the next batch of livestock.

My hope is that I will someday have a tank with an anemone and several varieties of SPS corals, which brings me to my main question for this forum, namely, is it better to get the anemone first (planning on going with BTA in hopes my percula will use it), or add a few acropora, etc frags first. I'm thinking acropora first to see if my tank is as stable and livestock friendly as I think it is (monti's are doing well, but have only been in tank about 6 weeks) before adding the BTA. On the other hand, I can see how it might be best to add the BTA first, letting him find his happy place before putting sensitive frags in there that the BTA might nettle as it wanders looking for a good spot.

Am I sweating it too much? Should I just go ahead and add the nem and a few frags at the same time, since I probably won't be securing the frags permanently for a few weeks, any way (acclimation)?

Finally, do nems tolerate shipping well? If so, can anyone recommend an online source for aquacultured BTA's. I've checked a few of my LFS's and the BTA's they carry are not aquacultured.

Thanks,
Kurt
55 gal display
two 250 metal halide Sunpod

 

[seafansar]

How about add just one or two small SPS and see how they do. Then add the BTA before getting many more corals to give it a smaller chance of touching any of them. Sounds like you're doing everything right so far.

Pacific East Aquaculture sell tank raised green BTA's and Liveaquaria gets some tank raised BTA's also (a guy in my reef club aquacultures rose BTA's for them!).

 

[Gyr]

Thanks Seafansar, I'll check Pacific East.

Here's another question. Do Percula clowns accept BTA's, or would an LTA be a better choice for the Percula? If so, how do they compare with regard to hardiness?

 

[seafansar]

I had a pair of perculas that loved their RBTA. But some people have trouble getting their clowns to accept an anemone. I would think an aquacultured BTA would be much hardier than a LTA.

 

[DaveK]

Considering that your tank is a 55 gal tank, and that a large BTA can easily crowd out everything else, I'd recommend you forget about the large anemones. They can be a sight to behold, but in smaller tanks they are very prone to getting tangled up in overflows, circulation pumps and the like. IMHO this causes more harm than good.

 

[scubaspew]

Considering that your tank is a 55 gal tank, and that a large BTA can easily crowd out everything else, I'd recommend you forget about the large anemones. They can be a sight to behold, but in smaller tanks they are very prone to getting tangled up in overflows, circulation pumps and the like. IMHO this causes more harm than good.

Just get a small anemone since it will grow, a BTA, or a sebae, just make sure whatever you get won't get too large, go to a reliable LFS, if you have one, do your ow research, I guarantee if you have true percs they will eventually host in anything. Mine took 2 months to notice my BTA, but now they won't leave it alone!

 

[Clownfish518]

An LTA BTW is one of the larger anemones. The oral disc can grow to 20" and add the 4-6" tentacles to that.

 

[Clownfish518]

Forgot to mention that one of nems like stable pH, and the addition of kalk, two part solution or using calcium reactors on a small system and the affect on pH that these can have can be bad for the anemones health. Bigger volume systems can get away with it because their chemistry is more stable

 

[Gyr]

Thanks for the input, everyone. DaveK raises a good point, and kind of what I was getting at to start with. If I do get a nem, I'd probably go for a small BTA, hoping he'd find a spot in my small 55 gallon tank (boy, I wish I could convince my wife that 55 gallons is 'small') before he got too big. I would gladly dedicate half my tank space for a healthy/happy BTA, but I wonder how often these guys that have been happy, growing in a tank for a while will just up and move around, nettling SPS's.
I realize there are no absolutes, but in general, will well established nems start to roam the tank, or do they tend to stay put once they set up camp?

 

[BLAKEJOHN]

Once they find a spot they like they tend to stay there unless you change the lighting or flow. I would go with the Rose BTA. When it gets to big you can literaly cut him in half and sell it. Therefore maintaining the size of your BTA. I would put in the nem first and let it settle in then get some SPS's like you mentioned in your first post.

And just for your wife to read....A 55 is a small and unmanageable tank and I feel that your husband needs a 120-300gl tank. It will lead to a long and happy marriage

 

[Gyr]

[And just for your wife to read....A 55 is a small and unmanageable tank and I feel that your husband needs a 120-300gl tank. It will lead to a long and happy marriage[/QUOTE]

Thanks, BlakeJohn.
I'll be copying that into her Mother's Day card next week...should go over big.

I didn't realize you could cut a nem in half, thought you just had to wait for them to split on their own.

 

[BLAKEJOHN]

The hardest part is to get the nem out of the tank and released from its rock. Once you have it out and in a shallow bowl of water you find the center and cut with a sharp pair of sissors with one cut driectly through the center of the mouth and foot. Place back into tank protected from any clowns or other fish and let heal with occasional feedings. Walla.... now you have two!!!!

 

[Gyr]

BlakeJohn,

Thanks for the info. If/when I get a nem and it gets big, I'll be able to split it. Cool.

I had my wife read your message to her a few posts ago, and without missing a beat this was her comment... "It's not the size of the tank, it's how you use it."

I'm a lucky man.

 

[BLAKEJOHN]

LOL... thats good that she has a sense of humor. I though later that maybe I shouldnt have said it.

 

[lcstorc]

If you are going to frag the nem, you have better chances using a sharp razor blade than scissors. Scissors tend to rip and compress the flesh.
I'll tell your wife you need a bigger tank if you tell my husband I need another tank. He just won't listen and insists 4 is enough.