GBTA vs. RBTA

[Octoman]

You heard right! It's time for the throw down...

I've read roses are more hardy, but greens do better in lower light. Greens are bigger, roses are smaller. What is going on!?!?

I'd like to hear some of the expertise that RS has to offer.

Let's hear those opinions about GBTAs vs. RBTAs (Green vs. Rose Bubble Tip Anemone). Lighting, size, survival, whatever else you want to talk about.

 

[DrHank]

Both are hardy. Given good light and excellent water it's a toss up IMO. I've got a small GBTA that my Tomato clown has chosen over my Sebae. As long as your tank is well established and lighting an water parameters are good, you shouldn't have a problem with either.

 

[michael_cb_125]

I have seen RBTAs that are HUGE. I agree with the Doc on this one.~Michael

 

[Octoman]

What kind of lighting have people had success with? I know halides are great, but what about T5s, PCs, VHOs... Same for both G and R?

 

[DrHank]

BTA's are more light tolerant than many other anemones. That doesn't mean that they don't like and need a lot of light. I wouldn't recommend less than T5s. Mine is under MH. They may survive with VHOs but certainly won't thrive. I really wouldn't recommend PCs. JMHO.

 

[tbittner]

Mine is under 250w 10,000k MH's with a light period of 8 hours. I also have T5's which are on fpr an hour before the MH's come on and then on while the MH's are on, then still on for 2 hours after the MH's go out.

I've only had mine for about 3 weeks so the jury is still out but mine is HUGE!!!!

It's an RBTA.

 

[reefman420]

i dont have a bubble tip but i have a seabae,i wouldnt recommend keeping one under anything less the t5's..that and clams

 

[ninjataco777]

i like the green, i have had sucess with them in not perfect water, and they look really cool with clowns.

 

[lcstorc]

Love my RBTA. It is in a shallow tank with T5s and has moved to the top of the rocks. Seems perfectly happy there,

 

[CarmieJo]

I have a RBTA. It was about the size of a baseball when I got it. I kept it under PC's for about a year and it grew to about 9" in diameter. I now have a Solaris G series LED fixture and it has grown another inch or so in 6 months under the LED's.

 

[ReefSki]

I have kept RBTA's under PC, T-5, and MH.

I have noticed that under PC's the anemone did not grow very fast over a 1 year period.

After changing over to T-5's the anemone just took off. Split 3 times in a 3 month period.

I now have the same anemone's under MH and they seem to have much nicer coloration, and seem to be growing as well.

 

[BigAl07]

Thanks for the input ReefSki

 

[Dentoid]

After changing over to T-5's the anemone just took off. Split 3 times in a 3 month period.

That seems like a lot of splitting in a short amount of time and may be due to the stress of being moved to different lighting or some other factor other than the lighting. Generally, splitting is a survival mechanism and not a form of growth.

 

[BigAl07]

*Nodding* It's the animal trying to get at least ONE part of it to a more "survivable" environment.

 

[ReefSki]

This could be, one thing here is the PC and T-5's were very close in actual watts. I know T-5's are a totally different animal here but that was the only change. Water quality was not impacted.

Being that there was not a dramatic change in light do you think that it was just the change that might have stressed the anemone out?

Another strange thing is once I switched over to MH the anemone has not split but seems to have great color and thriving.

Any thoughts?

That seems like a lot of splitting in a short amount of time and may be due to the stress of being moved to different lighting or some other factor other than the lighting. Generally, splitting is a survival mechanism and not a form of growth.

 

[Octoman]

How's it going Scott! I've seen you posting lately, it's good to have you back around these parts.

Reefski, I think what Dentoid (Scott) mentioned applies now as well. The BTA is feeling better now (better light, better color), and doesn't feel the need to split as a defense mechanism any more. I think the lack of splitting is a good thing.


Interesting that this thread popped back up, I just picked up a GBTA a few days ago. It has been hiding for a week now and it looks really bad during the middle of the day, but perks right up by the evening and looks full and inflated all night. I'm keeping a close eye on it, it did eat a small piece of fish the other day, so I'm hoping it will be ok...

 

[TonyD]

I currently keep a GBTA, RBTA, Carpet and a Green LTA in the same tank under MH with VHO supp. All of these anemones lived and thrived under VHO only before I moved everything to the 150.

 

[Slickcg33]

Bta's imo are the most hardy host anemone out there. That being said it must be babied until it is use to the conditions at hand. If you throw any animal in new(different) conditions that is sick or disoriented it will die fast. I support this with my experiences with them. When i first started i purchased a gbta and put it under 80watt power compacts in a 6 month old 34 gal solona. i feed it once a week and it grew to about 12" from 6" over about 6 months, that was with about 20 nitrates. Im sure it wasnt the Happiest anemone, one under MH with perfect water prams would of been most likely lol. But it survived and grew! Growing from that experience i wouldnt do it ever again, i would want any animal i get to be the happiest it can be, but it can be done.
Back to the original question... I really dont think there is a difference between the two besides a color morph, they are both extremely hardy.

 

[Slickcg33]

just realized this is a really OLD post... why did i see it like the 3rd post down from the top?(edit just answered my own question, im on the club form not the anemone forum lol) ... /start feeling dumb now.

 

[Clownfish518]

I would call PC to T5 a dramatic change in light. T5s are comparable to MH in the amount of PAR produced. They put out a lot more light per watt than PC.

As far as the original question, BTAs come in two types. Ones that live further down in the reef and live singly. These are larger specimens, and reproduction is sexual. There is a shallow water variant that form colonies. They are smaller and reproduce asexually through either longitudinal fission (splitting) or budding, as well as sexually.

The color variants come in both types. Size is related to where on the reef
the nems orginated, not color.

Also, like others mentioned, my experience is that they get better color under MH than T5s, though can most can live with either, and some will only thrive with MH