Kessil

How Do I get a RBTA out of an overflow? - UPDATED now the nem is ripped

GDawson

GDawson

Guest
BARcard
One of my RBTAs disappeared a week or so ago. I figured it had split again and was hiding in the rockwork somewhere. Last night I found it in the U section of the overflow. It had to crawl up and over the surface skimmer (it had to break the surface and crawl in the air), through the foam filter, passed the screen mesh and into the U section. I can’t get to it as there’s no access. I’m worried as there’s no light there, hopefully there’s food getting through for it to snag.
Help

-Gregory
 
I'd imagine he will leave once he realizes there's not a lot of light. Otheriwse, if you can get your hand down there, i'd use one of those plastic algae scrapers to gently remove his foot enough where you can slowly peel the rest away with your fingers. Then cup him and move him into the DT. The key word here is GENTLE.

But from the sounds of it, I don't think your hand fits?
 
It's in a closed off section....the only way to get to it is by breaking open the overflow. The crawl space in the U can't be more than 3/8" thick...it looks completely squashed in there.

Look at the attached JPG. The BTA is the star shaped thing off centre. (Please ignore the complete lack of artistic tallent)

-Gregory

Attached files /attachments/sites/default/files/bta.JPG
 
Well last night I was able to pry the mesh screen out of the skimmer box. This morning the BTA is gone. It's either in the sump somewhere of back into the tank. Don't see it anywhere. (sigh)

This sucker has been wondering for weeks now. When will it settle? The good news is that it doesn't seem to leave a path of destruction. There was only one set of polyps that got stung. Everything else ignored it.

-Gregory
 
yeah, I've had some of my anemones get through some really tight spaces... they wander, sometimes they'll let the flow take them.. luckily he's out of your overflow. I'd try to keep an eye in your sump for him, he could make it to the return, and then he won't make that journey back to the tank safely.
 
Try picking a rock for it to go on. isolate it on the sand and cover it with a mesh box made of like plastic canvase or something so it cant escape.
 
The nem was a tight ball last night when retrieved from the sump....today it opened and theres a tear in its oral disk. A strip of tentacles about a 1/4 of the way around the disk is ripped off and hanging by a small anount of flesh. The nem, including the ripped strip is semi inflated (no lights yet) and actually looks OK.... for now. So....

1 - leave it alone?
2- cut it off?
3 - cross my fingers and hope the nem survives?
4 - don't worry as this happens all the time?

-Gregory
 
I'd leave it alone and let it heal. When mine splits, it's pretty rough going for a week, but then it's fine. They're pretty resiliant animals. However, I like the idea of keeping it in a strawberry carton to give it a nice place to heal.
 
Here's a pic of the nem. It finally came out of hiding and is in the light. As you can see the whole bottom section of the oral disk was ripped off when it went through the overflows screen. It looks like its healing and small "bulges" that look like new tentacles are starting to show.
It still looks pretty roughed up though......

Click for larger versions......

-Gregory



Attached files /attachments/sites/default/files/P1015509.JPG /attachments/sites/default/files/P1015516_0.JPG
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top