? on new RFA

[sadie]

The last time I got RFA that were small, they kinda got blown around my tank and never really footed and they didn't make it.  This time I have put them under my plastic feeder and with the help of some wooden skewers, helped them to stay foot down against a tonga branch.  They are opening up nicely, but my ? is -how long should I leave them in here before moving them up?

[seabass]

I just turn off the flow for awhile while I place them where I want, and let them take hold.  Then I turn the flow back up.

[sadie]

31 minutes ago, seabass said:

I just turn off the flow for awhile while I place them where I want, and let them take hold.  Then I turn the flow back up.

I did that with my bigger ones, but these are the size of a dime, a little bigger now that they have opened.  I didn't want to chance it again.  I'm thinking of gluing the tonga branch to the top of my rocks, or maybe on the back wall once they attach.  But I'm not sure how  long that takes

[sadie]

I just checked them and the front orange one didn't even have his feet on the branch.  The other two are cradled between branches and I think their feet are not touching either.  Will they move on their own and attach?  It has been a little over an hour.

 

 

[TNSRFR]

I myself got RFA for the first time few days ago.  I turned all my flow off and place them on rock crevices I had in mine.  I kept the flow off for about two hours and then slowly turn them back on except for my MP40.  When I turn it back on, I lower the setting and slowly rampt it back up to my normal speed in few days.  They have anchored except for one which is slowly creeping around the rock to find the right spot but it’s not floating around.  

[sadie]

6 minutes ago, TNSRFR said:

I myself got RFA for the first time few days ago.  I turned all my flow off and place them on rock crevices I had in mine.  I kept the flow off for about two hours and then slowly turn them back on except for my MP40.  When I turn it back on, I lower the setting and slowly rampt it back up to my normal speed in few days.  They have anchored except for one which is slowly creeping around the rock to find the right spot but it’s not floating around.  

Those are BEAUTIFUL!!!  I am so in love with RFA!  Yours look a bit bigger then mine.  I had no problems with my big ones, it's the small ones I lost last time.  I'm not sure if I could leave my pumps off for 2 hours.  My kenya tree gets REALLY mad when I shut them off, though I know it won't drop dead.  I shut them off maybe 15 min when I feed.

 

It just doesn't feel right shutting the pumps off and trying to place them on my main rock.  They are so tiny when they close and hard to hold on to.  They stick to my finger with their little tenticles instead of the rock.  I had a hard time just getting them to the tonga branch.

 

I will wait a bit longer and see if they attach...then maybe I will try to attach one at a time...

 

 

[DevilDuck]

Depending on how they were removed from the original tank there maybe some injury to the RFA's foot, so it will not immediately attach. Your doing the right thing by putting them in a container with some rocks in lower flow. I've usually keep them in there about a week to 2 weeks. Their foot will heal they should have attached to the rocks.

Place the rocks near where you want the RFA and they will probably migrate over to in the middle of the night.

 

I use a shot glass and small sea shells. They seem to like the texture and the curve of the shell. This trick also works on mushrooms.

 

 

[TNSRFR]

2 hours ago, sadie said:

Those are BEAUTIFUL!!!  I am so in love with RFA!  Yours look a bit bigger then mine.  I had no problems with my big ones, it's the small ones I lost last time.  I'm not sure if I could leave my pumps off for 2 hours.  My kenya tree gets REALLY mad when I shut them off, though I know it won't drop dead.  I shut them off maybe 15 min when I feed.

 

It just doesn't feel right shutting the pumps off and trying to place them on my main rock.  They are so tiny when they close and hard to hold on to.  They stick to my finger with their little tenticles instead of the rock.  I had a hard time just getting them to the tonga branch.

 

I will wait a bit longer and see if they attach...then maybe I will try to attach one at a time...

 

 

One thing I forgot to mention, I dipped them in seachem reef dip before I put them in my tank.  They help from stress of shipping and any injury done to their foot.  RFAs are beautiful and such a wonderful color palette but I’m sort of regretting putting them in my tank.  I got mine last Friday and I found my chromis dead on sand bed this morning.   I’ve had him for 8 mos and he’s been very active and healthy.  He ate good as usual last evening and I find him dead nest morning.  Only thing I can think of is RFA.  I have quite a few small fish and I’m so afraid for them...  😢

[sadie]

1 hour ago, DevilDuck said:

Depending on how they were removed from the original tank there maybe some injury to the RFA's foot, so it will not immediately attach. Your doing the right thing by putting them in a container with some rocks in lower flow. I've usually keep them in there about a week to 2 weeks. Their foot will heal they should have attached to the rocks.

Place the rocks near where you want the RFA and they will probably migrate over to in the middle of the night.

 

I use a shot glass and small sea shells. They seem to like the texture and the curve of the shell. This trick also works on mushrooms.

 

 

I did check their feet for damage, though honestly I'm not sure what that would look like.  I didn't see any open or raw flesh, no cuts or anything like that.  They look really healthy, they are just so small.  thanks for the reply.

[sadie]

11 minutes ago, TNSRFR said:

One thing I forgot to mention, I dipped them in seachem reef dip before I put them in my tank.  They help from stress of shipping and any injury done to their foot.  RFAs are beautiful and such a wonderful color palette but I’m sort of regretting putting them in my tank.  I got mine last Friday and I found my chromis dead on sand bed this morning.   I’ve had him for 8 mos and he’s been very active and healthy.  He ate good as usual last evening and I find him dead nest morning.  Only thing I can think of is RFA.  I have quite a few small fish and I’m so afraid for them...  😢

OH NO!!  sorry to hear about your fish.😪 I did read this morning that they can eat small fish.  I do have a blue neon goby, but there has been no problems.  I have 4 older RFA that have been in there a while (before I added goby)  so I think he is safe.  (fingers crossed) 

 

[TNSRFR]

13 minutes ago, sadie said:

I did check their feet for damage, though honestly I'm not sure what that would look like.  I didn't see any open or raw flesh, no cuts or anything like that.  They look really healthy, they are just so small.  thanks for the reply.

Maybe since they are so small, they just need some time to adjust and anchor.

[TNSRFR]

15 minutes ago, sadie said:

OH NO!!  sorry to hear about your fish.😪 I did read this morning that they can eat small fish.  I do have a blue neon goby, but there has been no problems.  I have 4 older RFA that have been in there a while (before I added goby)  so I think he is safe.  (fingers crossed) 

 

I get feedbacks that it’s highly unlikely but it seem too coincidental.  I’ll be a nervous wreck for the next few days.  If I loose any more fish, I would have to get rid of them.  But I don’t know how to get them out since their feet has been anchored.  😖

[seabass]

17 minutes ago, sadie said:

I did read this morning that they can eat small fish.  I do have a blue neon goby, but there has been no problems.

Especially small perching fish.  If they perch on the RFA they might become a meal.  However, active swimmers usually aren't a problem.  I believe I lost a yellow clown goby to a RFA years ago.

 

34 minutes ago, TNSRFR said:

I found my chromis dead on sand bed this morning

If an RFA were to kill a fish, it would most likely eat it.

[TNSRFR]

34 minutes ago, seabass said:

Especially small perching fish.  If they perch on the RFA they might become a meal.  However, active swimmers usually aren't a problem.  I believe I lost a yellow clown goby to a RFA years ago.

 

If an RFA were to kill a fish, it would most likely eat it.

It’s a puzzle to me how my chromis died then.   He’s been very active and healthy and there hasn’t been any changes to the tank other than RFA...

[sadie]

It looks like one of them footed over night.  One stayed where it was and one I found him face down in the sand.  I am so glad I did not take them out of the dome.  I shut the pumps off and took the dome off, placed the lost one on the branch and put the dome back on.  A few hours later they were all opened nicely so I fed them some ZooPlex.  they seem healthy enough so I guess in time, they will all stick  I will keep them in the dome for a week or so.  At least till they all stick and maybe a few days after that.

 

Thanks all for the advice.