RBTA cloning

[RayWhisperer]

Ok, I'll try to get this new forum rolling along...

 

I've got a nice RBTA. Yesterday it split.

 

Now, I've read and heard of many different methods of getting your nem to split. Never though, have I read or heard anyone agree as to why. Some insist it's due to some kind of environmental(or other) stressor, others say it's due to things like ideal (or more like better than ideal) conditions. Also, how often is it ok?

 

I could easily get it to split on a monthly basis, bi-monthly at most. I just don't, for fear of stressing it out too much.

 

Any opinions?

 

Note, this pic is long before it's recent split.

[DementedLullaby]

I think both are correct. It will split if it loves the tank eventually...but of course you can't really "force" it to do this...and in the back of your mind you may always think that maybe it was due to stress.

 

As for stressing purposely...I wouldn't do it more than every 2 months. Really you're taking a gamble every single time you do it. I guess if you have one that split allready it's not as bad since you can have one to fall back on, however I'd still feel bad even for killing a clone =P. All of this is IMO of course. It's really up to the owner to decide what is right for him.

 

I read this somewhere(I think it was RC allthought it could have been aquariumpros) that you can actually split certain anemones by cutting them down the mouth. Anyone want to confirm/deny this? I hear carpets can be prop'd this way. Seems a little sketch to me.

 

BTW that's a beauty.

 

Sorry for not having any hard evidence.

[andre]

And how did you get your to split?

[travisurfer]

wow, i didnt even see the new forum. anyway, there is an article on wetwebmedia about somebody using a certain series of events to trigger a split.

[DementedLullaby]

And how did you get your to split?

 

If you mean me I didn't =P. I refuse to buy an anemone unless I have my own long-term house which at the moment I do not.

 

Haha wouldn't it be cool if your kids were reefers? And their kids and their kids and their kids...;P You could pass down the 'nemo for generations. I've heard this being done in Japan with koi.

[halfpint]

I've heard this being done in Japan with koi.

 

what? Cutting the koi down the mouth with a razor blade to make them split? For some reason, I can't figure out how that could possibly work. But you know those Japanese, they can do all kinds of cool stuff that I can only dream of. Such as coming up with the Wii.

[firefishbrain]

k, this I learned from Eric Bornemann at IMAC, take a razor blade and cut it down the middle, making sure you cut the mouth, if not you'll just kill the part you fragged, and as far as how often, it depends how often it grow back, once it is back all the way you can cut it again, you can do quarters, halves, 1/6's, etc... just it'll be harder cuz you have to cut the the mouth, as for making sure it will be healthy, you should give it some time to recover hope my long post helps...

[DementedLullaby]

Halfpint you crack me up XD

 

FFB thanks for that =). I'm glad I'm not just a crazy person that dreams of reading about these things haha.

[RayWhisperer]

Thanks for all the replies.

 

I was just kinda thinking about a continual series of clonings over a long period of time. Something along the lines of years.

 

Demented, I agree with you completely... I really don't want to force it to split, that's why I haven't done so. But, if it can be done without serious harm or consequences, I would consider it for a larger group. To clarify, if I had 10 clones later down the line, I could have 20 quickly.

 

And thanks for the compliment.

 

Andre, I didn't do anything different. This split was completely unexpected. All params are 0's, cal is 440, alk is 3 meq/L, ph 8.2.

This tank has dual refugiums, one is set for normal daytime photoperiod, the other is on a reverse.

 

Travis, thanks for the suggestion. I read those articles quite some time ago. Those articles, and this new forum are what prompted me to post this thread. I can't remember reading anything on them regarding what possible downsides there could be, really, I can't remember ever reading anything on this anywhere. Both of the aricles, from what I can remember, were only stating methods used to get them to split.(I guess it's time I re-read them, just to be sure.)

 

Halfpint, smarta$$

 

FFB, Borneman said that??? About anemones???? Cutting clones all the way down to 1/6's???? I think I just lost alot of respect for the guy. Did he say anything about possible risks to the animal even when done correctly?

[andre]

Ray: I see, so this is a hit or miss type of thing?

 

FFB: If you are reffering to the Coral Prop video, I don't recall him saying that about anemones. I remember that was about brain corals.

 

I would think that cutting an anemone down the in half would kill it no? Aren't they already temperamental enought to where doing such would stress it to the point of no return? Just curious here.

[firefishbrain]

no andrea, I saw him at IMAC in CHItown, he took an anenome (even thought this was weird) and just cut it right down the middle. and maybe not down to sixths... that wouyld have to be uber-precise. but I be he could do it... maybe thirds or quarters at the most... sorry, my brain is kinda fuzzy...

[RayWhisperer]

I would think that cutting an anemone down the in half would kill it no? Aren't they already temperamental enought to where doing such would stress it to the point of no return? Just curious here.

Not nessecarily, I've hear of people doing this method. Regardless, I would never try something like that.

[brshriver]

"Coral" magazine had an article two months ago on fragging RBTAs! I think the guy discovered the "cutting" method by accident when his RBTA got caught in an unscreened intake. Anyway, he started experimenting with cutting them intentionally to propogate them and had some success. Lots of pictures and details are in the article. Check out the June/July 2006 issue for the details. This guy definitely turned a potential disaster into a cool discovery.

 

So, in short, cutting must work but I am not going to try it with mine ;-) I am waiting for mine to split.

 

The guy that I bought mine off of says that he feeds his table shrimp every day for a couple of weeks when he wants it to split. It apparently works for him but I have not had any luck with it. Instead it just keeps getting bigger and bigger ;-)

[thatfishguy]

http://forum.marinedepot.com/Topic19836-13-1.aspx

 

Anthony has a thread about it. He has pics of him doing it on there too. Doesnt seem too difficult, just slice it in half.

[Obsessed Reefer]

Such as coming up with the Wii.

 

Last time I checked, Nintendo what Chinese, Sony is Japanese?

[DementedLullaby]

Last time I checked, Nintendo what Chinese, Sony is Japanese?

 

Last time I checked you were wrong lol

 

Seriously, they're both JP companies.

[Obsessed Reefer]

Oh ok. Show's how much I know about Nintendo. I only had the GBA. But I plan on getting the Wii the first day it launches. Thank god for connections at gamestop.

[DementedLullaby]

Oh ok. Show's how much I know about Nintendo. I only had the GBA. But I plan on getting the Wii the first day it launches. Thank god for connections at gamestop.

 

Nice ^_^. I'm skipping out on this gen for awhile. Gotta make some bank to start the 60g I want.

 

Back on topic.

 

 

I hear cloning of BTA can also be accomplished by a large water change of 30-40%. If that doesn't work you can try bumping the temp up 5 degrees to induce a split. Just some things I've heard. Maybe in a few months I'll pick up some of the cheaper duller varities and give it a go.

[brshriver]

I re-read the article in coral magazine about cutting them and noted that it seemed to think overfeeding them was a pretty sure way to make them split. Since the guy that sold me mine said the same thing I stepped up the feeding. I gave it half in chunks of table shrimp alternating with silversides (usually half a fish) daily for almost two weeks. Last night the anemone's mouth was gaping a bit and it looked odd (perhaps it had already started to split?) so I did a second 25% water change in two days. This morning there are two RBTAs - the smaller one is still searching for its turf.

 

So there were two big water changes back to back combined with large feedings for a week or two. I haven't checked nitrates in a while, but I have had no algae blooms and they usually run well below 1 ppm in that tank so I think the water conditions are very good (ie. not a stress induced split). I also added an extra power head to the tank last week. Unfortunately I have lots of variables.

[RayWhisperer]

That seems to be a sure fire way to get them to split. Heavy feeding combined with large volume water changes. The only thing is, who's to say the large water changes aren't a stressor, triggering the split.

 

Heavy feedings will give you rapid growth, but will it split regularly without the water changes? See where I'm going with this????? I'm trying to keep the splits due to ideal conditions, not stress induced. Then, after I have many clones, try one stress induced "mass splitting".

[brshriver]

The guy I got mine from ran a large 800+ gallon system. He said that heavy feeding was enough.

 

My anemone system is too small to know for sure. The anemone is large and in a 20H with two clowns, so I change a lot of water weekly to maintain water quality.