BTA Interesting Observations

[mike31154]

Just wondering if anyone has had similar experiences with their BTAs. I've had several health issues with my GBTA, but currently it's doing well, good colour, growing, hosting a pair of Maroon clowns. Most tentacles are currently long & fairly straight/tapered. No bubble tips since the last time it recovered from lack of light after moving under a rock shelf. I know that they can have erratically shaped tentacles (karen's rose anemone web site illustrates this). Mine has a several very 'fat' tentacles as well as a number of thinner ones with branches and spurs.

A few weeks ago one of the fat mutant tentacles (sounds like a theme for a new cartoon series) had a small hole in it and I figured maybe it was developing into a new nem that may separate. As it turns out the hole disappeared and now it's just a big fat mutant tentacle again.

Yesterday afternoon a second fat mutant tentacle (FMT) was developing a small protrusion which seemed to be pushing something out. This morning the same FMT appeared to have expelled a fair sized, white blob of something. My guess is a partly digested food particle. It was stuck on there for a while until the water movement finally dislodged it and now the hole has closed up again as was the case with the first occurrence. Whenever it expels waste from its normal orifice, it's usually dark as opposed to the white blob that popped out of the FMT.

Anyone experienced something like this or can elaborate on what the deal is??

[Delphinus]

I can't really elaborate or speculate but I'll offer my own observations .. I've had several BTA's over the years, most are one particular strain that I've had for nearly 10 years but I did also have another strain for a few years until the one I kept for myself died. But anyhow. I've had many individuals turn into these grotesque looking things (fat mutant tentacles, LOL, yeah exactly). I don't quite know why they became like that but for the most part once they got into that state, they would stay in that state almost permanently - generally speaking not resetting to "normal" ("normal" in this case being either bulb tentacles or string tentacles) until splitting. And then it would be 50/50 that one would stay knarled-and-knobby or both post-split daughters would return to normal.

Anyhow, there's a lot about them we don't really have a good handle on .. part of the mystique, I guess..

[Keri]

Mine was pretty and bubbly....and then it split and I have two little uglies....but they continue to grow and eat and host and my clowns don't seem to care that they live in the Trailer parks of the 'nem world! They get these grotesque litte tiny squidgy trentacles and fat ones and ones with sprouts on the sides amid a bunch of normal ones.....but considering that when I got it it was tiny and severely bleached I think it's doing ok.

[mike31154]

Thanks a bunch for the input. Great to have feedback from experienced members. The 'waste' being expelled thru a hole in a tentacle still has me perplexed.