Hello there! I have a question about a roaming BTA. Recently there was a problem with my lighting timer that resulted in me having to throw it away and start manually turning the lights of my 29 gallon Bio Cube on and off. This had been working out very well for the last few weeks until a few days ago when the lights were left on for about 16 hours. Up until this time the BTA was very happy between two rocks next to the power head. After I came home and found the lights on, I noticed the BTA had moved. Since then it has been roaming the tank. I am not entirely worried about this as I have only one rock with corals on it and it is located on the floor of the tank well away from the rock mass the BTA is on. However, I have heard a roaming BTA is an unhappy BTA and would really like to please it again.
The water tests I performed all show normal tank readings as did the tests I had a buddy of mine perform. He does salt water tank maintenance for a living and has no idea what the BTA is doing as he is more a fish guy.
Any ideas as to how I can make my BTA happy again? There are only hermit crabs, a cleaner shrimp, a Blue Tuxedo Urchin, and a Gobby in the tank. No fish yet as I am waiting on the perfect ones to catch my eye (plus, I am rather poor). The tank has been up and running for several years now and the BTA has been in there for about 4 or 5 months.
Any help would be great. Thanks.
Mary

They'll move around occasionally but one reason i could see it moving is that its not being fed. Do you target feed it at all? The reason they like fish is that they help bring food into it. So if you're not feeding it, then its only getting minor scraps where it was.

If you haven't changed anything but that lighting issue, that pissed em off, and he won't settle back in until he likes where he's sittin. Gotta wait him out.

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Phys, I target feed it about 3-4 times a week with thawed shrimp. It also eats when I feed the rest of the tank brine shrimp or pellets. As far as I know the tank is healthy and in great order.
Reefer, I am sorry I made the BTA so mad. I wish it would go back to where it was.
Thanks for the advice guys. I will just have to see what it does.
Mary

You feed your tank that much? What are your water reading? Amm, Nitrite, Nitrate, CA, Salinity, Mag, ALK, Phosphate. Do you have those numbers?

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Reefer, I only feed the BTA small portions, about about half a penny or less in size. I figured small regular feedings were better than one or two large feedings. The tank gets a half block of frozen brine shrimp (about 1 mm X 0.5 mm) every few days. I have about 8 hermit crabs ranging from small to rather large that clean up very well. The urchin will get a piece of dried seaweed every few days to supplement the coraline algae and normal algaa it scrapes from my rocks (no purple rocks for me but I love my urchin). I have a ton of live rock in my tank,d both in the display area an in the back. I removed the bio balls that come with the Bio-Cubes and replaced them with live rock, phosphate floss, and a bag of Seachem Purigen water polisher. I also have a protein skimmer sitting in front of the intake for the filter right before the carbon filter used in Bio-cubes. My test results as of two days ago are as follows:
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 0-0.5 ppm (Using the API Saltwater Master test kit -- the yellow and orange-yellow kind of look similar to me)
pH: 8.2-8.4 (Using API High Range pH testing liquid, there is no 8.3 value)
Salinity: 1.022-1.024

My buddy does the other tests for me bi-weekly with his test kits. This last week he said all was normal as far as phosphate, calcium, magnesium,and alkalinity were concerned. He also tests for copper and iodine. He maintains marine aquariums for several local businesses as well as many private owners so I trust him at his word.

If you guys see anything that brings an "Ah-ha" moment please tell me. The tank has been up and running for over a year with me and until then years with my buddy. The tank was taken down for about 2 hours while it was pushed from his apartment and into mine. (We lived about 5 feet from each other). Since then all has been normal.
You help is appreciated. Thanks.
Sincerely,
Mary

Salt should be kept at 1.025-1.026 in a Reef tank. Other than that, looks good to me. So if those are off, ask your guy what else he might have low. Little things can cause you slight problems.
This might help some.
Chemistry and the Aquarium: Specific Gravity: Oh How Complicated! — Advanced Aquarist | Aquarist Magazine and Blog

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Reefer, I never knew about the different salinity needed for reef tanks vs. FOWLR. All of the books I have ever read say between 1.022 and 1.025. My buddy doesn't do the normal tests for me, just the ones I mentioned above. I do the testing for the others myself, including salinity. I will add a little bit of salt tomorrow morning. Will that boost in salt effect my Gobby or shrimp at all?
UPDATE: after all of that roaming my BTA found a spot in the tank he likes--the one he was originally in!! He settled in on about the 8th and hasn't moved since. Crazy anemone.
Thanks guys for all of your advice.

Right on!!. The salinity at 1.025 or 35ppt is ocean water, it will not affect the fish. Fish can be kept at lower ranges, between 1.017-1.026.

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here's a good link to help you convert your specific gravity into salinity:

SaltyZoo's Salinity Conversion (Specific Gravity / PPT)

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36 Gallon Saltwater reef tank
Ocellaris Clown, Scooter Dragonet, sandsifter star, Decorator crab, emerald crab, coralline snails, blue leg hermit crab, and horseshoe crab.
Zooad's and shrooms
40 pounds of Live sand, 20 pounds of LR