Berger9953 Posted April 25, 2010 Share Posted April 25, 2010 Hey PNWMAS! I have a 20 gallon and its been up for about 9 months. I have t5HOs with ind reflectors and one actinic and one 10 k bulb. Its a total of 48watts. I have a few frags in the tank. I love BTAs, but I don't want it to move around, I've seen alot of people on youtube with the same lights and size tank with them, and they're thriving. I love torch, but definetly not as pretty as BTA's. They don't move around which is a plus. My clowns might host it, but i think a BTA would give them a better chance. Here is the youtube video I was talking about, he has the exact setup as me. Thanks everyone in advance!! I hope to get alot of feedback:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted April 25, 2010 Share Posted April 25, 2010 I would say torch. Just because if you can keep the anemone alive under that little light (???), and it starts to grow, you will fill the tank with just one anemone that will sting all your corals. I have seen RBTAs that are 9" diameter. A 20g tank is not much bigger than that to start with. If the torch starts to grow, it can be easily fragged back to whatever size you like. Anemones are a little harder to frag (I do it, but they are in my anemone farm not in a display). dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CA2OR Posted April 25, 2010 Share Posted April 25, 2010 Re: BTA or Torch??????????? Totally agree with what Dsoz said...I have seen RBTA's bigger than 9 inches...dude Snowpunk and I saw one that was like 2 feet in diameter....huge. not to mention you can't have an anemone that doesn't move. I thought I did...bugger didn't move for 2 years...then didn't stop for 2 months Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berger9953 Posted April 25, 2010 Author Share Posted April 25, 2010 That is my other concern... thanks for the feedback guys. Torch are just not nearly as beautiful as R or Gbta's. But my clowns will probably have the same chance hosting both, don't you all think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrScuito Posted April 25, 2010 Share Posted April 25, 2010 My false percs love their torch and you dont get the same great rythmic movment from BTA you would think the current in my tank goes one way by looking at the torch but really its waving against the current. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berger9953 Posted April 25, 2010 Author Share Posted April 25, 2010 My false percs love their torch and you dont get the same great rythmic movment from BTA you would think the current in my tank goes one way by looking at the torch but really its waving against the current. Thanks scuito for the nice comment. Yours is beautiful. most I see are brown or a cream color. But yours is a beautiful pink color. If I could find one like that, I would get it in a second. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefSafari Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 This is just my opinion, so take it with a grain of salt...(naughty) If it was me...I would choose the Torch, While the Bubble Tips are cool, and I have never personally owned one, I have heard they move around quite a bit untill they settle in a spot where they like, and even then they still might move around. That alone is a big pet peave of mine...I like to have things stay where I put them..lol, I just like them to grow where I put them...which the Torch would do. I have a torch and really like it. I totally understand the alure of having a clownfish host a Anemone, its a really cool thing, but if it where me...I would save the money that I would have spent on a BTA...and Buy a nice Torch Coral and still have money left over to buy some zoanthids or mushrooms or even a cool ToadStool Leather Coral... BTA are cool...But if it was me...and I had a 20g, I would go with a Torch... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoobtoSalt Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 I say get a BTA. That way when it starts to out grow your tank you have an excuse to get a bigger one...lol I have a torch and they look great and just like everyone else said they don't move around. My Green BTA was moving like crazy. If your alright with it moving BTA's are pretty cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrScuito Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 If it wont piss off my false percs too much I would like to frag a head off of mine and could trade you a head. If you know how you are more then welcome to come over and give it go. If you dont know how we could have a learning experiance together, since I have never done it. that is if its not to far for you to drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 If it wont piss off my false percs too much I would like to frag a head off of mine and could trade you a head. If you know how you are more then welcome to come over and give it go. If you dont know how we could have a learning experiance together' date=' since I have never done it. that is if its not to far for you to drive.[/quote'] Fragging is easy. Just get a rotary tool with a diamond cut off wheel. Here is a cheap one from Harbor freight that would work just fine. Rotary tool kit ($10) http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=97626 or a better one (4-speed) for $30 http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=40457 diamond disks ($6) http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=31501 If you get the insurance on it (it is cheap), then when (not if, but when) it dies, you take it back and get a new one for free!!!! I have done this several times with a harbor-freight tool. They work great for one large job, or if you are only using it every now-and-then. Constant use will kill them quickly. You could spend a lot of money on a dremel (like I did), but it will just get all rusty from the salt water and humidity from the fish tank... I wish I would have bought the cheaper one. For less than $20 you have the perfect tool for fragging most hard corals! All you need to do is cut the skeleton where it branches when there is no flesh there anymore. Search youtube, there are many videos showing how to frag corals. dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrScuito Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 I fraged a couple heads of my candy cane with a pair of utilitie sissors (SP?) but I'm not sure if I had done it right the guy I traded it to lost it so I dont know if it survived. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 I fraged a couple heads of my candy cane with a pair of utilitie sissors (SP?) but I'm not sure if I had done it right the guy I traded it to lost it so I dont know if it survived. Scissors are fine for candy cane, but Euphyllia (frogspawn, torch and hammer) tend to have thicker skeletons. Harder to do with scissors. Duncans tend to be much more dense, and cutting with scissors is almost impossible. Also, I tend to just score the skeleton with the diamond wheel, which gives it a weak spot for it to make a clean break. dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
undrtkr_00 Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 Look around a bit and you'll be able to find a nice torch. I picked up a nice green one with white tips a while back at Upscales. As far as hosting goes, it depends somewhat on the type of clowns you have, whether they are tank raised, or not, etc. Even if you give them an anemone, they may not host it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrScuito Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 Mine were hosting a RBTA when I got them but I have no nems so in a few months they adopted my torch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 maroon clowns naturally host BTAs. Oscellaris and percula clowns do not naturally host BTAs in the wild (the range does not overlap) but will sometimes substitute host in a BTA. I had a false perc from Dave's clown house and it started hosting a H. magnifica (Ritteri anemone) within 5 minutes of being added to the tank. Then the magnifica was removed and a RBTA was added and it took it about 3 days to start hosting the RBTA. I have another pair of false percs that did not host anything for almost 2 years, then they started hosting ONE of my frogspawn corals. They won't host any of the other frogspawn, hammer, or torch corals that are in the tank. Maybe because the one that they host is the largest one, or it could have a different feel to the stinger cells. Whatever... clowns are dumb. LOL dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefSafari Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 Whatever... clowns are dumb. LOL dsoz LOL...They sure can be(nutty) I love Ocellaris Clowns but the tank raised ones seem to be a little (scratch) The Clarki we have with our Carpet is strongley bonded to it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berger9953 Posted April 28, 2010 Author Share Posted April 28, 2010 Thank you for all of the wonderful input!! My clowns are tank raised and bred occ. clowns. So they might never want to host anything!! But i think I will go with the torch according to what you all have told me. There's only one lfs near me that is an athentic reef store(unlike petco), and they rarely have torch in stock. And I don't like ordering corals online because you can't see them before you buy them. But divers den is good, I'll keep an eye on their stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berger9953 Posted April 28, 2010 Author Share Posted April 28, 2010 Undertkr, that torch is really cool. And scuito, thanks for that friendly offer, but I have nothing to trade you that you would want! I have 3 heads of trumpet, one head of dendro, and 3 heads of acans. I'm just getting going on stocking, very slowly(whistle) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
undrtkr_00 Posted April 28, 2010 Share Posted April 28, 2010 If you ever get over to the west side of the mountains, post up a WTB thread, I'm sure you can find someone to frag you off a head or two of a nice looking torch, or find a store that has one you like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berger9953 Posted April 28, 2010 Author Share Posted April 28, 2010 There's an idea, WTB? What to bring threadDOH!??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrScuito Posted April 28, 2010 Share Posted April 28, 2010 There's an idea, WTB? What to bring threadDOH!??? +1 A WTB thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted April 28, 2010 Share Posted April 28, 2010 There's an idea' date=' WTB? What to bring threadDOH!???[/quote'] WTB = want to buy... Around here it is BYOB (or whatever). (whistle) dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoobtoSalt Posted April 29, 2010 Share Posted April 29, 2010 I fraged a couple heads of my candy cane with a pair of utilitie sissors (SP?) but I'm not sure if I had done it right the guy I traded it to lost it so I dont know if it survived. It was dead within a day or so. But it was the offer that was all that mattered. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted April 29, 2010 Share Posted April 29, 2010 If it wont piss off my false percs too much I would like to frag a head off of mine and could trade you a head. If you know how you are more then welcome to come over and give it go. If you dont know how we could have a learning experiance together' date=' since I have never done it. that is if its not to far for you to drive.[/quote'] If Berger9953 isn't up for a trade I would be and I have a pair of cutters that work pretty good for candy canes and frogspawn (or a rotary tool as well if the skeleton is too big for the cutters). I would be willing to swap a frogspawn with 3 or more heads for a single head of the torch. Or if that isn't interesting I could do a teal candy cane frag (3 or 4 heads) or maybe come up with something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berger9953 Posted April 30, 2010 Author Share Posted April 30, 2010 Ya, sorry, there's just nothing I can give you guys besides a thanks:) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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