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How often do you feed Anenomes

I have a long tentacle anemone with 2 maroon clowns homing it. Just wondering how often you directly feed them. Mine goes in and out all the time but the last few days I haven't seen it as extended as usual. Do people just get some krill and hand feed it. Just trying to figure out the best way to keep it flowing and growing.
 

MadReefer

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I would say no more than once a week. You can try dried krill but mine never liked it unless I soaked it for a long time. I ended using frozen krill and other fairly large frozen foods.
 

Tazmaniancowboy

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People are usually split on this topic. Some feed some do not. I used to feed, but haven't in the last 5 years or so. I heard it is worse to feed than not. Clowns will feed them or the flow of water will feed them naturally, No need to feed in my opinion
 
I used to direct feed mine every other day. Since I didn't have any clowns hosting it. I've noticed mine used to hide a bit and close up a bit before splitting. Not saying that's what's occurring with yours but that's what mine used to do.
 
Mine gobbles up any bits of mysis that float by the clowns and fish. That is the extent of me feeding it. I also used to feed it directly (as in turkey baste some mysis right at it) but noticed how quickly it was growing and I stopped. It's still growing and just split.
 
We feed our carpets twice a week. Our clowns aren't hosting in them yet

photo21.jpg
 

TanksNStuff

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My sebae anemone gets a bunch of blackworms almost every day. My fish aren't fast enough to catch them all so the nem gets the stragglers that flow right into it.
 
I think there are a lot of variables and it the species may play a part. I know carpets often kill fish in a tank and eat them so it is probably okay to feed them but BTA's in general don't need to be fed. A buddy of mine has tons of them and other than water changes, he never touches them and he's been cloning them for a good while.

If you have a healthy system I doubt it is all that necessary but I haven't had ever single species of anemone so I wonder if there are species that absolutely need to be fed. I used to feed my carpet silversides and cockle.
 

kevin

NJRC Member
Take my opinion with a grain of salt! I've been on a BTA craze lately. I got my first Rose BTA a 1-2months ago from ED. Guess it didn't like some things, so it bleached out a little. I've been feeding it rods food/mysis coated in Selcon every other day. Colors are getting better & it's definitely getting larger. I got a rainbow BTA a week later & I don't really feed it. Sometimes pellets or mysis will fly into it. I just got a Sunburst BTA last week. He's tiny, but I've only feed him once. I think I will feed more until he gets a little larger. In other news, my new extreme snowflake started hosting 2 BTA's today!!! I was very excited. My b&w that I've had since I've had the tank up could careless. Sorry, I was pretty off topic lol

This guy has some cool colored nems!
http://www.philyouraquarium.com/category/anemonies
 
Take my opinion with a grain of salt! I've been on a BTA craze lately. I got my first Rose BTA a 1-2months ago from ED. Guess it didn't like some things, so it bleached out a little. I've been feeding it rods food/mysis coated in Selcon every other day. Colors are getting better & it's definitely getting larger. I got a rainbow BTA a week later & I don't really feed it. Sometimes pellets or mysis will fly into it. I just got a Sunburst BTA last week. He's tiny, but I've only feed him once. I think I will feed more until he gets a little larger. In other news, my new extreme snowflake started hosting 2 BTA's today!!! I was very excited. My b&w that I've had since I've had the tank up could careless. Sorry, I was pretty off topic lol

This guy has some cool colored nems!
http://www.philyouraquarium.com/category/anemonies

You said the most important thing; which is that you have to do what you see works best for you. It's an awesome thing when we figure out things that equal a success.
 
Take my opinion with a grain of salt! I've been on a BTA craze lately. I got my first Rose BTA a 1-2months ago from ED. Guess it didn't like some things, so it bleached out a little. I've been feeding it rods food/mysis coated in Selcon every other day. Colors are getting better & it's definitely getting larger. I got a rainbow BTA a week later & I don't really feed it. Sometimes pellets or mysis will fly into it. I just got a Sunburst BTA last week. He's tiny, but I've only feed him once. I think I will feed more until he gets a little larger. In other news, my new extreme snowflake started hosting 2 BTA's today!!! I was very excited. My b&w that I've had since I've had the tank up could careless. Sorry, I was pretty off topic lol

This guy has some cool colored nems!
http://www.philyouraquarium.com/category/anemonies

Is that the bright pink RBTA from Piscataway? if it is.. I feed that almost everyday mysis
 

TanksNStuff

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Bob, it's usually live black worms but I use frozen if I run out of live and my LFS is out of them.
 

ecam

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George. How do u keep a constant supply of the live blackworms? Do u breed th ur refugium?
 

TanksNStuff

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Nope. I buy 1/4 lb from Aquarium Center about once per week and just keep them in a plastic container in my fridge (requires an understanding wife or girlfriend, lol).

Rinsing them in clean, cold RO water daily is the key to keeping them clean and alive.
 

ecam

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Nevermind.... My wife would KILL me... LOL
 
When I tried to tell my wife I wanted to do it she just said no and walked away. No discussion, no middle ground, just no.
 

TanksNStuff

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Haha, yea, like I said you need an understanding wife. I just told my wife that the fish "NEED" to eat blackworms to keep healthy and if I didn't keep them in the fridge they would stink rot and stink up the house. I started with a small sampler cup to prove to her that it wasn't a big deal.

If it helps any, the worms don't crawl out of the container or anything. Sometimes they crawl up the wall of it a tiny bit, but they never leave it completely. You just need to cover them about a 1/4" with water and they're content just staying there.
 
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