Feeding my BTA

Frozen brine shrimp are like popcorn - empty calories, little nutrition. BTAs should be fed whole foods (shrimp or silversides) as they depend on the intact internal organs for minerals. I know people feed with fingers, but I feel it unwise

 

Some anemones like Cerianths are not photosynthetic and need to be fed daily. BTAs are photosynthetic but it is not a complete diet and they need food to round out their nutrition, but once a month is usually enough

 

BTA feeding...

I also use silversides, per Karen's recommendation. She feeds her anemones silversides every week and based on her success, I'm inclined to trust her.

Personally, I feed the anemone with my fingers (gloves are good) and then guard it with a chopstick. This is because ever since the anemone moved from the top of the tank to the bottom front corner the female Clark's Clown that was in symbiosis with it doesn't spend as much time cuddling with it and, rather than bringing it mysis shrimp that I drop in for fish or corals, it now steals silverside from it.

 

I agree. This site helped me out so much when I started keeping anemones. I feed mine once a week, with long aquarium tongs. I think the tongs are called "the aqua gardener." They are a great purchase, and this way when you are feeding things you dont have to be covered in saltwater, and neither does the front glass. My anemones love squid too. Just dont over feed. The get all fussy about that. The bases swell up and they look horrible.

 

Truth is BTAs don't learn very well - that lack of a brain thing. Whatever food they were fed when young or caught in their natural environment when they were young is whatthey need to be fed. If a BTA caught a lot of crustaceans, they will want shrimp. If fish, they will want silversides. A BTA may not recognize shrimp or fish as a food item if they weren't exposed to it young. So BTAs are very individual in their preferences and some different foods may need to be presented. Shrimp and silversides being the most likely to be readily accepted. There is no one answer here

 

Ok, thanks for all of your opinions and advice. If anyone has any more input on this please feel free to add. I will try silversides and i'll see if my lps has those aquarium tong things. Thank you so much again.

 

My maroon has been doing that lately too, it drives me nuts! She now takes the krill, squid, silverside, zooplankton, whatever I am feeding, away from the anemone. I tried cutting a soda bottle in half to use as a safety wall but that doesn't even work.

 

Anemomes dont require feeding if you have to though once or twice a month isplenty. If he has a clown with him I would not bother at all...There is no Anemone feeding in the ocean so it stands to reason that feeding isnt something that has to be done. They also feed off what they pick up with their tentacles so whe you feed your corals you are feeding him also....

 

Anemones are active predators in the ocean. There are some species that have no zooxanthellae and are completely carnivorous. Photosynthesis alone is not adequate nutrition for BTAs. Some anemones may need to be fed, BTAs are not one of them

 

i will spot feed mine live brine shrimp now and then but i have been feeding the fish food soaked in garlic and when i put it in the tank im sure some of it goes onto into my anemone... wich as stated above they will feed off the tenticles catches.. ok so the ? is ... what does normal anemone poo look like