Anemone ate my clown

[luka13]

My BTA consumed the dominant female perc after existing together for 12 months. The clown was healthy at the time. Is this common?

 

[wicked_NaCl_h2o]

Same thing happen to my female pink skunk back in august. I don't blame my anemone though. She shouldn't have tried hiding in the anemones mouth.

 

[luka13]

Yeah...how can i blame my anenome even though it bit the hand that fed it.

 

[Lmecher]

Thats aweful, are you sure? That is really odd for a bta, you have my condolences. I bet your very sad, I would be.

 

[cateyes]

were you feeding the anemone?

 

[luka13]

yes - the clowns feed it regulary- dragging chunks of fish meal down into its waiting tentacles . it is the most well fed BTA around!

 

[colorfan45]

now it is. jk

 

[Dragonlady]

I really suspect something was going on with your percula clown.
It is known that very young clownfish that have recently passed through metamorphasis will often be consumed by anemones that they don't host in in the wild when they try to acclimate to the unnatural host, but it would be extremely unlikely for the anemone to consume a live clown that has been hosting in the anemone for a year.

 

[JENnKerry]

How much bigger was the anenome? Perhaps that could play a role?

 

[MM WI]

Health of clown would be culprit here. Disease or diet. When it happens to the larger of your clowns it is usually not the quality of the diet but the amount. Healthy clowns will often swim into and out of the mouth with no real risk. The percs in my gigantea do this regularly. The first time you witness it it is shocking. After watching clowns swim into and out of the mouth a few hundred times it loses its shock value.

Similiarly for the very young, it is not posible to supply them with all of their dietary needs in captivity. Growth and development requirements are more demanding on the very young clowns. Here it is quality of diet.

I had a very large maroon that would get stung on his underside if I was not getting it enough food to stay healthy. He never got eaten but if I did not respond with an increase in feeding he would have eventually been a meal.

- mark

 

[clarin]

omg ... so sorry that happen

 

[ekr]

sorry for you lost. i have seen bta eat sick fish but nothing healthy.