BT Anenome.....to feed or not to feed

[NewFish3]

I have had this Bubble Tip Anemone for about 8 weeks. Some people here have said to feed it a shrinp krill 1 or 2 times a week. This is also what my LFS has said.

I mostly have fed him once a week. BUT this guy is getting huge.

Now I have some people telling me NOT to feed him....he will eat things from the water, and he will be fine & this will also keep him from growing to fast.

????????? What is correct...

Thanks

 

[jamest0o0]

I should not be considered a reliable source at all, but IMO you should still feed him just less at a time and maybe add more days in between when you feed him

 

[Steelslinger75]

I used to feed by BTA a whole silverside about 3 times a week. He loved them

 

[NewFish3]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12019695#post12019695 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Steelslinger75
I used to feed by BTA a whole silverside about 3 times a week. He loved them

Ya......but how big is he getting & how fast ???

My BTA is only about 4 weeks from wanting his own bedroom & asking for the car keys........lol lol lol

 

[Blown 346]

Lol.


I would feed it as well, without feedings its health will dwindle.

 

[rlm2005]

It is only a matter of time before it outgrows the 14 gallon tank. Yes, you should continue to feed it.

 

[mmounajjed]

I I have my BT anemone for over 3 years, I initially wasnt feeding it,
Over the last six month I feed it 4-5 week with whole frozen cube of different formulas
It looks grea6t now and it almost doubled in size

 

[lloydkeller]

silversides 3 times a week keeps them happy

 

[greenbean36191]

If you choose to feed, cycplopeeze, brine shrimp, or mysis would be a better choice than fish or shrimp. They guys are zooplanktivores on the wild, so chunks of fish and large shrimp are unnatural. That said, they do just fine without regular feeding, especially when they're hosting fish.

When you look at them under a microscope and compare them to something like Aiptasia one of the most noticeable things is how much more dense the zooxanthellae are and how scarce the nematocysts are in BTAs. That should give you a hint where they prefer to get most of their energy. A few years ago I worked on a project that showed that BTAs are actually getting a significant part of their N budget from the water, especially when they're hosting fish. The C comes from the zoox, so their need to capture food to meet their metabolic requirements is pretty low.

In my personal tank I had one for about 6 years or so that doubled in size and split despite irregular direct feeding about every month or two. Obviously you can speed the growth with more frequent feeding, but there's no need to feed that often if fast growth isn't your goal.

 

[mmounajjed]

I usually use Mysis shrimps, and Brime shrimp, occasionally formula One

 

[papagimp]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12020112#post12020112 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by greenbean36191
If you choose to feed, cycplopeeze, brine shrimp, or mysis would be a better choice than fish or shrimp. They guys are zooplanktivores on the wild, so chunks of fish and large shrimp are unnatural. That said, they do just fine without regular feeding, especially when they're hosting fish.

Wish somebody had told me this sooner, lol. I've switched from regular mysis and krill feedings to larger chunks of squid an silversides and the RBTA seems to enjoy the new food with more gusto than he did the mysis and whanot, but may have to give em more of that to see what happens. Now the smaller guys/splits almost always ignore the silversides even when cut plenty small enough. I've heard some great things about feeding them some of the uncooked clam/scallops sold at the Walmart neighborhood markets. One source told me that his BTA started bubbling up alot more on that stuff and when switched to any other food, goes back to the non bubbley appearance. Thoughts? Sounds like it's time for more research to be done. (always love a good reason to buy another fishy book)

 

[mmounajjed]

anybodyknow if they use any preservative. which could be harmful
or anybody would recommend any certian brand of scallops use