bta feeding
- Thread starter jwreffner
- Start date
I just feed mine bits of silverside, krill or shrimp. Just wiggle the food around in its tentacles and it should grab hold. Usually I use a pair of tongs, but if I have my hands in the tank for something else, I'll just hand feed it. If it's a piece of food my clown can grab a hold of, I'll also occasionally just give it to her and she'll generally bring it to the anemone. Realize, though, the clown still considers that food their's, so as the anemone gets the food towards its mouth the clown will often times pull it back out and put it on the edge of the disk.
Depending on what else you have in the tank, you may have to protect your anemone while it eats. I know I always have to keep my cleaner shrimp and sometimes even my hosting clown at bay or they'll steal the food. I feed mine 2-3 times a week, but I'm also trying to nurse it back to health, so you probably don't need to feed more than once or twice a week if yours is healthy.
Depending on what else you have in the tank, you may have to protect your anemone while it eats. I know I always have to keep my cleaner shrimp and sometimes even my hosting clown at bay or they'll steal the food. I feed mine 2-3 times a week, but I'm also trying to nurse it back to health, so you probably don't need to feed more than once or twice a week if yours is healthy.
sarahkucera
New member
Re: bta feeding
I feed silversides by hand 2 to 3 times weekly and whatever else he can catch during normal feeding time is his.
I feed my tank cyclopeeze, mysis, krill, and whatever else I pick up. The fish also get selecon soaked seaweed. I know the selecon disperses throughout the tank a little, but don't think it does anything for the nem.
It took a few days after introduction for him to really get sticky enough to grab the silversides and shove them down, but now he's eating like a champ.
Good luck!
I feed silversides by hand 2 to 3 times weekly and whatever else he can catch during normal feeding time is his.
I feed my tank cyclopeeze, mysis, krill, and whatever else I pick up. The fish also get selecon soaked seaweed. I know the selecon disperses throughout the tank a little, but don't think it does anything for the nem.
It took a few days after introduction for him to really get sticky enough to grab the silversides and shove them down, but now he's eating like a champ.
Good luck!
I believe I've heard of people feeding squid to their anemone, and I include squid in my homemade fish food which I feed to my anemone as well. Bloodworms are probably fine as well. I certainly wouldn't think they're bad for the anemone, so if it likes it, it will eat it. Anemones aren't indescriminate eaters, so if it's not something they consider food they won't eat it. For that matter, if it's something they don't care for, they won't eat it. Mine seems less than enthusiastic about krill for example.
JahReefster
Premium Member
I feed mine silversides, krill, and mysis, about twice every three weeks. If I'm feeling ambitious, I'll sometimes soak the food in selcon first. BTAs also get nutrition from the water column and your lighting, so the frequency of feeding at some point really is a matter of how big you want it to get and whether you want it to split. When feeding silversides, though, make sure the pieces are on the small size... most people say no bigger than 1/4", but I go up to 1/2". The BTA will go ahead and swallow whatever it can, but if the food is on the large size it will often reguritate the mass a few hours later, often when your lights are out, and then you'll be left wondering why your water parameters keep getting worse and worse.
