Do not feed shrimp to your anemones

[D-Nak]

More specifically, I'm talking about frozen shrimp treated with sodium tri-phosphate or "STP" aka sodium tripolyphosphate or "STPP".

Keep in mind that unless the shrimp is fresh straight from the ocean, it may contain STP. Also, shrimp from the fish market or grocery case is oftentimes defrosted frozen shrimp, simply done so for the consumer's convenience. In other words, it main contain STP/STPP without you knowing it.

I've had several anemones (mostly gigantea) react negatively when feeding shrimp. It didn't kill them, but they weren't happy for a few days. I anecdotally attribute it to frozen shrimp treated with STP.

Here's a great article that discusses using fresh ingredients to feed our tanks. It also touches upon STP/STPP and the introduction of phosphate into our tanks, which we want to avoid.

https://www.reefs.com/blog/2015/10/27/farm-to-table-reef-feeding-a-breakthrough-in-captive-reef-nutrition/

On a side note, I feed LRS fish frenzy to all of my anemones and they love it. I gave one of my gigs a high five the other day and it was so happy that it literally didn't want to let go. :lol2:

 

[Mackenze]

literally just bought a giant shrimp for my anemone from the grocery store too. >.< Just going to shove some cheetos in his mouth, see how that works.

 

[Pinkskunk]

i have been feeding my carpets shrimps all this time without any issue. not saying i dont believe you or anything, but now i have to be cautious. i now start to feed fresh salmon, and in rare occasion i feed cod.

 

[akida]

I've tried reef frenzy and I don't like it. The texture is very offsetting and it doesn't defrost well. My fish don't go near it and I know if my fish aren't going near it, my anemone definitely won't. I prefer salmon for my nems they love it

 

[D-Nak]

i have been feeding my carpets shrimps all this time without any issue. not saying i dont believe you or anything, but now i have to be cautious. i now start to feed fresh salmon, and in rare occasion i feed cod.

To be completely honest, I haven't had enough issues with shrimp to tell people to avoid it altogether. There's no simple way to create a thread title with that in mind. The key takeaway is to look for STP/STPP in shrimp and to avoid it if possible.

It's similar to people telling others not to feed their nems silversides -- it really only takes one bad silverside or shrimp to kill the nem. Also, it doesn't seem to affect my magnifica or BTAs as much as it does my gigantea. Maybe they're more sensitive?

In the article it discusses the addition of phosphate via STP/STPP, and if this can be avoided as well, then we'll have less algae to deal with (though I question whether the amount of phosphate added with one shrimp really makes a big difference).

I've tried reef frenzy and I don't like it. The texture is very offsetting and it doesn't defrost well. My fish don't go near it and I know if my fish aren't going near it, my anemone definitely won't. I prefer salmon for my nems they love it

I prefer Fish Frenzy over Reef Frenzy because the general particle size appears to be bigger, but I could be wrong. I'm surprised that your fish don't go near it though. What's nice about either food is that they don't need to be defrosted or rinsed. If I'm too lazy to defrost it, I just take a chunk and hold it in front of my Gyre and it quickly spreads throughout the tank. I'm not sure what you mean about it not defrosting well -- I simply let it sit in a bowl of tank water, then give it a quick swirl, and it's good to go.

When I feed my anemones, I defrost a portion of food, suck it up in a turkey baster, then blast it into the nems' oral disk. They seem to like it.

I agree though -- salmon is the go to food for all of my nems.

 

[m0nkie]

do you guys care if it's wild caught or farm raised??

I've recently started making my own food for fish and carpets. I've been trying to find wild caught stuff. Salmon looks like an easy choice. Squids and Octopus are so hard to grind down. However, I've been reading a lot of articles on wild caught salmon being "farm raised" and then artificially colored pink

 

[ThRoewer]

I feed my anemones the same Mysis I feed my fish and so far I didn't get any complaints, at least not from my carpet anemones. The Malu/crispa sometimes spit them out undigested, but they tend to behave like that in my experience.
I haven't tried salmon yet - I prefer to rather put that on my sushi

But if using salmon I suppose you should use wild caught rather than the farmed as the color in the farmed salmon usually doesn't come from them eating lots of crustaceans but rather from food coloring added to their pellet food (which is often also laced with antibiotics).

In the past, back in Germany, I caught and collected the food for my fish myself. Close to the coast, I had some great spots for Mysis, feeder shrimp and small fish. At the right times of the year I could catch in a few hours enough to feed my fish for a year (and back then I had more fish than your average saltwater store).

 

[marc price]

I feed my anemones the same Mysis I feed my fish and so far I didn't get any complaints, at least not from my carpet anemones. The Malu/crispa sometimes spit them out undigested, but they tend to behave like that in my experience.
I haven't tried salmon yet - I prefer to rather put that on my sushi

But if using salmon I suppose you should use wild caught rather than the farmed as the color in the farmed salmon usually doesn't come from them eating lots of crustaceans but rather from food coloring added to their pellet food (which is often also laced with antibiotics).

In the past, back in Germany, I caught and collected the food for my fish myself. Close to the coast, I had some great spots for Mysis, feeder shrimp and small fish. At the right times of the year I could catch in a few hours enough to feed my fish for a year (and back then I had more fish than your average saltwater store).

Same experience wrt Crispa/Malu.

I find salmon a little too oily to wanna feed it to my anemone, only do so once in a blue moon.

There was just a story on the evening news about farm raised salmon being sold as wild caught.

I used to collect glass shrimp, mussel's etc from the Jersey shore to feed my critters. Then I found a few baby blue point crabs borrowing in the sand and growing at a alarming rate in the aquarium. Had to get them out of there before they got big enough to eat my fish! Actually released them back into the ocean in the spring. They probably hitched in at pin point or pin head size at the end of Sept when I last collected mussel's etc.

 

[marc price]

Re: STTP, trader joes frozen farm raised 21 to 30 count raw shrimp says "no sodium tripolyphosphate" on the bag. I fed them to my gigantea.

 

[jason2459]

How about hikari frozen jumbo krill. I've been feeding my RBTAs those periodically plus what ever else they catch while feeding my fish. I love that those krill are whole. Eyes, guts, and all.

 

[D-Nak]

Re: STTP, trader joes frozen farm raised 21 to 30 count raw shrimp says "no sodium tripolyphosphate" on the bag. I fed them to my gigantea.

That's perfect. That's what you're looking for. My grocery store has bagged frozen shrimp and the package claims that it's all natural without preservatives. The only ingredient listed is shrimp.

 

[D-Nak]

How about hikari frozen jumbo krill. I've been feeding my RBTAs those periodically plus what ever else they catch while feeding my fish. I love that those krill are whole. Eyes, guts, and all.

I think it should be fine. I've never had an issue feeding BTAs.

 

[akida]

Believe or not, PE Mysis is very high in protein and everyone, including corals and anemones, seem to love it. My duncans go bizzark for it. Not as heavy as salmon but I've used it for 3 years and have never had a problem with it.

 

[akida]

Dnak, what mode do you have your Gyre on? I have a 150 on my 30x30 and seriously love it but it moves so much water I only have it on 30% and it rocks my tank. my gigs prefer the Gyre constant mode. I find it's not like most constant modes thought since my the pattern is different than most propeller bases pumps. I had 2 MP40's running and this thing literally moves more water, lose more controllability though. Any insight?

 

[D-Nak]

Believe or not, PE Mysis is very high in protein and everyone, including corals and anemones, seem to love it. My duncans go bizzark for it. Not as heavy as salmon but I've used it for 3 years and have never had a problem with it.

PE Mysis is fine. I mix it with my frozen food when I feel like feeding a shrimp heavy diet. My understanding is that it's caught from very cold water and flash frozen (without preservatives). It's actually a freshwater species.

Dnak, what mode do you have your Gyre on? I have a 150 on my 30x30 and seriously love it but it moves so much water I only have it on 30% and it rocks my tank. my gigs prefer the Gyre constant mode. I find it's not like most constant modes thought since my the pattern is different than most propeller bases pumps. I had 2 MP40's running and this thing literally moves more water, lose more controllability though. Any insight?

My Gyre is set on Pulse Mode at about 75%. I may buy the interface to connect it to my Apex, but I haven't felt the need to get it yet. I ended up selling my MP40s but plan to buy one MP40QD to use as a back-up or when I'm cleaning the Gyre.

 

[Canneddynomite]

So ive been giving Fresh Previously frozen tiny scallops and shrimp from the seafood department at publix. Would you say because its previously frozen that its not really a good idea? Ive seen no Ill effects from it.

 

[davocean]

I rarely spot feed my nems much anymore, as light is good and plenty enough usually.
Mysis will be picked up at feeding time, and I do make sure to feed mysis to a bleached nem to help in bringing back to health.
Once in a while when I pick up scallops for my own dinner I will put a small piece aside for nem treat, but that is not very often at all.

 

[akida]

I was thinking of grabbing a Jebao to supplement some area's towards the back of the tank where the Gyre is placed. Don't get as much movement there and my purple, which was recently treated and very happy now, is located almost directly under the Gyre so he's not getting as much flow. I figure supplement with a cheap pump rather than spending another $300.