reefmedown
New member
I just fed her last night, but today she still showing me her "long blonde hair". Is that sign she still wa:eek2:nt more food ??
does it mean my anemone still hungry?
- Thread starter reefmedown
- Start date
shifty51008
12-5 Chiefs record
What do you mean by long blonde hair?
Dkuhlmann
New member
Healthy nems don't need food. When they are bleached as I believe the OP's is since they referred to the "her long blonde hair" will need to be fed. Healthy nems don't "need" food because they get their "food" from the lighting which I believe is what you were referring to?
davocean
Active member
Agree, a healthy nems main source of energy is light and does not need spot feeding, however a white or bleached nem lacks the zooxanthellae it needs to process light into usable energy.
In bringing a bleached nem back to health we usually advise small foods like mysis which cause less stress, and maybe 2-3 times per week.
In bringing a bleached nem back to health we usually advise small foods like mysis which cause less stress, and maybe 2-3 times per week.
Ron Reefman
Active member
I'll disagree with the 'nems don't need food' statement.
I have rockflower nems that have come from shallow water (less than 3') in the Keys. They are kind of 'plain Jane' looking due to colors being tan, off white, gray, light green and such. But they did get a lot of light and they have proven to me that they don't need any intentional feeding.
On the other hand I have a number of rockflower nems that have come from deeper water (40' deep) in the Keys. These nems are crazy cool fluorescent colors that look spectacular. But they came from deeper water (and therefore less light) and don't seem to do very well unless they are fed. I lost a couple and the rest (I have about 20) were getting smaller and smaller. They never lost their vibrant color, but several did 'disappear'. This was over a period of about a year and the tank was well fed, but I didn't specifically target feed the nems.
But once I started target feeding them, they all responded. Over the last 6 months they have all stopped shrinking and some have actually started to get bigger. They were mostly 1" to 2" and several of them are now 3" to 4". This is in a tank system that is several years old and has mostly sps and lps coral where very little else changed.
So my conclusion, and I admit it's not very scientific, is that nems from deeper water that don't get as much light do better if they get some target feeding.
I have rockflower nems that have come from shallow water (less than 3') in the Keys. They are kind of 'plain Jane' looking due to colors being tan, off white, gray, light green and such. But they did get a lot of light and they have proven to me that they don't need any intentional feeding.
On the other hand I have a number of rockflower nems that have come from deeper water (40' deep) in the Keys. These nems are crazy cool fluorescent colors that look spectacular. But they came from deeper water (and therefore less light) and don't seem to do very well unless they are fed. I lost a couple and the rest (I have about 20) were getting smaller and smaller. They never lost their vibrant color, but several did 'disappear'. This was over a period of about a year and the tank was well fed, but I didn't specifically target feed the nems.
But once I started target feeding them, they all responded. Over the last 6 months they have all stopped shrinking and some have actually started to get bigger. They were mostly 1" to 2" and several of them are now 3" to 4". This is in a tank system that is several years old and has mostly sps and lps coral where very little else changed.
So my conclusion, and I admit it's not very scientific, is that nems from deeper water that don't get as much light do better if they get some target feeding.
150Ron
New member
Most nems dont need fed as they produce their own food however they do enjoy the occasional feeding. This goes for bubble tips and condies etc.. Bleached ones do need fed to bring them back to good health. Saying this Rockflower nems DO need fed as they do not produce their own food. They lack zooxanthellae therefore require feeding.
Canneddynomite
New member
For some reason I feel like feeding them everyone once in a while is a good thing even if they don't need it. If you don't use it you lose it...I don't even know why or how that phrase would apply but I think of it every time I feed it. Keep that functionality working!
davocean
Active member
A rock flower anemone is not a host anemone.
I'm not sure what lighting you have them under but that can make a big difference.
I'm not saying you should not spot feed, you just should not need to, not a healthy host nem under proper conditions.
I do agree it is neat to watch them draw in food
I'm not sure what lighting you have them under but that can make a big difference.
I'm not saying you should not spot feed, you just should not need to, not a healthy host nem under proper conditions.
I do agree it is neat to watch them draw in food
