Does your clown feed its nem?

[Mael]

I have a rainbow BTA in my tank and it hosts my pair of clowns(female Mocha, male occ) when I feed LRs or my home made frozen the male clown only will grab the biggest chunks and swim them into the nem and let go, then the nem eats it.

Anyone have/seen clowns do this before?

 

[DasCamel]

Mine fight the Nem for food....

 

[Mael]

lol, havent seen mine do that yet.....slightly stranger thing is this BTA split recently, and I have only seen the clown feed the bigger "original" half and not the smaller one, which is weird as they are right next to ea other right now.

 

[ThRoewer]

It's not really feeding. Clownfish, especially the big ones, just like to drag the bites they can't eat right now into their "home".

 

[Mael]

hm weird, its the small guy doing it, the big female eats out of the column in the middle of the tank with everyone else during feedings, the little male goes back and forth and brings the bigger pieces to the nem.....definitely could be trying to save it for later....although Id hope he figures out the nem eat it every time =)

 

[CafeReef]

Mine fight the Nem for food....

Happy 1,000 DasCamel

 

[D-Nak]

What we think we see is not always what's actually happening. According to Fautin & Allen, clownfish don't feed their host anemones -- it's never been documented in the wild. In captivity, clownfish are simply taking food back to a safe place, this safe place just happens to eat ther food.

 

[ThRoewer]

Yep, feeding is not a regular part of the symbiosis.
Mutual protection is. The clowns protect the anemone from polyp nipping fish while the anemone protects the fish from fish eating predators.

 

[DasCamel]

Happy 1,000 DasCamel

Didn't even notice, thanks!

 

[DasCamel]

What we think we see is not always what's actually happening. According to Fautin & Allen, clownfish don't feed their host anemones -- it's never been documented in the wild. In captivity, clownfish are simply taking food back to a safe place, this safe place just happens to eat ther food.

+1

When they take it back in, still actively trying to eat it away from the other fish. Of course the Nem grabs some.

 

[Mael]

sounds about right, just looks like he is feeding it since he spits it at the nem, also makes sense why he only does it with the bigger chunks of food since those are the ones he cant eat on the spot.....now someone needs to tell that to my dottyback, it eats pieces half the size she is.

 

[East_St_Reefs]

We have a bonded pair of gold stripe maroons and all we need do is drop in a krill or silverside. One of them, usually the female, grabs it, swims it back home, and spits it into the nem, where it is ignored by the fish and promptly consumed by the nem.

Then both come out later for regular feeding time, but don't take the morsels back home.

Captivity does funny things to a fishes mental status. Lol

 

[ThRoewer]

sounds about right, just looks like he is feeding it since he spits it at the nem, also makes sense why he only does it with the bigger chunks of food since those are the ones he cant eat on the spot......

Mine do it with their ceramic flowerpot :headwally:

 

[Mael]

lol that would be fun to see

East St: I would avoid silversides if you can, they have lower QC standards when processing and can bring in bad things to make nems/fish sick and or die. stick to the other meaty foods and they should be fine.