Green BTA not eating

[jiminy_crime]

So this is my second green bubble tip anemone to not eat. I have a rainbow bubble tip anemone that is growing well in the same tank but the green versions seem to struggle. Is it possible that this particular species of anemone just will not take to my tank or is it just a coincidence that green seem to struggle?

 

[jiminy_crime]

Here is my rainbow doing well in the middle of Xenia lol

 

[jiminy_crime]

I will point out that the lighting is more than sufficient. I currently use Kessil 360s.

I have spot feed about once every three days. The rainbow eats the food almost immediately but the green has seemed to just slowly wither away.


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[Jamie1210]

I understand where you are coming from! For the past 6 months I've gone through 4 green ones and none have made it. My rose anemones thrive on the other hand. All green ones deflate like crazy and gape. Don't know what is going on with them

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[madweazl]

Is there a reason you're trying to feed it? If there is adequate light, there really isnt any need to feed them. If it doesnt want to eat, quit attempting to do so (just irritating it and wasting energy). On that note, what are you trying to feed it? And in saying you have adequate light based on the fact that it is Kessel and nothing more has little value as well (this isnt to say it isnt receiving adequate light).

 

[jiminy_crime]

I have a all softie/LPS tank. I have the 2 kessil 360s over 36 gallon bow front that is 21" deep and 8" off the waterline. I set lights at 65% color and 60% intensity and all seem to be doing well, even the RBTA that is pictured is doing well.

From my experience so far, not feeding bubble tip anemones as only led to starvation. My best success has come from good light and feedings about 2 times a week. I hear people that never feed them but I have yet to see that be the case. I wasn't really feeding the green bubble as he didn't seem to take it if I placed it near his mouth (tiny silverside cuts and mysis shrimp). I have only seen his tentacles continue to shrink which is what the last one did before dying of starvation as well. I am pretty certain from all the reading and studying I have done that size reduction in the anemone and tentacle loss is typically a sign that the anemone is starving.

Is this not correct?

And the reason I felt the lights were more than enough is because I was told that these lights were strong enough for SPS if I wanted to adjust to a mixed reef tank. Is that not the case?


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[madweazl]

Silversides are something you should avoid feeding anemones, stick with krill, Mysis, squid, clam, etc.. As for the lighting, it's hard to say. The intensity could be adequate but the color off (or vice versa); could be any number of things.

Has it been in the same location the whole time or is it wandering about?

 

[jiminy_crime]

On silversides I am cutting them up in small chunks about the size of a mysis shrimp. I avoid the whole fish and don't feed the heads.

The color is the equivalent of roughly 13k to 15k on color temp. Like I said, my other anemone is growing like a weed. He did move early on to the back of the tank but still under light, he just wants lower flow. I did notice his foot letting go of the glass which I found odd. He has lots of signs of an anemone that is starving. I may just leave him alone and just watch and wait and see. May just not be able to keep green BTAs...just stick to the red rose and rainbows. I've heard some people just can't keep certain anemones. I may just be that one person that can't keep green.


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[Dkuhlmann]

Jiminy, do a search here for silversides. What you will find is that you should never feed another silverside to your anemone ever again. Many anemones have died from eating silversides and the reason is that they are frozen and thawed so many times that they can carry all kinds of bad bacteria that can and will kill anemones. Do yourself the favor and search for: silversides, or feeding silversides to anemones. there are many threads on it.

 

[jiminy_crime]

I was told by a well respected owner of a LFS that green BTAs are 3 times as difficult to care for and raise successfully as a rainbow. I'm starting to agree with this from my perspective.

The guy above is nearing death but I am hesitant to pull him out prematurely.


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[sstwelder]

I have had a green bta for about 3 months and I spot feed it krill once a week. About a week and a half ago it split into 2 and they are both eating their weekly krill. I'm no anemone expert bit I've found mine very easy to care for, especially that my system is fairly young(going on 7 months).

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[rt67ghy]

I would drop a few pellets on to it just to see if it'll take them. If so, it would be a positive sign and then you could gradually offer it other types of food such as shrimp.

 

[jiminy_crime]

The anemone gave out two days ago. No injury that I could see and just a gradual reduction in ability to keep its foot attached to the surface. I came home and it was sitting upside down on its mouth with its foot in the air. I went ahead and pulled it to make sure that it didn't go sour in the tank while I was away at work. My other rainbow bubble has nearly doubled in size in the last two months. I'm just going to stay away from green bubble tip anemones for now and just let my tank grow as is.


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[dreaddinit]

Thats so weird man. I have a GBTA that was bleached solid white. It is under a current orbit marine LED and I have fed it probably 3 times and it just spits it out. However, it is as happy as can be and is starting to gain its zooxanthellae back luckily without intervention. My parameters are all in check as im sure yours are. Very weird

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[madweazl]

I've only had one GBTA but didn't have any issues with it. I think you tossed it prematurely but what is done is done. I had an RBTA split in a tank about five years ago. One side went under the rock never to be seen again. It popped out about a year later (no joke) bleached completely white and a fraction the size of when it split but recovered and went to a new home. The RBTA had split once more after that and the two halfs from that split grew at a similar rate to one another and stayed side by side the entire time. No idea why the one went behind the rock work for so long but it survived and came out when it "needed" to I suppose.