How long do you think it would take to grow out a 3" Rose Bubble Tip Anemone to clownfish hosting size? It's, about, 3", I'm feeding pieces of silverside, weekly, 2 120watt led lights, and 6 stunner strips, coral reef tank, with daily additions of brs 3 part solution, over 10% weekly water changes, with reef crystals, carbon, and gfo changed out every other week, hob refugium, and calerpa in it. I have ocelleris clowns, full grown, so, it probably doesn't need to be huge to host them. Should I feed more often?
Growing out a RBTA?
- Thread starter felixpaws
- Start date
texasrainman
New member
Surprised its not hosted now. I've seen small ones like that being host.
I feed my srbta maybe half a silverside a week.
I feed my srbta maybe half a silverside a week.
Robb in Austin
New member
^ that.
Although I'd feed mysis vs silverside.
Although I'd feed mysis vs silverside.
It's still relatively new to my tank(less than a month), and it hasn't puffed out to it's full 3", yet. Plus, my clowns are tank raised, so, that could be an issue. I had a long tentacle/bubble tip? in the tank as well, but transferred it to my other tank. My clowns never hosted it. It was suggested to me to place a picture of a clownfish in an anemone on the tank, but I haven't had it on there long. I transferred the green nem, about a week ago. I was told that silversides would induce a feeding response, while mysis was a crapshoot. It would be better to feed mysis, because they're smaller, and easier for the nem to eat, but I've always been told, the best foods for animals are nothing, if they won't eat it. Does yours eat mysis without issue? Do you do anything special to get it to eat it?
I'll have to try it. When I first got my green nem, I tried mysis, and it wouldn't eat it. I, then, tried silversides, and it ate it, right away. Tonight, I'm feeding my coral, so, I'll try some mysis. I add selcon to my foods, because I bought a tang, with hole in the head(didn't notice it, until I got home, and no gaurantee on saltwater stuff.), which is healing, slowly, by the way. I read somewhere that they made a direct link to poorly rinsed carbon, so, make sure to rinse your carbon well. If it eats the mysis, I'm sure I can get it to a large enough size to host me clowns. Then, it's just a matter of getting them to recognize it as a host. Has anyone grown out an anemone, from a small size, and how long did it take, to get to, say, 5"?
Cliff519
New member
It took about a year for my RBTA to grow from about 3 to 4 inches to about 12 inches
I feed him twice weekly a few weeks after adding him to the tank (once he was all settled in). I also had pretty good lighting with a 8 bulb T5HO fixture on a 90 gallon tank.
I have never been a big fan of silversides so I feed him pcs of raw shrimp and scallops cut to a proper size for him
I feed him twice weekly a few weeks after adding him to the tank (once he was all settled in). I also had pretty good lighting with a 8 bulb T5HO fixture on a 90 gallon tank.
I have never been a big fan of silversides so I feed him pcs of raw shrimp and scallops cut to a proper size for him
Tmoriarty
New member
I also feed shrimp/scallops or mysis to my nems. As for the tank raised clowns and them associating with the anemone, that is not by any means proven, in fact I have seen many tank raised clowns take to BTA's fater then wild caught.
Assuming you have false/true percula clownfish there is a chance they will never associate with your BTA's, it is not a natural host for them. If they will take to the nem they can take to it at the size it currently is, they may however love it to death (but BTA's are fairly resistant to that).
Size wise, depends on feeding, feed often and it will grow much quicker. If you do not feed at all it will take a quite a while longer to grow. Growth is fully dependant on feedings and water quality. Also lighting plays a role thats just as important. Good luck with the nems and happy reefing.
Assuming you have false/true percula clownfish there is a chance they will never associate with your BTA's, it is not a natural host for them. If they will take to the nem they can take to it at the size it currently is, they may however love it to death (but BTA's are fairly resistant to that).
Size wise, depends on feeding, feed often and it will grow much quicker. If you do not feed at all it will take a quite a while longer to grow. Growth is fully dependant on feedings and water quality. Also lighting plays a role thats just as important. Good luck with the nems and happy reefing.
texasrainman
New member
really? the little bitty mysis? never thought thatd be enough. i'll try that as well. what about squid?
bues0022
New member
Lots of little food is far superior to just one or two big chunks. Several have also had otherwise healthy nems die after eating silversides. Theory on that is bacterial contamination. Feed your Nem (ifyou want to, definitely not necessary for a healthy specimen) small bits of meaty food same as you would feed your fish: scallops, clams, fish, shrimp, mysis, squid, etc. All food grade, raw, chopped finely.
I've been going by the information, from another forum. All I'm seeing here makes sense, though. I fed it a couple pieces of mysis(p.e. mysis), but I'm not sure it ate them. I have shrimp, and they sometimes steal food from my coral. I'm thinking, seeing my nem fully expanded makes me think it's about two inches, not three. It has gotten a little "happier", over the last week or so, so, it may be a little bigger, but I doubt it. Hopefully, it will move out, into a better, more well lit spot. I'll continue feeding mysis, and hope for the best. My green nem is much bigger, but hasn't grown a lot, in the past year. I just hope this one grows faster, than that.
Excellent advice. I buy a bunch of seafood from the grocery store. Chop it up finely, add some vitamins, and then freeze in thin sheets inside plastic baggies. Break it up and give it to the fish, some corals, and anemone.
steelhead77
New member
Stop feeding it! Think about them in the wild. These creatures are not hunters. No-one is coming by and dropping food down it's gullet. Broadcast feed your tank once a week and it will get everything it needs from the water column and from light.
