Heteractis crispa

[55semireef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8734528#post8734528 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by macperry
55semireef: How long did this process take? My percs don't quite have the hang of it yet. I put the piece of shrimp in the tank....and they just ignore it. I put the piece of shrimp as close to the anems mouth as I can get it....and one of the percs eventually swims over and grabs the shrimp away from the anem! I think I am starting to loose my mind....)

Thats why I went with clarkiis. I had no acclimation process for the clowns to feed the anemones. They did it right away. However, it took a little bit of time for the anemones to react immediately to the food. I would say about a week. Any time a piece of shrimp touches their tentacles, they become monsters and pulll the shrimp in.

 

[macperry]

Hey guys...here is the progress I made today. The anem never completely consumed the silverside. After about 20 min one of the percs pulled it away from the anem, and I took it out of the tank. Thoughts???

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[catastrofe]

I'd suggest starting with 1/4 to 1/2 a silverside. After the anemone consumes that much on a regular basis you can increase the portion size.

 

[macperry]

catastrofe: I should have explained that I started with 1/2 a silverside. Hard to tell how much was actually "eaten" by the time the perc grabbed it. Next time it's head first...)

 

[55semireef]

That silverside is way to big. Go for smaller pieces and then work your way up.

 

[macperry]

55semireef: OK...I will try again in a couple of days. I have to find a feeding tool that works better than the turkey baster or large pair of tongs. Baster just blows food away too easily, and the tongs are just too unweildy in such close quarters.

 

[55semireef]

I usually use my hands when it comes to anemones. What size tank is yours in?

 

[petoonia]

My crispa likes clams, but I try to feed a variety of food. When I first got mine I would almost shred the food, and use a turkey baster. We had to cut the tip of the turkey baster to make the hole larger. Then I would just slowly release the food as close to the mouth as possible. At first we started with mysis shrimp to get it eating, then we started feeding mostly krill, or clams, sometimes we mix in some formula 1. Now that the anemone is established I just chop up the food a little bit, but I sill use the turkey baster.