New BTA looks good, won't eat.

[Kung]

I picked up a BTA last week, along with his host a gold striped maroon. The maroon feeds him, and thats all fine, and he seems to have found a good spot that he likes. Here's the problem;

I fed him a whole shrimp last night, raw, thawed, and headless. I found the entire shrimp in the substrate this morning. Not partially digested, just dumped there. Is there something wrong? Would he prefer something else? I was planning to pick up some krill and silversides so as to vary his diet. Will he likely take to those things better than the shrimp?

 

[rcastreje]

Welp - I am just going to repeat what I have heard on this thread in the past and hope it helps. I am also going to ask the typical questions.

It is not uncommong for Anemenes to be picky about the foods they like. Therefore, your plan of trying different foods you are feeding it is a good start.

It is also possible the size of the food is/was to large for it. How big is the Anemone and how big was the shrimp you were trying to feed it.

An Anemone that is stressed might not take food. Although you got it last week, it is possible that the Anemone is still stressing.

Hope this "rebroadcast" helps.

-Rich

PS - If any of the above information is incorrect, sorry - please correct me as I don't want to pass incorrect information.

 

[redvipe2010]

A whole shrimp is way too much. Feed no bigger than 1/4" portions. The anemone was unable to digest it and regurgitated it.

 

[Slakker]

Agree.

 

[ludnix]

I added a BTA anemone last Saturday and have been successful feeding it half pieces of krill. My LFS suggested trying different foods with it until it finds something it likes. Krill seemed to be the trick for mine.

 

[jeeperrs]

I give my anemone a lot of different foods. I think you gave a piece of food that was too big for him and he just spit it out. The largest mine will take is a piece no bigger than an inch. I would try again with a smaller piece of food

 

[55semireef]

Try placing small pieces of krill, or shrimp on the mouth of the BTA so it doesn't have to use to much energy to get the food in its mouth. That's what I have always done with stressed anemones and often time it works.

 

[Kung]

It worked. Yeah, thanks!

 

[55semireef]

:thumbsup: