55semireef
Moved On
And your explanation to why this is incorrect...? I am truly interested.
Last edited:
New Green carpet :)
- Thread starter ATX aquarist
- Start date
And your explanation to why this is incorrect...? I am truly interested.
Slakker
Premium Member
I've seen it suggested that some larger species of anemone (notably gigantea and haddoni, if my memory serves me well) have been observed feeding heavily on detritus. So, while you should still feed them, it is possible that they do get some nutrition out of small particle food sources.
55semireef
Moved On
I have never heard of any anemone feeding on detritus. BTW, detritus and phytoplankton are completely two different things. Detritus is dead and phytoplankton are microscopic plants that are autotropic. I doubt any anemone feeds off this in the pacific.
ATX aquarist
New member
This is a very interesting conversation. What I am truly interested in though is why anemones can refuse to eat food. I have plenty of light and a stable aquarium. The light should keep the zooxanthallae alive, but it is bleaching. And as for why it doesn't eat???? An anemone has no brain obviously, it simply has a nerve net with stinging cells in the tentacles. I can't think of why an anemone would refuse to eat. Even after water changes and all tests prove the water to be fine. If any one has a good answer to that I'd be pleased to know
55semireef
Moved On
Possibly that it doesn't have the digestive enzymes right now. You know when you get a high fever your appetite decreases? This is because your body temperature is increasing above an optimum temperature which then denatures the enzymes in our digestive system. I am not saying your Hadddoni has a fever but it could possibly be sick. I think if you give it another week like we said earlier your Haddoni might establish itself and it will accept food if done the proper way.
elegance coral
They call me EC
My wifes eel is alwayse kicking up detritus all over her hadoni. The hadoni hasn't eaten any of it yet.
Anemones need venom to capture and kill its pray. Venom is very biologically expensive to produce. If an anemone is bleaching it may not have the ability to produce venom. I believe this is why a sick or weakend anemone tends to have a milder sting if any at all. Their stinging sells firing is the first triger to the anemone feeding. I believe that once this triger is damaged the anemone stops eating. In my opinion the only way a sick anemone will begin feeding again is if they get enough energy from their algae to produce venom, and thus start the feeding cycle all over again. Just my opinion. Can't prove a word of it.
Anemones need venom to capture and kill its pray. Venom is very biologically expensive to produce. If an anemone is bleaching it may not have the ability to produce venom. I believe this is why a sick or weakend anemone tends to have a milder sting if any at all. Their stinging sells firing is the first triger to the anemone feeding. I believe that once this triger is damaged the anemone stops eating. In my opinion the only way a sick anemone will begin feeding again is if they get enough energy from their algae to produce venom, and thus start the feeding cycle all over again. Just my opinion. Can't prove a word of it.
55semireef
Moved On
venom? I didn't know anemones had venom.
bencozzy
New member
ok its like smell and taste for people we preceive things differently even though its the same item. well point is only certian amino acid or fatty acid combinations will excite the nerves to cause the cells to fire.
what are your water parameters in the tank? especially alk and phosphate?
ben
elegance coral
They call me EC
Different authors have different names for this. They call it poison, toxin, or venom. I'm not sure what the proper term for it is. It acts very quickly so I use the term venom. All jelly fish and anemones have nematocysts. Small capsules full of venom with a tiny harpoon like structure inside. When something brushes against the tentacles it trigers these capsules to fire, sending the harpoon and its venom into its victum. The tissues of anemones and jellyfish are very fragile. A struggling fish could easily injure one of these animals if they didn't have the ability to kill the fish. They do this with venom. If you have ever seen an anemone catch and eat a live fish the fish will struggle for a few seconds then stop moving other than its gills. The venom causes them to stop moving making it safe for the anemone to consume it. Without this venom an anemone could not feed. I hope that answered your question.
55semireef
Moved On
Actually it did answer my question. I knew they had nematocysts but didn't know how they worked really.
The sad part is I have never actually seen an anemone capture and kill a live fish. Do you think feeding it a guppy would hurt it if the anemone consumed it?
The sad part is I have never actually seen an anemone capture and kill a live fish. Do you think feeding it a guppy would hurt it if the anemone consumed it?
bencozzy
New member
i actually had a breeding colony of about 6 guppies and two mollies in my tank and after i added my haddoni to the tank they began disappearing,guppies could carry parasites and disease so feeding them would be bad unless you breed your own and know they are "clean".
the guppies and mollies seemed to have no fear of the anemone.
the guppies and mollies seemed to have no fear of the anemone.
elegance coral
They call me EC
No it wouldn't hert. They are not a good major food sorse for them, But it will do them no harm. I have fed my Elegance and anemones fresh water feeder fish and shrimp many times when I didn't have salt water food for them. Their main diet needs to be saltwater pray items. Are you going to try this? If so let me know how it goes.
If you use fresh water fish, not fresh water fish that have adapted to living in salt water, there would be no concern of contamination. In fact I have never heard of a fish passing an infection on to an anemone. Hadonis are famous for eating sick fish and they don't get sick from it. Regardless, it is safe.
If you use fresh water fish, not fresh water fish that have adapted to living in salt water, there would be no concern of contamination. In fact I have never heard of a fish passing an infection on to an anemone. Hadonis are famous for eating sick fish and they don't get sick from it. Regardless, it is safe.
Last edited:
ATX aquarist
New member
I have fed anemones fancy guppies before when their populations got too numerous. The anemones did fine, but I would be weary of doing that now knowing the bacterias and what not living in freshwater fish and their environments
55semireef
Moved On
Yes I am going to try this. Don't worry I will let you know.
ATX, what kind of anemones did you feed your guppies to?
Don't worry I will let you know.ATX, what kind of anemones did you feed your guppies to?
elegance coral
They call me EC
Condi, flower or rock, hadoni, and my large Elegance. What kind of anemone do you have? I didn't feed mine Guppies. I caught minows and grass shrimp with a dip net to feed them.
55semireef
Moved On
I have a 13 inch Crispa and a small RBTA. I just sold my mint green Haddoni about a month ago. It got too big.
elegance coral
They call me EC
There's no such thing as an anemone thats to big. You could have just got him a bigger tank. Thats what I have to do for my wife now.
marc price
Active member
"The sad part is I have never actually seen an anemone capture and kill a live fish."
it's actually not so sad when it's your favorite halichoeres melanurus wrasse . i watched in horror as the s. haddoni consumed it with merely one single tentacle snagging the tip of its tail fin followed almost instantly by drawing it in and enveloping it . next day the bones were on the sand next to it . it was a very healthy wrasse that was being harassed by the a. polymnus when it somehow backwardly lowered itself onto the tentacle .
i also lost three paracheilinus octotaenia to s. haddoni . all were recently introduced and yes i had always found remains next to the anemone the following day . so no they didn't hide in the rock work as some species of dottybacks , especially wild caught are known to do and didn't die there of shock or starvation from being harassed by established and dominant species such as tangs , angelfishes and others .
i surprisingly saw my h.crispa eat a rock urchin . actually noticed it when the urchin was still exposed in the mouth didn't think it was poss. and yes the next day the remains of it's test and spines were scattered around the sand next to it . would've liked to have taken a pic but no digicam or film on hand .
it's actually not so sad when it's your favorite halichoeres melanurus wrasse . i watched in horror as the s. haddoni consumed it with merely one single tentacle snagging the tip of its tail fin followed almost instantly by drawing it in and enveloping it . next day the bones were on the sand next to it . it was a very healthy wrasse that was being harassed by the a. polymnus when it somehow backwardly lowered itself onto the tentacle .
i also lost three paracheilinus octotaenia to s. haddoni . all were recently introduced and yes i had always found remains next to the anemone the following day . so no they didn't hide in the rock work as some species of dottybacks , especially wild caught are known to do and didn't die there of shock or starvation from being harassed by established and dominant species such as tangs , angelfishes and others .
i surprisingly saw my h.crispa eat a rock urchin . actually noticed it when the urchin was still exposed in the mouth didn't think it was poss. and yes the next day the remains of it's test and spines were scattered around the sand next to it . would've liked to have taken a pic but no digicam or film on hand .
Similar threads
