I've heard of carpet anemones eating fish but an RBTA? I had two juvenile ocellaris - one common orange and one black. Been in the tank for only a week or so. Apparently, my RBTA decided to eat my black one?! I last fed the RBTA three days ago. The clowns paired up and had hosted in the anemone since being in the tank. I would like to get a replacement but what are the odds of this happening again?
RBTA ate my black Ocellaris?!
- Thread starter Texsun
- Start date
rudeanduncouth
New member
Did you watch it happen?
No, but I'm fairly certain it was the RBTA. The black ocellaris was there before dinner; after dinner, no more black ocellaris. Anemone starts to shrink and then shortly an hour or two later expels some waste. Looked in and around the tank and couldn't find him so it's gotta be the anemone, right?
SEAFLOWERS
Premium Member
How big was the nem compared to the fish? also in the years I have been keeping nems I have learned how slow their disgestive system can be. If it did eat your fish it is hard to imagine that it released it's waste from what it ate in only a couple of hours. Do you have a sump? if so I have had fish go over the edge in past years and end up in the sump, and I didn't notice for a few days.
Well it's been almost 12 hours now since the incident. I've checked high and low without any success.
Seaflowers, my RBTA is about the size of a salad plate when expanded while the clown was less than two inches. Perhaps "expelling waste" is innacurate. The anemone shrank over the course of an hour and then occasionally expanded it's stomach and stayed shrunken for a couple of hours. It didn't help that the remaining clown kept picking at the anemone as if it was saying "hey, give me my friend back!"
Seaflowers, my RBTA is about the size of a salad plate when expanded while the clown was less than two inches. Perhaps "expelling waste" is innacurate. The anemone shrank over the course of an hour and then occasionally expanded it's stomach and stayed shrunken for a couple of hours. It didn't help that the remaining clown kept picking at the anemone as if it was saying "hey, give me my friend back!"
flameangel88
New member
You've a very good point there.
Texsun said: It didn't help that the remaining clown kept picking at the anemone as if it was saying "hey, give me my friend back!"
Texsun said: It didn't help that the remaining clown kept picking at the anemone as if it was saying "hey, give me my friend back!"
flameangel88
New member
Sorry for your loss!
aztbs
Active member
Is it possible that the clown was dying before it was eaten? It was not in the tank that long, and maybe was not showing any symptoms, but the anemone may have picked up on it? Just a guess. Sorry for your loss.
I have had clowns jump out. I found one months later when I had to move the tank.
I have had clowns jump out. I found one months later when I had to move the tank.
phender
Active member
I don't think it is very likely that your BTA ate your clown, for two reasons:
1. IME, BTAs don't have a sting strong enough to capture even small fish.
2. The fish was already acclimated to the anemone. The fish would have had to loose all its body slime for the anemone to even recognize it as food.
I am sorry for your loss. You might want to check your tank at night for large crabs hiding in the live rock.
1. IME, BTAs don't have a sting strong enough to capture even small fish.
2. The fish was already acclimated to the anemone. The fish would have had to loose all its body slime for the anemone to even recognize it as food.
I am sorry for your loss. You might want to check your tank at night for large crabs hiding in the live rock.
SEAFLOWERS
Premium Member
good point PHENDER, If you take a look at your tank after the lights are out with a flashlight there is all sorts of stuff sometimes that we didn't even no was there during daylight hours.
SEAFLOWERS
Premium Member
ATTICUS,
Funny Avatar!
Funny Avatar!
Thanks for the comments. Believe me, initially I was just skeptical as some of you but the facts are there.
In my decase+ of fishkeeping I've had plenty of fish who've jumped, so I haven't completely ruled that out. I'll keep checking the carpet and surrounding furniture for my little guy.
I doubt it's a crab or some unknown predator. The tank has pairs of small yasha gobies and juvenile cleaner shimp + the other clown. I'd think at least one of those would be gone right now.
In my decase+ of fishkeeping I've had plenty of fish who've jumped, so I haven't completely ruled that out. I'll keep checking the carpet and surrounding furniture for my little guy.
I doubt it's a crab or some unknown predator. The tank has pairs of small yasha gobies and juvenile cleaner shimp + the other clown. I'd think at least one of those would be gone right now.
Yes, elephant ear mushrooms are known to consume fish. I believe they release a chemical that sedates the fish as they close over it.
However, phender's point is well taken - a clown acclimated to a BTA will not be eaten by that BTA (unless it dies on its own). That's just not BTA behavior(whereas it is the occasional carpet anem's behavior).
FWIW,
Kevin
ReefNutPA
New member
Kevin.... does that mean, that's it's not an abnormal thing for a carpet anem to eat an oscellaris? I just added a new clown to my tank and the next morning when I turned the light on the clown dove towards the anemone and it's demise. Until seeing this and doing some research on RC tonight, I honestly never realized anemone's would eat clowns.
Tom
Tom,
Unfortunately, carpet anemones are specifically fish predators (unlike BTAs), and as anyone who has had a carpet can attest, very, very sticky. Unfortunately, clowns need to be careful when associating with carpets, as the exact behavior you witnessed has been reported many times.
Kevin
yoboyjdizz
Active member
a few weeks ago i had juvi clown disappear eatting fine but had a small case of ich and suddly one day is just died and before i could take it out my bristle worms came out and got it and took care of the body in no time..
