Trouble feeding GTBA aka Stupid Clowns

HumanIMDB

Premium Member
The GTBA has decided it likes the very back corner of the AGA92 and seems to be quite happy there as do the mated pair of Tomato Clowns. However, feeding it is rather difficult and we've noticed a significant decrease in its size.

When I am able to get a small piece of silverside into the tentacles, it holds on and starts to move it inward. Soon after that however, the clowns come through and work at the anemone until they dislodge the piece of fish. This usually results in the piece of fish falling to the bottom of the tank where it is impossible to retrieve. We <a href="http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1637951" target=_blank>lost a Blue Spotted Watchman Goby</a> because it swallowed one of the pieces and could not digest it.

If I were to guess, I'd say the anemone has not been able to digest a piece of fish since it moved to the back of the tank many months ago. You would think that if it wasn't happy there or starving that it would move somewhere else in the tank, but obviously not.

Should we just leave it and hope that it gets enough food?

The stupid clowns attack the prong I use to feed the anemone too. Apart from netting (and I'm sure stressing) the clowns while I try to feed it, what can I do to feed the anemone?

Any tips or tricks would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Chris

P.S. The clowns always have a brood of eggs attached to the back wall right beside the anemone, so I can understand them wanting to protect the eggs.
 
Last edited:
you may have no choice but to feed it and guard it from your prong till the anemone finishes eating it. I also drop a few pellets on the opposite side of the anemone. The clowns will still come back to the anemone, but at least you won't need to guard it the entire time. good luck!
 
I struggled for almost an hour trying to feed the anemone and keep the clowns from knocking the piece of fish from the anemone's tentacles without success.

The tentacles are barely sticky enough to hold onto the piece of silverside. A few of the tentacles would hold on, then I would spend a long time distracting the clowns but eventually one of them would get in there and knock it out.

I even tried to slowly push small pieces of Hikari Squid by it with a turkey baster, no luck.

I'm at wits end and need help.
 
the anemone shouldn't take that long to feed it towards its mouth, but not surprised it did. anyways, how big is it now...will it fit a strawberry basket? you can cover the anemone with the basket. this way the clowns won't be able to steal the food and you won't need to spend an hour guarding it :) but of course you'll need something to hold down the basket.
 
Stop feeding the silversliders to it and buy some fresh seafood at the supermarket like grouper or salmon, minch it up and feed it to it. There have been alot of horror story of bacterial parasites from sliversliders. I personally have had 2 RBTA decline over time due to feeding sliversliders.
 
feed your tank with mysis and some cyclopeeze and also squirt in some oyster eggs. with all that floating in the water column its bound to get some of that stuff. i never fed my rbta directly and its doubled in size in less than a year.
 
I'll try to pick up some fresh seafood and a berry basket tomorrow. If not, it will have to wait until next week. I may do a two pronged approach and mix in some mysis, cyclopeeze and some other fine foods with the fresh fish and feed the anemone directly. I'm sure the clowns and the rest of the fish will enjoy whatever the anemone doesn't eat. :)
 
I mixed up a slurry of Mysis Shrimp, Spirulina Brine Shrimp, Cyclopeeze, Coral Frenzy, and Formula 1 and 2 Flakes and used a turkey baster to squirt it at the anemone. I'm pretty sure it was able to get a few Mysis and Brine Shrimps and I even saw the occasional flake stuck to it's tentacles. The clowns stole a few of the shrimps so I'll have to get the berry basket, but at least it ate something. :D
 
Back
Top