what's up with my clown and rbta?

[salty420]

I just got a nice rbta on friday and on monday night my female clown started hosting it. she is OBSESSED and doesn't even let the male in. anywho i fed the anem last night and today the clowns are just hanging out under and in front of the anem but not going in it. is this normal? i noticed this morning the head of the silverside was still visable so im wondering if it's because the anem is eating??? thanks!

 

[seapug]

If you still see the silverside then the nem is probably gagging on it. I've always read BTAs generally can't handle anything bigger than a mysis shrimp. Is it deflated and flaccid looking? If so, that's probably what's bumming out the clowns.

 

[salty420]

dang i've read you should feed silversides, hope it's ok! it's done with it now, finished it sometime this morning or afternoon. no, it doesn't look deflated or flaccid... my female is just staring at it and swimming just above the tentacles (they touch her) but she's not going in still..?

 

[salty420]

well lights are out and they are together again. just being a worried mama i guess! here's a pic from the other day if anyone cares

 

[nickterp]

Well, I don't care, take that picture down! JK, very nice looking BTA.

As far as feeding goes, I believe silversides can still work but you should try cutting it up into small pieces and seeing how it does with that. Feed just one small piece, it should be able to swallow it easily within a few minutes and not spit it back out right away.

I'm not sure what the comment about a BTA not being able to handle food larger than "a mysis shrimp" was supposed to mean exactly. I know that you can feed BTA's clumps of mysis shrimp, though I think one mysis shrimp at a time would be pointless.

Good luck!
Nick

 

[nickterp]

By the way seapug, I didn't even look at your screen name at first, I have two Pugs! They are the coolest, funniest animals on the planet .

 

[Hvacow1]

I have been feeding my RBTA silversides for years and it has split multiple times. Its a fat happy camper. I just cut the silverside into 3-4 smaller pieces, then toss them all in the oral disc area. 2 minutes and there all consumed.

 

[timrandlerv10]

whoa! think about the size of a full silverside in relation to that nem, then think about a sub sandwich for you in the same proportion...!!!

mine is about...10? times the size of yours, and eats about one full silverside every two days...when he was half that size, it would take him three to four days, and he would spit out half of it. i started giving him smaller pieces (half to third) and he quit spitting out the remnants. i think you're on the right track.

one thing i did think of, and it may just be the pic, is that your nem looks a little small for that clown...you would 'on average' (whatever that means) want your nem to be at least 3x the size of your clown...2" clown, 6" nem.

if you dont have that ratio, or if your clown starts to give 'extra love' you may want to help protect the nem from time to time (like with a strawberry basket or something like that over it) to give him some time to grow and/or recover. i dont think you'll have any problems, just something to watch for--and again, it may just be the angle of the pic.

anyway, great looking pair--she seems pretty happy, and that nem looks good. what kind of lights do you have?

tim

 

[seapug]

hey nickterp, I have two as well. Male fawn and black female.

To quote the Anemone FAQ PDF available on this forum:

"Anemones will thrive on a varied diet, especially if they have healthy zooxanthellae and
are under bright lighting. Though anemones can consume large chunks of food, it is
better (for the anemone and your system) to feed it smaller items more frequently. "

I read somehwere else that BTA's in particular tend to be more particulate feeders and are more prone to infection from eating large items like silversides than many other anemones. Obviously some people here would disagree with that, but I can't imagine that having a half eaten/decomposing fish hanging out of this anemone's mouth for a day would be a "good" sign.

 

[nickterp]

Yeah I agree, feeding to large of pieces is not a good idea. A lot of FAQ/guides, etc.. mention trying small pieces of silversides first. Also chunks of mysis shrimp. I was just pointing out that a single mysis shrimp would not be sufficient as they very small.

Here's some info from Bob Fenner, that talks a little more specifically about what to feed BTA's, besides just size:

"I suggest meaty foods, no bigger than the anemones mouth 2 â€"œ 3 times a week, less if the food items are large. The best are fish based (Silversides of appropriate size are excellent, as are various kinds of shrimps, defrosted/frozen cube-foods, planktonic organisms that can be gently directly baster-placed...), and always of marine origin."

So, SMALL pieces of silversides would be good, as would be "defrosted/frozen cube-foods" made out of msyis, etc.

You can read more here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm