Why does my BTA no longer have the "B"?

[deputydog95]

Strange. I've had it for a couple months now. It has doubled in size and has stayed put the whole time. I feed it half a silverside two to three times a week. It responds well to the food and immediately contracts around it. The mouth is always closed and it appears healthy in general with the tentacles (for lack of a better word) extended most of the time.

The only thing that is strange is that the tips no longer bubble. Any ideas? Like I said, it keeps growing and stays in one spot so I would assume it's doing well. I just find it odd that my bubble tip no longer has bubble tips It is a very cool anenome. It's kind of a beige color with bright orange tips.

 

[Slakker]

Why would you need a better word for tentacles? It's the right one

No one is really sure why BTA's lose their bubbles, but it's very common in captivity and as far as anyone knows for sure it's not really an indicator of anything...certainly doesn't mean it's unhealthy or unhappy.

HTH,

 

[AquaReeferMan]

Yeah mine changes from time to time. One week it looks like a BTA then it changes to a LTA and so on. I cant explain it.

 

[redvipe2010]

I agree with the above posts. But would like to add, you may be over feeding your anemone. I wouldn't feed anything bigger than 1/4" portions. Over feeding can cause the anemone to regurgitate its food.

 

[deputydog95]

redvipe:

am I thought I was being a good parent

so smaller is better? i will reduce the size of the meat. it is kind of interesting watching it cram that silverside in. can you feed it multiple pieces of smaller bits of fish at the same time.

how do they cope with the prey in the wild? i assume they eat small fish and they don't have me to cut it up for them how do they do it, or do they just eat small bits of whatever floating by in the current?

how often can you feed them? is every other day too much? i don't mind doing it if it doesn't hurt it. i've read some people only feed them every so often. that doesn't seem like it would be enough compared to what they get in nature.

 

[redvipe2010]

Yes, smaller is better. Feeding multiple pieces of smaller portions is the same as feeding one larger portion. It will not be able to digest it, and will later regurgitate it, ending up with nothing.

In is my understanding that in the wild they eat small pieces from the water, they also eat the waste from the clownfish that host them.

At the very most I would feed two to three times a week. I usually feed less. A healthy BTA does not need to eat every other day. It can go a week or more without food and be fine. Some people do not even target feed their anemones. They feed their tanks with meaty foods and the anemone receives food from the tank feedings. Rods Food is a good example of that food.