How often to feed bubbletip anemone?

[esmithiii]

Subject says it all. I have a beautiful rose anemone (E. Quadricolor) and have fed it about every other day now. Is this too often? Not often enough?

Also, anyone with experience having this anemone host Ocellaris clownfish? Mine haven't noticed it yet.

Thanks,

Ernie

 

[bhanson]

I have one hosting a Yellowstripe Maroon Clownfish. I usually feed it some table shrimp once a week or so. If it is not hosting a clownfish, feeding it a few times a week should be sufficient.

My maroon went right to it, the A. ocellaris should find it comfy soon.

 

[Reef Guy11]

I feed my rose once ever three to four days too. I have a also a green and Blue Carpet in the tank. The Tomato Clown which I believe to be a Cinnomon Clown is in the Rose. THe Carkii is in the Green Carpet and the Purcula Clown has yet to take to the Blue Carpet. Don't think he will either. 8O

 

[Anonymous]

If it is not hosting a clownfish, feeding it a few times a week should be sufficient .

Just to clear up what tends to be mythinformation. Just because an anemone is hosting a clown doesn't mean the clown is feeding it. Clowns do not intentionally feed their host anemone it is merely a stashing of food instinct. I've been stating this for years and finally various authors of aquatic books and researchers have come around to this opinion. So even if you have a clown and depending on the type of anemone it is wise to feed it.

Regards,
David Mohr

 

[Reef Guy11]

Hear, Hear. I agree because if you think about. The clown is trying to keep the food from the other Fishes, But what he forget is that the Anemone will eat it too.

Maybe that is why My Purcula doesn't host he want the food to himself hehe :lol:

 

[esmithiii]

Thanks for the info.

Ernie

 

[Anonymous]

If it is not hosting a clownfish, feeding it a few times a week should be sufficient .

Just to clear up what tends to be mythinformation. Just because an anemone is hosting a clown doesn't mean the clown is feeding it. Clowns do not intentionally feed their host anemone it is merely a stashing of food instinct. I've been stating this for years and finally various authors of aquatic books and researchers have come around to this opinion. So even if you have a clown and depending on the type of anemone it is wise to feed it.

Regards,
David Mohr

My clownfish actually take all the food I give to my anemone out, they act like they are taking out the trash. It is a huge ordeal to get food to my anemone. It really likes silversides, and will close up around them when fed. My stupid clownfish will dive into the anemone that is closing around the silversides and pull them all out, not to eat, just to remove it from the anemone.

I sometimes have to stand there and poke their egg clutch with a stick to divert their attention so it can feed.

 

[Juck]

>>Clowns do not intentionally feed their host anemone it is merely a stashing of food instinct

I haven't authored any aquarist books but I'd have to respectfully disagree with you there David,, my female premnas does feed her anemone - she's not hoarding/stashing food away.

Before she got her BTA she never stashed food in her little cave or any other part of the tank. Now, every time she gets hold of a big piece of food, she spits it into the anemone.

With the introduction of the BTA, she suddenly started going after large pieces of fresh table shrimp that I feed to my PJ cardinals,, she never touched it before,,, and she never eats it,,, just spits it into the anemone.

I watched her one morning trying to stuff a 3 inch moult from my Skunk cleaner shrimp into the mouth of her Anemone. Doesn't sound like stashing behaviour to me.

 

[Anonymous]

>>Clowns do not intentionally feed their host anemone it is merely a stashing of food instinct

I haven't authored any aquarist books but I'd have to respectfully disagree with you there David,, my female premnas does feed her anemone - she's not hoarding/stashing food away.

Before she got her BTA she never stashed food in her little cave or any other part of the tank. Now, every time she gets hold of a big piece of food, she spits it into the anemone.

With the introduction of the BTA, she suddenly started going after large pieces of fresh table shrimp that I feed to my PJ cardinals,, she never touched it before,,, and she never eats it,,, just spits it into the anemone.

I watched her one morning trying to stuff a 3 inch moult from my Skunk cleaner shrimp into the mouth of her Anemone. Doesn't sound like stashing behaviour to me.

That's ok it's fine to disagree but what your Premnas is doing is stashing. Try an experiment: feed your Premnas small pieces of food. What does it do ? I bet it eats them until it's satiated. Now with big pieces it can't possibly consume it's stashing it where it believes other critters can't get it. Before it never had a place to stash it. The problem is that your Premnas doesn't realize that the Anemone is eating the food it just thinks that another critter ate it.
I know we like to think our fish are smart but basically it all comes down to feeding responses and inherent instincts.

Regards,
David Mohr

 

[Anonymous]

It depends on what you want your anemone to do. An anemone can live through use of it's zoo and nutrients it pulls from the water. It will look better and be healthier if you feed it weekly. If you want her to split feed as often as she'll take food.

 

[Snorkel in my tank]

>>Clowns do not intentionally feed their host anemone it is merely a stashing of food instinct

I haven't authored any aquarist books but I'd have to respectfully disagree with you there David,, my female premnas does feed her anemone - she's not hoarding/stashing food away.

Before she got her BTA she never stashed food in her little cave or any other part of the tank. Now, every time she gets hold of a big piece of food, she spits it into the anemone.

With the introduction of the BTA, she suddenly started going after large pieces of fresh table shrimp that I feed to my PJ cardinals,, she never touched it before,,, and she never eats it,,, just spits it into the anemone.

I watched her one morning trying to stuff a 3 inch moult from my Skunk cleaner shrimp into the mouth of her Anemone. Doesn't sound like stashing behaviour to me.

That's ok it's fine to disagree but what your Premnas is doing is stashing. Try an experiment: feed your Premnas small pieces of food. What does it do ? I bet it eats them until it's satiated. Now with big pieces it can't possibly consume it's stashing it where it believes other critters can't get it. Before it never had a place to stash it. The problem is that your Premnas doesn't realize that the Anemone is eating the food it just thinks that another critter ate it.
I know we like to think our fish are smart but basically it all comes down to feeding responses and inherent instincts.

Regards,
David Mohr

Good point, and an interesting way to describe it... I have been considering these issues. This observation seems to back up your claim: I have noticed that my clown does only feed his anenome, he also feeds my torch coral and star pollyps... anyone else ever see this?

 

[Baianotang]

A small srimp every 4 to 5 days.

 

[bhanson]

wow, I hope your initial question was answered.......

 

[carter92]

I have a tank full of BTA and RBTA in my 225 gallon reef of 1 1/2 years and have NEVER FED ANY OF THEM....and they are thriving...almost thriving too well....they are huge and growing.....I believe it all depends on the water quality and more importantly the lighting...jus my 2 cents....Dennis

 

[Anonymous]

Good point, and an interesting way to describe it... I have been considering these issues. This observation seems to back up your claim: I have noticed that my clown does only feed his anenome, he also feeds my torch coral and star pollyps... anyone else ever see this?

no, my long gone occellaris would never feed (stash) thier surrogate sarcophyton. but then they never had a real anemone.
my current Clarki often feeds (or stashes) his anemone and had previously adopted a Xenia colony in which he never fed.

so, stashing... boy, that is a slippery slope, as you would have to prove an intent on the fishes behalf :lol:
for me, the end result, regardless of the fishes intent, is an anemone being fed so "feeding" it will remain.
this is interesting but i still believe it to be a more simple instinctual action. i don't think the fish is stashing nor do i believe it is caring for the anemone. it is an instinctual feeding, IMO.
when i feed a large chunk of meat to the anemone and a very light dusting of mush into the water column, the small chunks of food are gone in seconds. if the large chunk misses the anemone, or falls out, the Clarki will pick it up and push it back in the anemone. their are times he will snag a bite off the meaty chunk before he swims off but he always allows the anemone the time to eat it. the same is not true for any LPS in the tank, if he sees a chunk of something captured in them he snags it immediately and either eats it or feeds the anemone with it... and that is regardless to it's size.

but who knows, eh?

 

[dale nilson]

ESMITHII: to answer part two of the original post, I had an Ocellaris that took about 9 months to notice my E.quadricolor, after that it would seldom leave it.

 

[Anonymous]

Ah, this fun old debate. Minh and I (wombat, my old nick) hashed it out a bit here:
http://reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t ... c&start=20

Ernie, I feed mine every 3 or 4 days...

 

[Anonymous]

Ah, this fun old debate. Minh and I (wombat, my old nick) hashed it out a bit

And I missed out on all that fun when I was away.
Minh and I have hashed out a few topics over the years.

Regards,
David Mohr