anemone concerns bta expert advice needed

[wicked_NaCl_h2o]

My rose BTA has been living in my 10 month old 120 for a month and a half. It wouldn't eat anything for a while..I finally got it to start eating three weeks ago. Since then I have been feeding it every other day and now I am feeding it once every three days. It is still not looking like a healthy anemone and I know what a healthy one looks like..mine isn't one of them. Anyways, I have a 24 gallon aqua pod that has been doing very well. Everything in that tank is growing and thriving. I am wondering, would it be ok to take the bta out of the 120 and put it in the 24 as a temporary home? The 24 gallon has been up and running for 8 or 9 months. We have 2 kenya trees, 1 hammer coral, 3 crabs (a scarlet hermit, pom pom crab, and a blue porcelain crab) and two ocellaris clowns in the 24 gallon. I want the BTA in the 24 untill I can find out what is going on with my 120. Do you think it will stress the bta to move it while it looks unhealthy but still eating? I was thinking about taking the ocellaris out of the 24 and putting them in the 120. The anemone has a pink skunk clown hosting it...he/she will have to be moved with the anemone because the ocellaris will kill the pink skunk if they are in the same tank with out an anemone for the pink skunk to go to for protection.

we do weekly 1.3 gallon water changes on the 24

[Tangster]

My god you are feeding it to death once they eat it takes several days or week for them to digest and expel the waste Like a snake (: stop feeding it or it will take over your tank If you have proper lighting it needs no feeding at all. What are you feeding it and what type of lighting do you have ? Also what are the water parameters setting at ? alk ca nitrates ammoinia nitrites stuff like that .

[omard]

To 3Reef!!!

Glad to see you found way here to 3Reef.

Ditto what Tangster stated. BTA's need little to no feeding. Esp if you have a hosting clown. The fish will take care of all the BTA's needs.

Even with very poor lighting, I have a couple of anemones that are doing OK in my Nano, and have never fed directly (they probably catch what they need when floating by in small tank and the clowns feed them.)

The Tao of Marine Aquaria
Tips for Our Hobby and Life

© 1997 Adam H. Whitlock
Edited By Elizabeth M. Lukan 11/25/00

[coral reefer]

Water flow, lighting, and ideal water parameters are basically all you need to ensure the success of your BTA.
Feeding way too much as I would possibly give it a silverside, or clam/squid snack once a week or two is all!
Welcome to 3reef by the way and best of luck with your tanks!

[wicked_NaCl_h2o]

Trust me, I got my information on how often to feed a anemone from karensroseanemones.com and a few other web sites.They all say to feed your anemone once every three days. Karen has been taking care of rbta for years and hers are beautiful. She must know some thing. Feeding a anemone only once a week is not enough. More so when your anemone is in the same condition mine is in. Mine will not grab the food with its tentacles. I have to spot feed it and I only feed it the tail of a raw shrimp..less than a 1/4 inch of a piece. If you are starving..would you eat less? Anyways..I have already moved the anemone to the 24 gallon. Thanks though, we had an expert aquarist come to our house to find out what the 120 is lacking..it is lacking magneszium and we also need more live rock..the live rock will take a while to collect. The anemone will be in the 24 gallon untill these problems with the 120 are fixed. Thanks for all your comments.

[wicked_NaCl_h2o]

BTW..my pink skunk clown maybe living in the BTA but it doesn't feed it. So I have to spot feed it.

[baugherb]

no offense, i'm just speaking from my own experience. I feed mine once every 4-5 days. its grown two inches in diameter in 4 month. I only feed it 1/2 a silverside. It serves as host for a spawning pair of clown. REMEMBER, i'm just sharing my doings.. i am new, and have alot to learn, 12 gal nano dx with a 10 gallon sump

[Maudsley]

Wicked,

I had a green BTA that would not grasp onto anything also.....fed it krill and mystic until it could eat 1/4 silversides....believe me do what your doing until you can put a silversides by the tenticles and have it stick. My anem was 6 inches from the LFS but very bleached....with feeding every 3 days and proper water chemistry after 1 years it about 10 inches in diameter. I have cut back on the feedings to 1-2 times a week but it eats a whole silversides now. I also followed Karens regiment for nursing an unheathy anem back to being very heathy.

[Reef Ghost]

I have a GBTA in my reef tank and it's an animal. It will eat anything you offer it and seems pretty happy getting food every 3 days. Seems to prefer silversides but will accept anything I offer. It's doubled in size over the last 2 months (approx 10" now) and so far hasn't "claimed" any victims. I have a pair of true percs that guard it 24/7. The only problem I have is the clowns will strip it's food away if I don't chase them away while it eats!

[120gallons]

My opinion is that they should be fed once or twice a week a small amount. Just because they can live without being fed, doesn't mean it is best for them. Same is true with a lot of corals.