anemones diet

i have a green bta that looks really healthy and a big magnifica that also looks good but ive only had the magnifica a few weeks.Not really long enough to determine what will happen yet but my lfs says i dont need to feed either as they feed themselves with the current but wherever i read i hear you need to once a week with shrimp or something meaty.I have never fed either and the green bta seems to be thriving. I have a pair of ocellaris clowns but havn't noticed them feeding either anemone.I have noticed the green bta feeding in the middle of the night when the lights are off. So do i really have to feed them or will they be fine on their own?

 

The majority of their nutrition comes from the zoo algae in them, however, they will benefit from regular feedings such as shrimp, fish, etc. If you feed them they grow faster.

 

the clowns are strange sometimes they will both be in one anemone other times there is one clown in each but they are always in them they dont swim around.I'm not sure if they host more than one or if they're even a pair ,they should be they were bought at the same time and were the same size now one (presumably the female)is noticeably bigger

 

I used to feed my condy a whole silverside every week. Then I realized I was reeeeaaaaaly overdoing it. So I have backed off to half silverside every two or three weeks. My maroon clown brings it food at feeding time anyway, so whatever it cannot produce for itself or catch in the water column, the fish pretty much takes care of.

 

Most anemone will get much of their food from the zooxanthellae algae in their cells. GTA don't need the intense lighting that (say) a crocea clam will need, but it still needs the adequate lighting to get it's food. Clownfish will deficate in the anemone, which will feed off of too. The also get food from the water, as previously stated. I'll feed mine DT's live phytoplankton once a month to supplement my tank as well.

 

I fed my bta about once a week..... Half a silverside...

Here's a pic of the bta I used to have...

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/5552/picture353fu9.jpg

 

Nice, is that a JBJ nano cube? My ballast in that tank fried one day. Completely melted the acrylic splash guard that covers the bulbs. I'm lucky I was home to turn it off before it caught on fire.

 

Yeh it is... That would stink....