Long tentacle anemone not eating

[daniella3d]

Hi,

I got a huge (10" diamater with tentacles) long tentacle anemone about a week ago and it's looking good except that it,s not accepting any food at all. It does not have any reaction to any food I put. It sometime grab it but soon let go.

I got it for my clownfish that were harrasing my duncan to the point it was going to die but the clownfish are not yet paying attention to the anemone.

this is an anemone that live in the sand and my tank is 23" deep and my lamp is Phoenix 14k metal halide 250 watt. The anemone is well inflated during the night but shrink somehow when the metal halide start. Does that mean it has enough or too much light? it has moved at the far end of the aquarium where the light is less strong. Does it have enough energy with this or should I be worried that it does not eat?

And for the clownfish, will they eventually adopt the anemone? I did a photomontage in Photoshop with the picture of the actual anemone and my clownfish in it and stick that outside the aquarium as I have read that it sometime work, any other tric?

here is a pic of the anemone:

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy143/daniella3ds/clown.jpg

[Madreefer]

I've been lucky with my LTA. It attached itself to a rock 10 yrs ago and has'nt moved at all from it even during several tank upgrades. Apparently they will continue to roam the tank until it finds it's happy spot. I tried feeding it when I first got it but as I said that was 10 yrs ago. So there is proof that they do not have to be target fed. The clowns will eventually host in it but that will be own their own terms. Could be 2 days or 2 months but it will happen.

[ponokareefer]

If the anenome is shriveling up when the lights come on and moving to a low light location, your lights are too strong for it right now. It may take some time for it to get used to them, or it may never like that much light. Wherever it is located now, I would put about 3 layers of egg crate or something else to dim the lights above it.

As for it not eating in its first week, I would leave it alone until it it quits shriveling up. I typically wouldn't feed an anemone during the first week, and a lot of people have healthy anemones that they never directly feed. My anemone in my RSM130 hasn't been fed in over a year and still doing great.

Your clowns may never take to that type of anemone. Occelaris clownfish like Gigantea's and Magnificent's in the wild, so that is your best bet to get them to take to an anemone. With that said, those are 2 of the most difficult anemones to keep alive. The picture trick I have heard will sometimes work, but your clownfish may never take to the anemone. I had an occelaris pair that were in a tank for a year with an anemone and I tried every trick I could find and they wouldn't go anywhere near it.

If you want a type of clownfish that is supposed to go in almost any anemone and usually go in one quickly, get a pair of clarki's.

[daniella3d]

They did go to inquire about it in the first day and even touched it but they won't go plunge into it and they now seem to have lost interest and have adopted a turbinaria coral since I removed the duncan.

I have put the duncan back near the anemone in the sand and see what happen. The anemone cannot touch it but it is pretty close so they might get the idea.

They tried to go into just about anything, even a frogspawn wich the male got sting by and never returned to see but if they go in frogspawn, duncan and a turbinaria, I don't see why not an anemone.

They are quite dumb though, so no telling what they will do next.

I have seen ocellaris clownfish in long tentacle anemone before, so I know they can host that type of anemone although it is not their host in the wild. Both of my clownfish are captive bread so they never saw an anemone in the wild either.

Anyway glad to hear that they don't really need to be fed. I cannot put other clownfish in there as they will fight.


If the anenome is shriveling up when the lights come on and moving to a low light location, your lights are too strong for it right now. It may take some time for it to get used to them, or it may never like that much light. Wherever it is located now, I would put about 3 layers of egg crate or something else to dim the lights above it.

As for it not eating in its first week, I would leave it alone until it it quits shriveling up. I typically wouldn't feed an anemone during the first week, and a lot of people have healthy anemones that they never directly feed. My anemone in my RSM130 hasn't been fed in over a year and still doing great.

Your clowns may never take to that type of anemone. Occelaris clownfish like Gigantea's and Magnificent's in the wild, so that is your best bet to get them to take to an anemone. With that said, those are 2 of the most difficult anemones to keep alive. The picture trick I have heard will sometimes work, but your clownfish may never take to the anemone. I had an occelaris pair that were in a tank for a year with an anemone and I tried every trick I could find and they wouldn't go anywhere near it.

If you want a type of clownfish that is supposed to go in almost any anemone and usually go in one quickly, get a pair of clarki's.

[daniella3d]

I thought that LTA were sand dwelling anemone?

mine does not try to climb on the liverock one bit. Are we talking about the same specie?

I've been lucky with my LTA. It attached itself to a rock 10 yrs ago and has'nt moved at all from it even during several tank upgrades. Apparently they will continue to roam the tank until it finds it's happy spot. I tried feeding it when I first got it but as I said that was 10 yrs ago. So there is proof that they do not have to be target fed. The clowns will eventually host in it but that will be own their own terms. Could be 2 days or 2 months but it will happen.

[ponokareefer]

I wasn't suggesting adding clarki's with the occelaris. You are right, they will fight.

I got a pair of occelaris from a fellow canreefer that was hosted by a LTA, so it can happen, it's just more difficult to do than a natural host. Mine immediately went to my RBTA's over the LTA after putting them in my tank

LTA are supposed to be sand dwellers, but that particular LTA that I got kept crawling up the rock work and had done the same thing to the previous owner. No idea why.

[Madreefer]

I thought that LTA were sand dwelling anemone?

mine does not try to climb on the liverock one bit. Are we talking about the same specie?

Well mine has attached itself but the rock has always been on the sanded

[daniella3d]

The last thing I want is an anemone roaming my liverock that is full or very nice coral, so a bubble tip is out of the question. I am glad I choose the prettiest anemone they had in store so at least if the clown won't host it then it looks pretty anyway.

I am not getting rid of my clownfish either as I like them.

I wasn't suggesting adding clarki's with the occelaris. You are right, they will fight.

I got a pair of occelaris from a fellow canreefer that was hosted by a LTA, so it can happen, it's just more difficult to do than a natural host. Mine immediately went to my RBTA's over the LTA after putting them in my tank

LTA are supposed to be sand dwellers, but that particular LTA that I got kept crawling up the rock work and had done the same thing to the previous owner. No idea why.

[reefwars]

i got a lta for a great deal because it was bleavhed to almost death, i had it under a 250 w halide in the sand but against a rock.i fed it mysis every 3 to 4 days and that was it .


my ocellaris wouldnt touch it at first then the power went out while i was having trouble with the breakers(turned out my pump wires were getting water and tripping it) with no flow and the temp dropping while i figured it out low and behold there he was in the lta's tentacles keeping warm and creating its own flow...they loved each other since:):)

it went from a few inches at the store to about 8-9" with in 2 mths:):)

[Madreefer]

Unfortunately the anemone i'm talking about is no longer alive. Had it in a FOWLR tank and the guy I sold the setup to crashed the tank and took the tank down. But I have a sebae anemone with pretty much the same story as what I posted earlier.

[daniella3d]

wow, interesting story. I am pretty sure it is just a matter of time before they discover the comfort of the anemone. At least they sleep pretty close to it, a few inches that is.

How long did you have the current out before they went into the anemone?

my ocellaris wouldnt touch it at first then the power went out while i was having trouble with the breakers(turned out my pump wires were getting water and tripping it) with no flow and the temp dropping while i figured it out low and behold there he was in the lta's tentacles keeping warm and creating its own flow...they loved each other since:):)

it went from a few inches at the store to about 8-9" with in 2 mths:):)

[reefwars]

well the breakers first tipper sometime throughout the night and when i got up for work at 6 i noticed it right away as it was next to my bed, it took me maybe an hour for a friend to bring an extension cord so i could use another plug and then the trial and error of finding out what was tripping it, so i would say a few hours for sure but im not really sure.

another thing i have done in the past is feed very little for a few days and then only feed the anemone and usually the clown will get daring and try to rob its food and after it realizes its not "harmful" they go in fully

pic has never really worked but i did find if you dont have a pair adding an already hosting female will also dop the trick...monkey see monkey doo:):)

[daniella3d]

yes mondey see monkey do. It was not before the female saw the male go into coral that she went in. She had never done this before.

It drive me nuts to see that they host and sleep in a coral that is about 1 inch from the anemone. At least they are not on the opposite site so eventually... I will try feeding near the anemone to see.

Problem is the trigger ;)


another thing i have done in the past is feed very little for a few days and then only feed the anemone and usually the clown will get daring and try to rob its food and after it realizes its not "harmful" they go in fully