Feeding BTA

[reeferaddict]

I'll get back to this as I don't have much time ... BUT....

A clownfish simply hosting is feeding the anemone.... whether or not it brings it food is a moot point... some anemones in the wild never see a clownfish...

Anything you feed in the water column that drifts by the anemone it may or may not take for food....

As for quick release carbs... hmmm.... the zooxanthellae are the ones using the light and the by product of their photosynthesis is amino acids and essential nutrients for the coral itself... remember.... we are keeping the symbiotic algae happy first, which in turn feeds the animal. Without the algae, the animal dies, and algae needs light to thrive...

Like I said, a feeding from time to time will not hurt.... but light light light is the KEY to keeping any tropical anemone.

[Abbyreefer]

My maroon clown would eat anything that would fit in its mouth and if it was too big then would feed to my BTA.. I used to feed chopped up scallops and LOVED IT!! Mine grew like crazy and split 3 times in less than a year. Good luck with yours
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BMW R11

[scuglass]

abbyreefer what kind of lighting do u have and what size tank?

[Abbyreefer]

I have the coralife 55 watt x 2 PC set up on a 15 gal tank and had them for the past 1 year before selling to take the tank down along with my current 50 gal to set up my new 95 gal tank... But for 1 year grew like crazy.. Fed it about once a week a small piece of chopped up scallop.
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Suzuki DR350SE

[Delphinus]

Originally Posted by reeferaddict

A clownfish simply hosting is feeding the anemone.... whether or not it brings it food is a moot point... some anemones in the wild never see a clownfish...

Not really sure what you're trying to say? Initially you said the clownfish will feed the anemones, now you're saying the anemones don't need clownfish to be fed, and you also seem to be saying that the mere presence of clownfish means the anemone is getting fed. Make up your mind man!!

... Seriously, I'm just trying to say that the mere presence of clownfish does not guarantee that an anemone will receive enough food. It might; but it's important to realize it also might not. Ultimately we cannot escape the commitments of responsible husbandry.

As for quick release carbs... hmmm.... the zooxanthellae are the ones using the light and the by product of their photosynthesis is amino acids and essential nutrients for the coral itself... remember.... we are keeping the symbiotic algae happy first, which in turn feeds the animal. Without the algae, the animal dies, and algae needs light to thrive...

You're close, but missing a few key points. The issue is what the zooxanthellae end up feeding the corals (or anemones in this case). The byproduct of the photosynthesis that is available to the symbiont host, is carbs (sugars). Sure, you can get pretty hyper off eating too much sugar, but it's not going to be enough to sustain you your whole life on that diet alone; eventually you need proteins for growth. You can get both proteins and carbs from diet alone (doesn't mean you "will", but you "can"); but you cannot get both from photosynthesis.

Here are some threads I managed to find that talk a little about this:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...readid=327718&
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...hreadid=34041&

Like I said, a feeding from time to time will not hurt.... but light light light is the KEY to keeping any tropical anemone.

It's not that I want to dispute the need for lighting, but I want to qualify that statement by saying that light is but one part of the key to keeping any tropical anemone. Other animal needs are just as imporant, such as subtrate and habitat selection, water currents, nutrition, water quality, etc. etc. Lighting is a part of the equation but is not enough by itself to guarantee long-term husbandry success.

In general, a good rule of thumb you can use is to think of it this way: if an animal has a mouth, odds are pretty good that it eats something. Even SPS, which I'm sure most would universally agree upon the need for intense lighting for long-term success, benefit greatly from feeding. They have mouths, ergo they eat.

cheers

[reeferaddict]

Heya Tony,

Sorry for turning this into the great debate... but it's good reading.

Probably the point I wanted to make earlier was availability of food on the reef in nature. As nutrients are sparce in general on the reef, most reef inhabitants are opportunistic omnivorous feeders. By supplying a varied diet to your fish and corals you will most assuredly meet the protein needs of most species, but some have adapted to an existence based on carb intake and rely less on protein. They have adapted to what is available on the reef. Some adapt as they mature... Giant clams rely on filter feeding when young, but when older and able to gather more light, they almost solely survive by the production of their food by their symbiotic algae.

I think the key is not to over do it. Once a week IMO may not be bad in a sparsely fed tank, but then I'm a heavy feeder and observe my anemones eating most of any meaty foods I put in my tank.

When I say that a clownfish hosting is enough to feed an anemone I should qualify that as being my observations with my Maroon/LTA and Ocellaris/Rittieri relationships. I constantly watch these guys drag food items too large for them to eat back to the host. The maroon in particular dotes on his anemone, constantly moving HUGE mounds of sand and moving corals ... soon followed by the anemone moving into his new spot,,,, *GRRRR!*

But yes.. in principle I do agree with the rest, clean water, stable parameters, movement, and lighting are ALL important... all more important that direct feeding, especially in a well fed tank.