feeding my anemone

[carpenterwrasse]

so what food out there is best to feed my new anemones 1 LTA and 1 BTA???
I have read about krill and brine anything else?

[graphixx]

George, I would feed them meaty foods such as scallops, clams, shrimp, shiners, I allways used to feed mine those. and they love it!!!!

[carpenterwrasse]

shinners alive or frozen? and heres a couple of pics of the guys[/img]

[carpenterwrasse]

the BTA sucked right into the rocks

[graphixx]

those look nice, you can go frozen or fresh.

[jerryc]

Silver sides work good you can get them frozen

[carpenterwrasse]

i have a better chance getting frozen than anything going to the LFS when Gwen gets home

[Sweetpea]

Aside from the squid and scallops that my BTA eats, I hear they like clams, oysters, and mussels, but I don't trust myself enough with a knife to get them open! I'm hoping to get some silversides soon! I just want some variety for my nem like you do!

Nice lookin' nems you got there! Congrats, George! :D

[Reef_Angel]

It's not a good idea to feed whole silver sides, or big chunks of anything like scallops, etc. I've also read that if you are going to have them in your Reef tank, do not feed them live foods. Many anemones that we are able to purchase from an LFS are tank raised. They're stomachs are not used to a "wild" type feeding experience. They can be trained to eat them though, so if you decide to give them large or live foods, you may also find your favorite fish hanging out of it's mouth one day. Those that are in the ocean eat what comes their way, including live fish. They can be picky eaters at first, so don't give up on them if it seems they are not eating enough. They are busy filtering food out of the water column between your hand feedings all the time. Feeding them brine shrimp, mysis, silver side, (cut up in tiny pieces), clams, a good health variety in a mush state etc... are the best way to go IMO. I feed my Sebae- "Briney" mostly brine shrimp twice a week. You'll have to see how much food they will accept from a baster full of food. It's a learning experience between the two of you, so starting out with small amounts is best. Most will take only the amount that it's used to, and let the rest go into the tank. Gently put the tip of a baster deep down into the fleshy material near the mouth. Wiggle it around and let some food free in his mouth so he gets the idea and has a taste for MORE! If your anemone's are anything like my Sebae, he brings his sides up around that baster like he's holding a baby bottle. Push the amount of food he eats in deep, so it can hold on to the pile of food your giving him. Briney (10-12' accross) eats a full baster of brine shrimp twice a week. If you overfeed, "and I know this because I've overfed Briney thinking he wanted an increase" , they will sometimes eat it all, and then one odd bump from another tank mate and he'll spew his whole dinner back into the tank. When they have a host, the fish or shrimp that it's hosting will bring it food on non-hand feeding days. Your anemone also filter feeds on the foods residing in the water colony. Good luck with your new tank mates, and as always....we love pictures so please keep sharing them as you go! It's fun to watch their progress! Briney started off as a 3" Sebae...unbelieveable, and it was a learning experience for over a year now!! .....Angel :angel2:

Just for fun, if you missed it.... :razz: I wrote about an experience I had with my Briney & his "host" Sally. I'm not sure who host's who on this one! :scratch: :mrgreen: He're's the link:
http://www.captivereefing.com/viewto...220&highlight=

[Sweetpea]

Feeding them brine shrimp, mysis, silver side, (cut up in tiny pieces), clams, a good health variety in a mush state etc... are the best way to go IMO.

What kind of clams do you use? I'd really like to give my nem some mollusks, but I'm not so handy when it comes to a knife and a shell, and I'm not sure about using canned stuff.

Do you ever feed fleshy fish, say a little piece of flounder or grouper? I bought some frozen, but I haven't given him any yet. I really like grouper, and I'm thinking lunch for me!

Do you have any pics of Briney taking his "bottle"? I think we'd all love to see that! :D You always have such great information to share and such fun stories! Thanks!