Anem abuse!

[macperry]

I introduced this Sebae about two weeks ago. The percs began hosting it about a week ago. The only problem is....they seem to be "loving" the poor anem to death! The Sebae started out in the front corner of the tank dug pretty well intot the sand, and braced against the glass. The percs were having none of that, and moved it to its current location up against some live rock and sand. Will the anem get "used" to this treatment? Any shared experiences would be greatly appreciated. http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/507/124731Perc_Anem.jpg
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/507/1247312Percs_Anem.jpg
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/507/124731Just_Anem.jpg

[macperry]

Anyone....any info???

[chris79]

i dont think that is a sebae nem. I think its a BTA.

[macperry]

It was sold as a Sebae Crispa....and looks quite a bit like others I have seen on this site....when its not getting beat up of course. Any more input out there?

[illcssd]

almost positive that is a bta. even though it was sold as a Sebae the column looks just like a bta and the fact it moved to the rocks is a very high sign that it is. It probably moved itself there. Sebae's, either h. crispa, or h. malu, the two anemones commonly referred to as Sebae's do not live in the rocks, they are sand dwellers.
Not that that answered your original question.
That anemone is quite small for those clowns and it is possible that the anemone could get beaten to death, its possible the anemone will get used to it, but its also highly possible it wont.

[homebrewdude]

I am having the same problem with my clown and new BTA.

I am thinking of putting the clown in the sump until the BTA is established.

I tried to feed mine today, and the clown removed the silversides from the BTA.

[Coralgrabber]

yea it looks like the nem is too small for those clowns. A nem should be at least 3 times the size of the clown.

[macperry]

What type BTA do you think it might be? The LFS where it was purchased has always been very knowledgeable about their stock, and they are positive its a Sebae crispa. Anyone else have some pics of my anem after it matures a bit?

[mwood]

I have a RBTA that is being loved to death by a couple of tomatoes. I'm trying to find a larger nem, like a carpet or larger rose, to distract the clowns so the nem can recover.

[macperry]

If I have to take this anem out of the tank i'm going to have a mutiny on my hands!

[raoul]

Some people use strawberry baskets, or something like that to cover the nem until it gets established. This may help with the feeding as well, since the fish can't get to it to move the food. Sometimes a swish of the tail is all it takes for the food to move from the nem.
Good luck!

[raoul]

Oh yeah, for better ID, you might want to try larger pictures, making sure to get a good shot of the underside (the last pic may work for that). It's hard to see the identifying features on that size pic.

[sarahkucera]

All right, here's my two cents.

Looks like an H Crispa to me, due to the leathery tan column and what appears to be white spots on the column.

Additionally, it has placed itself with its foot sunk into the sand at the rock line edge, which is exactly where my crispa is the happiest. Your clowns wouldn't have moved it, it would have moved itself there. They can move all over the place and surprise the heck out of you in the morning. My RBTA climbed the glass and took up residence by the overflows for a while.

It looks pretty badly beat up.

Also, your sig line says that you've got a 12 gallon nano. There could be any number of things bothering your H Crispa, including water fluctuations, water quality, etc, in addition to your clowns loving it a little too much.

Your tank is far too small for an h crispa. My H Crispa is approx 14 inches across today and that is without maximum tentacle entension.

I wish you and your nem luck, but don't think it's going to make it.

[macperry]

Good eye sarahkucera...it is on the rock AND dug into the sand. My water params have been salinity:1.026 Calc:440 Alk: 9.8dKh Ph:8.1 for over a year now. If I keep up these params, and the anem gets comfy in its new location....with a little luck I think it will make it. I do have a question about food...I feed mysis, marine one pellet, and marine one flake. One very small serving of each per day. What can I feed to fatten and strenghten the anem up as quickly as possible?

[mwood]

IMHO, no matter what you feed, you will need to separate the clowns from the nem till it looks better. My Rose looked better for a while, but went down hill once the clowns took to it.

[raoul]

I think in general, most nems appreciate some meaty food. You can try shrimp, clam, mussel, silversides, etc...just be sure to use smaller pieces, especially in the begining so you don't overwhelm it. This may help it to get big enough to handle the clowns, that's only if you can get it to eat, sometimes clowns get in the way of that. I would definately try to protect the nem some how.

Another thing I just noticed that might be throwing your nem off, is the age of your tank. It looks like your nano is 2 months old, that's kind of new. Most people recommend letting tanks mature for a minimum of 6 months before adding a nem. This allows you to work out all the kinks and get the parameters stable, as well as get all the good stuff balanced out and thriving.

Good luck

[macperry]

I have to update my info....the tank is 8 months old, and all water params are kept quite stable. I am going to think positive, keep working on water stability, and try some small biits of meaty food target fed to the anem. Wish me luck, and please keep the info coming.

[raoul]

Really happy to hear the tank is older than 2 months!

Thanks for updating your info!

[macperry]

Just tried to feed my anem some fresh scallops.....but the perc came over and took the food right out of the anems mouth! Is this "normal" behavior? Also...I got a better pic that may hepl someone ID this anem for me. Any help out there?
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/124731Anemeat.jpg

[RedSonja]

You may have to "stand guard" over the food to keep the clowns from stealing it before the 'nem can take it in. You could also try a feeding-cone type apparatus over it, cut the top off a 1liter soda bottle, put it over the 'nem and feed through the top. It kinda looks like your 'nem is up against the rock so that might not work. I used to keep tongs in the tank near the feeding going on and shoo fish and shrimp away til the food was eaten.

How big was the piece of scallop? Best of feed 1/4" or smaller pieces so they can fit it inside and be able to digest it, if it's smaller they can eat it faster as well.

-Sonja

[Greg manton]

ifind anneome to be a huge biolaod specialy when first catering to acclimate. keep a close eye on water quality, i have had one it was in poor shape' when nursing back to health all the food can be a huge nutrient adder and i had a reasonably stocked 65 gallon at the time, hope all yours pulls through well and you have to post pix when it gets big

[sarahkucera]

Just to give you an idea if you indeed have an H Crispa, which I believe that you do, of the size that it may quickly reach.

This is a 125 gallon tank.
Full tank shot.
<img src="http://www.midnightmadness.org/sarah/saltwater/120106/DSC04111.JPG" width=600 height=329>


The monster H Crispa.
Capable of downing an entire silverside in one gulp, she continues to grow.
I'm only feeding about once a week now. Sometimes I feed half a silverside twice a week. Of course, she also picks up shrimp from the water column during feeding.
<img src="http://www.midnightmadness.org/sarah/saltwater/120106/DSC04125.JPG" width=600 height=450>


Head on shot.
Thriving under power compact lighting.
She's probably about 14 inches across now.
<img src="http://www.midnightmadness.org/sarah/saltwater/120106/DSC04129.JPG" width=600 height=450>

[macperry]

Raoul...how do I post bigger pics with the 50kb limit? Sarahkucera...did your nem have very short tentacles like mine when it was younger? Mine has been prending a lot of time pretty tightly balled up today after some serious perc abuse.

[illcssd]

I take my bta guess back, with the newest pic, your anemone is h. crispa.

[macperry]

What made you change your mind illcssd? It looks exactly like your avatar.

[raoul]

macperry - sorry, I have no idea how to make them bigger, I don't even know how to post them, I have to ask my husband to do that for me, I just know that people post a variety of sizes and thought it might be helpful seeing a bigger picture. We might see something we didn't see before.

The second pic is helpful in ruling out bta though. Bta's have smooth undersides, and there's verrucae visible in your updated pic.

Are those bumps (verrucae) on the underside adhesive? With the nems that have them, some are adhesive and some aren't, so that will help with the process of elimination. :) Crispa will have adhesive verrucae.

Good luck!

[sarahkucera]

illcssd
I think you are confusing original poster's pictures with my pictures, since the only recent pictures came from me that show a definite H Crispa. Jury is still out on whether original poster has an H Crispa or not, but I am still of the opinion that it is. Larger and clearer pictures would help still in that matter. I definitely have an H Crispa, and she's about 14 inches across today, really showing off. The following pictures are from July when she first went in the tank. As you can see she has nearly doubled in size since I put her in my tank, that's some rapid monster growth!

macperry
I can answer your question about the picture posting, since I'm the one who posted the giant pictures. I host on an offsite server (in my case it's my own server) and insert the pictures through html codes. You can post whatever size pictures you would like that way if you put the html codes in as part of your text. You are limited to the small pictures when you host them on the RC server.

On to the meat of this reply:
My nem actually looked about a million times worse than yours when it came to me because it came from a tank tear down and neglectful lighting because the old owner thought it was prettier when it was white with purple tips.


This is what I started with on 7/11/06.
A gross blob with hardly any tentacles and seriously looking like it was on deaths doorstep.
But she had a nice tight mouth and a super sticky foot. So I thought there might be hope.
When I put her in the tank she actually gripped onto my hand in the few seconds I was holding her.
It was like she was thanking me for taking her.
<img src="http://www.midnightmadness.org/sarah/saltwater/071106/DSC08866.JPG" width=600 height=484>


By 7/23/06 I had this.
<img src="http://www.midnightmadness.org/sarah/saltwater/072306/DSC09490.JPG" width=800 height=600>

Some pretty short tentacles.
And she was about half the size she is today.
<img src="http://www.midnightmadness.org/sarah/saltwater/072306/DSC09479.JPG" width=600 height=450>

A closeup of her tentacles looking short, but starting to color up nicely.
I had just fed her in this picture so her mouth was looking a little puckery.
<img src="http://www.midnightmadness.org/sarah/saltwater/072306/DSC09478.JPG" width=600 height=450>

[illcssd]

Sarah:
I know that those pictures came from you, i was refrencing her second picture she just posted. The verrucae on that clearly dismiss and bta and definitly point to h. crispa.

Macperry: The anemone in my avatar is h. magnifica, aka ritteri anemone. It is extremely big and with a bigger picture you would see the difference.

Lets see if i can get a pic of my h. crispa that i am currently bringing back from a bleached state. Looks somewhat like the pictures you posted macperry.

[macperry]

Some interesting developements to share. I had been working on a Tunze NanoStream 6025 mod that would decrease the flow so I could use it in my tank without turning it into a snow globe. Finally got it figured out, and installed it in the tank last night. The pump is great...got rid of all the dead spots, and all the coral looks happier already. A side effect was the percs got so interested in swimming in the new flow...they decided to leave the anem alone for a while. It has moved a little further into the rocks. Do you all think this is just until it gets used to the new flow? I'm pretty sure it wont get the required light where it is now. Take a look at the pic and please let me know what you think.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/124731NemRocks.jpg

[macperry]

sarahkucera: thank you very much for the instructions on how to post bigger pics. I'm going to look into Photobucket or something like that. As for my nem....what do you think about my last post and pic?

illcssd: It would be great if you could post a full pic of the avatar anem....thanks.

[illcssd]

Well, i don't have any recent pictures, but these are two that i have saved on photobucket......Sorry about the low quality.
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l217/goforzer0/PB190147.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l217/goforzer0/PB190145.jpg

[macperry]

illcssd: Thanks for the pics. Your anem sure looks exactly like mine. What kind of magnifica is it? Let me know if you can find any of those crispa pics to use for comparison. If mine truly is a magnifica, it would explain why it is heading for the rocks. Does yours like moderate water flow?

[illcssd]

kind of magnifica? Heteractis magnifica. Thats it.
I will try to get a pic when i get home later this week, currently i am house/business watching for my boss.

[phender]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8678833#post8678833 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by macperry
Just tried to feed my anem some fresh scallops.....but the perc came over and took the food right out of the anems mouth! Is this "normal" behavior? Also...I got a better pic that may hepl someone ID this anem for me. Any help out there?
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/124731Anemeat.jpg

The white verrucae (bumps) on the underside of the anemone and the tentacle shape give a pretty positive ID. You have either a H. crispa or H. malu. The faint yellow markings on the column bring H. malu into play, but it is more than likely H. crispa. They are both commonly refered to as sebae anemones.

The good news is that it is not bleached. The bad news is that the tentacles are way shorter than they should be which means that the anemone has been consuming itself for a while to stay alive. They can be brought back once they start this trend with good lighting and feeding but it is not always easy. Having two clowns beating it up don't help its chances. If you could isolate the clowns somehow for a while, your anemone would stand a better chance.

[macperry]

phender: Thank you very much for taking the time to supply the ID. From all I have read, and all the pics I have looked at, I have to agree that it is indeed a crispa. The experiment with the Tunze nanostream was very interesting. The increased flow caused the percs to leave the anem alone all day today. Problem is, the anem retreated a little further under the rocks to get into some reduced flow. When I turn the Tunze off, the percs go right back to the enem...which is now tightly balled up again in the crevice of the sand and rocks. Don't quite know what to do about this situation....although I have learned that patience is one of the keys to this hobby.

[macperry]

Moved one of the large rocks that was over hanging the anem, and turned the Tunze off, and now I have one happy looking anem! The percs are busy exploring the new layout, and the anem looks like it is anchored very nicely in full light and flow.

[macperry]

phender: Is there any kind of supplement that could be administered with a turkey baster that would help "fatten" up the anem and get it back on the road to health?

[phender]

Liquid supplements at this point just tend to pollute your water.
If I were in your situation I would find a small bag frozen seafood medley at the grocery store. Everyday try to feed a small(pencil eraser size) piece of one of the selections until you find one it reacts to. I often gently rub the food in the tentacles first. That will sometimes encourage the anemone to grab the food or push out its stomach. If there is no reaction don't bother it anymore and try another food the next day. If there is a reaction, place the food close to the mouth and keep the fish away. Don't leave the anemone. If the food isn't eaten in 15 minutes remove the food. Once you have gone thru a complete rotation of foods, start over again. You can also try mysis in the rotation. I have had good luck getting them started with scallops for some reason, then I usually switch them to something else once they start eating with some vigor. Once you get it eating, feeding 3 times a week is enough.
One of the reasons I use these foods is that I can eat them over pasta if the anemone doesn't like them and the mysis I can feed to my fish.

Good luck. If your anemone is already eating and keeping the food down then you shouldn't have much trouble getting it back in shape.
If your light is good and bright and your water quality is good, anemones can live for months without directly eating anything, but the longer they don't eat, the more difficult it is to get them started again.

[raoul]

Don't forget to thaw the food before you try to feed your nem :) I know it seems like a no brainer, but sometimes you just never know what people will do ;)

[RedSonja]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8700862#post8700862 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by macperry
phender: Is there any kind of supplement that could be administered with a turkey baster that would help "fatten" up the anem and get it back on the road to health?

I thaw frozen mysis in Selcon to feed 'nems, but as Phender said you have to be careful with dumping excess nutrients in your tank. If it eats mysis or shrimp or scallop bits w/o it, I wouldn't worry about it. Me putting a few drops of Selcon in a 110g+ plus system isn't as much impact as putting it in a nano system.

-Sonja

[macperry]

Thank you all for the great info! So far I have tried fresh scallops (living on the jersey shore has a FEW perks), and thawed frozen mysis shrimp. At this point there is not much of a feeding response...seems to freak the nem out a bit when the turkey baster comes close to it. I think I have to find a more precise and less threatening way to target feed. Any ideas? The nem seems to go through a regular cycle of expansion and contraction....can't tell whether it's just balancing its chemistry, or digesting food it pulls from the water when I feed the tank.

[RedSonja]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8702579#post8702579 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by macperry
Thank you all for the great info! So far I have tried fresh scallops (living on the jersey shore has a FEW perks), and thawed frozen mysis shrimp. At this point there is not much of a feeding response...seems to freak the nem out a bit when the turkey baster comes close to it. I think I have to find a more precise and less threatening way to target feed. Any ideas? The nem seems to go through a regular cycle of expansion and contraction....can't tell whether it's just balancing its chemistry, or digesting food it pulls from the water when I feed the tank.

I *love* my extra-long forceps (I got the "Premium Specimen Aquarium Forceps 10" from the Premium Aquatics booth at MACNA, they sell them on their website as well, $5 plus shipping). I pick up a piece of food with them and put it gently on the 'nem, no blasting them to freak them out. Mine learned pretty quickly they get fed the same time at night and when the food gets near them they grab it off the forceps and stuff it in their greedy little mouths!

-Sonja

[sarahkucera]

I use some of those grabber things that they sell in the fish stores. They come with a grabber attachment and a scissors attachment. I think it cost me $15 or so.
Plus the grabber thing totally freaks the fish out, so I guard my nems while they eat. The fish don't bother the RBTA's but they do bother the H Crispa.

[macperry]

sarahkucera: Could you describe the grabber thing a little better please. Plenty of fish stores around here...i'd love to go out and grab a grabber.

phender: Good thing I have some extra time on my hands....last thing I want to do on vacation is get on another airplane! I tried the scallops today....put it right next to the anems mouth. I watched it open it's mout and eat the piece of scallop, as I stood guard to keep the percs away. After about 15 minutes the anem spit the scallop out! It looked a little "eaten"...and then of course along came the female perc and grabbed the scallop. Now i'm getting stubborn...i'm going to find something this anem likes to eat...soon I hope.

[macperry]

Wanted to try posting a full tank pic with the Photobucket service:

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q160/macperry/Feather-1.jpg[/IMG]

[macperry]

Just a quick update on the anem saga.....interesting development.....the anem decided it wanted a better anchor spot in the rocks right above where it was originally. Now we have to wonder....Sebae that likes rocks....OR......magnifica???

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q160/macperry/AnemMove.jpg

[sarahkucera]

<a href="http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=ESU-AF9502&Category_Code=Fishnet" target="_blank">Coralife tongs come in 22 inch (click me!)</a> and <a href="http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=ESU-AF9501&Category_Code=Fishnet" target="_blank">28 inch (click me!)</a> and <a href="http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=ESU-AF9500&Category_Code=Fishnet" target="_blank">34 inch lengths (click me!).</a> I don't have the Coralife brand ones.
I have the <a href="http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=EH-3590050&Category_Code=Fishnet" target="_blank">Eheim tongs/trimmers (click me!).</a> I got them because they were what was available at the store I was in.


Feeding:
Sorry she spit out the scallop. Have you tried silversides yet? Get some and offer her a small piece. If she keeps it down, offer her a slightly larger piece next time.
Walkabout:
If your nem is on the move, keep a close eye on your tank. Your tank looks pretty well stocked and if she moves to the top of your rockwork she could kill everything in her path.
Bioload:
Your tank already looks like it was pretty well stocked without the addition of the nem, is your filtration system going to be able to handle the added bioload of a growing anemone?
Size:
When are you planning on getting a bigger tank? She'll outgrow your tank in a matter of months no matter which of the discussed species of nem she might be. As she grows larger and her tentacle reach gets bigger, she will start killing off your corals. Time to get a bigger tank up and cycling now so that it will be ready for her to move into as she outgrows your tank.

[macperry]

sarahkucera: You have been a big help....thank you for all the info. I am trying to decide what my next tank will be. I am leaning towards the 29g Aqualife, or the 24g AquaPod. I think I have the filtration on my 12g pretty well figured out by now through trial and error. Ended up throwing out all the stuff it came with, upgraded the filter pupm to a 230gph from a 160gph, and just run a Polly filter in the second chamber with a little filter floss on top. I let the live rock in the tank due the bulk of the bio filtering. That and a couple of small water changes per week keeps my params right on the money.

[macperry]

Ladies and gentlemen....for those who care...operation feed the anemone was officially a success tonight. Brought out the trusty turkey baster....stuck a piece of shrimp in the end...and placed the shrimp in the anems mouth. Stood guard over the percs, anem closed her mouth, and 15 min later....shrimp gone, and mouth back open for more. No more tonight though...don't want to over feed her.

[phender]

Congrats. That is a huge step. You might want to wait 2 days before you try again. In its current state everything is slowed down including its digestion.
FWIW: 2 of my 3 crispa are attached to rocks. Yours is still a crispa. :)

[macperry]

Thank you phender....who thought I could become this attatched to a fish tank:o) My girlfriend thinks i'm starting to grow gills.

[macperry]

Just a general question: Will my anem sting any fish that brushes against it (other than the percs) or is it selective in what and when it stings? Also....is it always fatal to a non perc fish?

[raoul]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8720153#post8720153 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by macperry
Just a general question: Will my anem sting any fish that brushes against it (other than the percs) or is it selective in what and when it stings? Also....is it always fatal to a non perc fish?

I've been curious about this before as well, and I'll share the answers that I got. Basically, something touches the tentacles and they sting, I think it's more of a reaction than a thought process.

I asked this question after my watchman goby was resting under the loving caress of a handful of my crispa's tentacles! We had moved the tank from one house to another and no one was happy about it!! All the fish took refuge in the same corner and the nem just happened to be there too. We thought the goby would move if it were uncomfortable, but we ended up shoo-ing it away and it was fine.

I remember reading too, that crispa's have a pretty mild sting, so that's helpful for the fish too.

I also wanted to comment on your ideas for tank size. We got a little white ball of goo almost two years ago and housed it in a 30 gal tank. It's done great, but about half the tank is dedicated to the nem because it's grown so much, and from what I've seen, there's still plenty more it can grow! If you want a tank specifically for your nem 30 gal or so will probably be okay, but if you want to put other things in there, like corals, you may want to think bigger :)

Just some food for thought, and so glad your nem finally ate!! Isn't it a great feeling?

[macperry]

raoul: Thank you for all your previous words of encouragement. It really was a cool feeling when I got the nem to eat her first meal last night! Your thoughts about the 30g are pretty much the way I was headed. It would be a dedicated perc and nem tank...was even thinking bare bottom this time, with a bunch of nice live rock.

[raoul]

With a crispa, I would stay with a sand bed. Even though yours is on the rocks right now, it may appreciate the sand. Mine moves between the sand and an inch or so above the sand on a rock. It usually moves up a little when my lights go bad and it's trying to maximize the lighting.

That's just my experience and opinion though, others may have different ones. But crispa's are considered sand dwelling in the oceans, and I feel better providing something as close as possible to their natural environment.

Ours is all the way on one side of our 30, but if it was a dedicated tank like you're talking about, I would definately place it in the center so it's the focal point of your tank - they really are very amazing animals!

[sarahkucera]

I also recommend keeping a sandbed for a crispa.

[macperry]

OK guys.....sand bed it is! Now I need to start doing some research on which tank I want. The "nano" style tanks appeal to me....especially when you have a little experience with their peculiarities, and how to work around them. I am certainly willing to listen to and consider all other opiniond though.

[sarahkucera]

The larger the tank the easier it is to keep.
So my opinion is to max out what you can do and go as big as you possibly can so that you have the most options.

Having extra room in a tank is a problem that I've never seen a saltie cry over. ;)

I started out with a 125 and damn I wish I had double that, but that probably won't happen in this house I live in now.

[macperry]

sarahkucera.....lets see some pics.

[raoul]

I would say 30 gals would be the minimum. Like I mentioned before, ours takes up almost half of our tank depending on how relaxed it is, and ours isn't nearly anywhere near as large as some of the ones I've seen on here!
I think if you start smaller (nano) you'll just have to upgrade to bigger later to accomodate the size, or start all over with a new nem to fit your tank. If you go bigger now, it's more cash up front, but in the long run you'll save money because you won't have bought the nano and a new tank to put it in. I agree too that the more water volume you have, the better your stability.
Which is good for any nem.

Good luck and have fun shopping!

[illcssd]

Edited for stupidity, nm.
Missed those pic's. Sorry.

[macperry]

illcssd: check page 2 of this post. That was a couple days ago when she decided to move and start eating a bit.

[macperry]

illcssd: no worries....still sticking with the original ID?

[macperry]

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q160/macperry/Silver1.jpg

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q160/macperry/Silver2.jpg

[illcssd]

Yes, same id, your anemone is just exhibiting strange behavior for h. crispa imo. Most every crispa i have seen that is somewhat healthy always has attached in the sand bed or to a rock under the sand. I'm sure one of the other more experienced people have seen it. Just is wired to me... If it didn't have white verrucae i would definitely say it was a magnifica, tentacle shape and color look exactly like my magnifica. Just the base is different, o well. did it actually eat that silverside?

[macperry]

illcssd: It gave it a nice try for about 20 min...then one of the percs snuck in and took it. 55semireef says it was way too big to begin with....gonna try a smaller piece in a couple of days. Still looking for a good feeding tool....turkey baster and aqua tongs don't work very well.

[phender]

At this point the food should be about the size of a pencil eraser.

As far as a tool to feed them, I have always rinsed my hands real well in warm water and used them. That way I can tell if the anemone is sticky and I can avoid injuring the anemone.
I know some people say never to put your hands in the tank, but in some cases the benefits outweigh the risks, IMO.

[LesMartin]

Phenders' advice is spot on. It's tempting to try and rush these things and give them larger pieces of food but patience wins the day! I use stainless steel medical forceps to feed my anemones if you can obtain any ?

[macperry]

Thank you guys...I went out to the LFS today and found the Hagen Multi-Tool. Looks like this might work a little better than my previous tools. I will try a pencil eraser sized portion of silverside today.

[macperry]

OK guys....sc**w the tools and basters. I took phenders advise....grabbed a small piece of silverside and used my fingers to gently put it in the enems mouth. I must have got it in the right spot, because the anems weren't able to grab it away this time!

[coraladdict]

Mine also hangs out on a rock.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=195210&papass=&sort=1&thecat=500

[RedSonja]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8743222#post8743222 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by macperry
OK guys....sc**w the tools and basters. I took phenders advise....grabbed a small piece of silverside and used my fingers to gently put it in the enems mouth. I must have got it in the right spot, because the anems weren't able to grab it away this time!

I think you mean the clownfish weren't able to grab it away this time? :D Took me a second to realize what ya meant there. Glad to know you got it to take a piece of fish, hope this is the start of it eating better!

-Sonja

[macperry]

coraladdict: Looks like we have very similar anems. At least yours is right side up...mine is still kida sideways on the rock....not completely upside down...but with the mouth 90 degrees to the sand.

[coraladdict]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8774007#post8774007 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by macperry
coraladdict: Looks like we have very similar anems. At least yours is right side up...mine is still kida sideways on the rock....not completely upside down...but with the mouth 90 degrees to the sand.

Actually it's not right side up it's on the side faceing towards me .