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-   -   Bubble tip anemone, growth and health quesiton (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1154681)

jmoney 07/02/2007 08:17 PM

Bubble tip anemone, growth and health quesiton
 
I've had just a basic bubble tip anemone for over 6 months now, I've been adding frozen baby brine, cyclops, and brine shrimp ever since, and in the last two months have been target feeding with a sea squirt once a day with phytoplankton. I is only an inch around still, and the only change has been the slight enlargment of the tips which are only around the very outside of the anemone. Originally I placed it middle of the way in my tank (75 gallon with 4x54w t5) and it moved down itself down to the corner of my tank. I read they don't need that much light, but part of the problem is it continues to seclude itself deeper and deeper, and eventually its going to be inaccessable by the feeder. Is there any other foods/feeding methods I should utilize? Do these infact need more light? Is there anything I can start doing to spur the growth of this little anemone.

E.J. Coral 07/02/2007 08:20 PM

I don't know iff BTAs can access phyto, and even if they could wether or not an occassional squirt would provide nutrition compared to the constant exposure that they recieve in the wild.

I do know that they will eat, and benefit from, meaty foods such as shrimp and fish. Also sometime mysid...

kypatriot 07/02/2007 08:36 PM

I got my green BTA in December, and it was about 1.5". It stays about 6" now, and has split once - so it is now 2 six-inch BTAs.

It's under 500w MH in a 40g, and I feed silversides or lance fish every 2-3 days.

jmoney 07/02/2007 09:20 PM

Im running t5's, should I maybe try and re-locate him up more in the tank. I've tried to get it to eat pieces of krill but he is just too small right now

kypatriot 07/02/2007 09:31 PM

I wouldn't move it - they will move themselves where they like the light and flow. Trying to move it is just taking on a danger of damaging its foot. Sometimes they move when they want more food, so more meaty offerings might help, just don't over-do it.

I started off feeding mine mysis and squid every 3 days. The squid came in chunks that it could eat easily. Then I moved to lance fish and squid. The lance fish (or sand eels) are a little smaller than the silversides sold here.

The squid is a decent meaty food that you can vary the size of the chunks on though.

E.J. Coral 07/02/2007 09:32 PM

don't try to relocate it. They are moble and will go where they want, IMO. Relocation usually results in stress of the animal and the owner.

jmoney 07/03/2007 11:05 AM

Well he is hanging sideways thats part of the problem with feeding him something on a stick, other is that the tips are very small and only around the edge

DidYouSayReefer 07/03/2007 11:31 AM

I just bought my first BTA (this week). I have been feeding it MYSIS. I have read that brine shrimp provide very little nutritional value. In fact it will starve over time. www.wetwebmedia.com is where I found this. How good is your water flow? Maybe you can increase it to get it to come out. Good Luck.

rfraser 07/03/2007 01:31 PM

I got a new bta 2 weeks ago, he was about an 1.5" across when fully inflated. Tha second day in the tank I give him a piece of scallop about half the size of a pea and he gobbled it right up and has done it every day since except for may be a couple of days that I didn't feed him. He seems fully inflated 90% of the time , his bubble tips are as big as peas most of the time and he hasn't move since I put him in the tank. My clowns would hardly fit in him, now one will fit in him very comfortably and he is about 3" across. Maybe the 2x150 mh and 4-39 t5s might have helped. I don't no very much about this whole process except for what I have read on this forum but he seems to be doing ok for now.

Just thought my personal experience might help, right or wrong.
Rob.

jmoney 07/03/2007 01:55 PM

Quote:

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10264988#post10264988 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DidYouSayReefer
I just bought my first BTA (this week). I have been feeding it MYSIS. I have read that brine shrimp provide very little nutritional value. In fact it will starve over time. www.wetwebmedia.com is where I found this. How good is your water flow? Maybe you can increase it to get it to come out. Good Luck.
I feed baby brine (artemia) which are pretty good for them. the adult brine shrimp do have very little nutricious value

as far as flow I'm actually cutting it down today. I have 3 mj1200s on a red sea wave controller, with the mag 9 in the bottom im turning the water over about 11 times an hour, im cutting it down to 5 today

jmoney 07/03/2007 02:01 PM

Quote:

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10265876#post10265876 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rfraser
I got a new bta 2 weeks ago, he was about an 1.5" across when fully inflated. Tha second day in the tank I give him a piece of scallop about half the size of a pea and he gobbled it right up and has done it every day since except for may be a couple of days that I didn't feed him. He seems fully inflated 90% of the time , his bubble tips are as big as peas most of the time and he hasn't move since I put him in the tank. My clowns would hardly fit in him, now one will fit in him very comfortably and he is about 3" across. Maybe the 2x150 mh and 4-39 t5s might have helped. I don't no very much about this whole process except for what I have read on this forum but he seems to be doing ok for now.

Just thought my personal experience might help, right or wrong.
Rob.

I don't believe light plays that big a factor with these anemones, but If I could get him flat somehow instead of hanging off the side of a rock I could probably feed him like that

kypatriot 07/03/2007 03:33 PM

I use a turkey baster to feed. You can get some that have a larger hole, so they are lower pressure and can fit something larger in (like lance fish).

If you ever have a clown hosting it, they will make it easier. I squirt a hunk of food anywhere nearby, and the clown grabs it, takes it to the nem, shoves it in the anemone's tentacles, then pushes it toward the mouth.

jmoney 07/04/2007 04:27 PM

The clown that was once in the aquarium, never would host in it, the location of the anemone is probably why, it actually hosted in a finger leather coral instead. The clown had a hard time fitting back there I think, because the anemone is wedged inbetween the edge of the rock and the glass, and continues to move further back. I have a turkey baster that I used to use I'm goin to try getting some silversides in there today.

FishHick 07/05/2007 04:31 PM

I got my first bubble tip a little over 2 months ago. I feed it half a silverside soaked in Selcon every 2-3 days, and a little mysis in between. It has more than doubled in size since I got it.

FishHick 07/05/2007 04:31 PM

double post

kypatriot 07/06/2007 09:11 AM

Sometimes the clowns just take a little while to start hosting. I have a true perc that hosts my 2 green BTAs, but it didn't go in them for about a week. Then one morning it was in there and has been since.


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