Clown fish are eating my Anemone during spawning

[Snail Man]

I was just looking at the tank and noticed a price of the anemone caught in the algae, my clownfish have had a couple rounds of eggs in the past month and there nest is directly next to their anemone, could they be damaging the nem?? The rank also has a large algae problem if you guys have any solutions for that

 

[Reefing_addiction]

The nem will survive

Your nutrients are probably high. Which causes that hair algae

 

[Snail Man]

The nem will survive

Your nutrients are probably high. Which causes that hair algae

I have a 55 gallon and a 20 gallon fuge, I have a protein skimmer and fluval filter that I clean out biweekly, I do 10 gallon water changes biweekly aswell. What should I change?? I also feed the nem half a shrimp per week

 

[Reefing_addiction]

I have a 55 gallon and a 20 gallon fuge, I have a protein skimmer and fluval filter that I clean out biweekly, I do 10 gallon water changes biweekly aswell. What should I change?? I also feed the nem half a shrimp per week

And how often do you feed your fish?

What else is in the tank?

What are your water parameters

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

I have a 55 gallon and a 20 gallon fuge, I have a protein skimmer and fluval filter that I clean out biweekly, I do 10 gallon water changes biweekly aswell. What should I change?? I also feed the nem half a shrimp per week

First off, your nem will be fine.

Can you test nitrates and phosphates or give the most recent test results?

 

[Reefing_addiction]

And how long has the tank been up?

 

[Snail Man]

And how often do you feed your fish?

What else is in the tank?

What are your water parameters

I feed daily usually flake food, rarely frozen food. I have a pair of clowns, recently a lawn mower blenny, a foxface rabbit fish, tank carpenters are all normal except for nitrate those tend to be at 55

 

[Snail Man]

And how long has the tank been up?

Tank has been up for about 16 months

 

[Reefing_addiction]

I feed daily usually flake food, rarely frozen food. I have a pair of clowns, recently a lawn mower blenny, a foxface rabbit fish, tank carpenters are all normal except for nitrate those tend to be at 55

What’s your phosphates
And yeah nitrates that high is part of the cause for algae

I would switch to frozen - you can do flake but frozen is better for your fish.

Also no need to feed everyday

Maybe try 3 times a week

Feed your fish frozen and those clowns will feed the anemone

Mine do

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

I feed daily usually flake food, rarely frozen food. I have a pair of clowns, recently a lawn mower blenny, a foxface rabbit fish, tank carpenters are all normal except for nitrate those tend to be at 55

Your nitrates are quite high, which makes sense since there's so much algae. Also, flake food that doesn't get eaten causes more nutrient spikes than frozen food does.

 

[Reefing_addiction]

Or the anemone will catch food that falls

 

[Reefing_addiction]

Your nitrates are quite high, which makes sense since there's so much algae. Also, flake food that doesn't get eaten causes more nutrient spikes than frozen food does.

I feel like your stalking me

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

I feel like your stalking me

LOL! I am just a slow typer.... hey, great minds think alike!

 

[Snail Man]

What’s your phosphates
And yeah nitrates that high is part of the cause for algae

I would switch to frozen - you can do flake but frozen is better for your fish.

Also no need to feed everyday

Maybe try 3 times a week

Feed your fish frozen and those clowns will feed the anemone

Mine do

I don’t know the exact phosphate but last time I tested they were normal, maybe a little high, the nem has recently not been taking the shrimp and I have had to remove, should I assume the clowns got him covered, the nem is about 9 inches in diameter

 

[Reefing_addiction]

LOL! I am just a slow typer....

Suuurrre that’s what all my stalkers say

But it’s cool it’s nice other people jump in 4.5 years in there still things that I have no clue lol

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

I don’t know the exact phosphate but last time I tested they were normal, maybe a little high, the nem has recently not been taking the shrimp and I have had to remove, should I assume the clowns got him covered, the nem is about 9 inches in diameter

No, the nem should not be covered if your just feeding flakes to the clown, and it's not eating the shrimp. That's an issue in itself.

 

[Reefing_addiction]

I don’t know the exact phosphate but last time I tested they were normal, maybe a little high, the nem has recently not been taking the shrimp and I have had to remove, should I assume the clowns got him covered, the nem is about 9 inches in diameter

So 1 - anemones also carry symbiotic stuff (can’t remember the name) in their gut that is photosynthetic. So they don’t have to eat.

You need to feed the fish frozen so they can feed the nem

Honestly that nem looks slightly bleached. But I’m not an expert on carpet nems

 

[Reefing_addiction]

I love google
Carpet anemones are carnivorous, using their stinging tentacles to capture zooplankton, urchins, snails, crabs, shrimps, and small fish as well as detritus and waste from their host anemonefish.

However, they mostly derive their energy from the symbiotic zooxanthellae living within their cells.

 

[Snail Man]

No, the nem should not be covered if your just feeding flakes to the clown, and it's not eating the shrimp. That's an issue in itself.

The nem seems to be healthy it has good color, it could be stickier, originally I thought adding light would improve its health but then it went on a rant throughout the entire tank

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

So 1 - anemones also carry symbiotic stuff (can’t remember the name) in their gut that is photosynthetic. So they don’t have to eat.

You need to feed the fish frozen so they can feed the nem

Honestly that nem looks slightly bleached. But I’m not an expert on carpet nems

Yes, they have zooxanthellae in their tissue. A single celled dinoflagellate.