Feeding your Nem? Stop and read this first.

[Amoo]

This article seems to be about aptasia, while I realize they are anemones, would all this info remain true for say quadricolor, mags, or condys?

yes, mainly because the body structure, function and zoos all perform the same way in all nems.

 

[spiraling]

@Amoo this is great info for a healthy nem, but a few years back my RTBA bleached white. I assumed at this point it cant feed off the Zoo, since it was expelled. I fed 2-3 times per week with a few mysis and after about 6 months it regained its color.

Do you have recommendations for bleached nems?

 

[Amoo]

@Amoo this is great info for a healthy nem, but a few years back my RTBA bleached white. I assumed at this point it cant feed off the Zoo, since it was expelled. I fed 2-3 times per week with a few mysis and after about 6 months it regained its color.

Do you have recommendations for bleached nems?

Feeding should remain the same, the only difference becomes light amount and requirements, which typically become much less. I know LA has some bottled zoos that they sell from a company called PhycoPure™ but I don't know if these zoos are the same zoos that liv in nems so I don't know if adding that to a spot feeding would help increase recovery. I would like to think so, but do not have the data to be sure. If I personally had a bleached nem it is something I would try, but please don't mistake that as a recommendation or suggestion to help fix the bleached condition. Like I said it's simply something I would love to have more data on.

If I were to do this, I would personally soak their food in a little bit of this stuff then feed like normal and while the nem is eating take the remnants of the soaking container and squirt it towards the mouth of the nem (not like directly inside), just gently in that general direction.

 

[DJ Monty]

Just what I needed.. Great write up.. Many thanks...

 

[reefnut007]

I broadcast feed variety of frozen cube food once a day to my fish on one end of my 80-gallon reef and the circulation in my tank naturally takes the food (not eaten by fish) to the very spot where the anemone has latched herself to the rock, on the other end of the tank. So I see food on the nem's tentacles daily, which she eventually ingests. A couple of months have gone by and she seems happy. Only once I actually fed her directly by cutting up half of a silverside into three chunks. The nem immediately swallowed all three pieces and when I returned the next morning all three pieces were laying on my sand substrates in perfect condition as if they had never been swallowed by the nem. I took to mean she did not like it and never fed her again using the silversides. So now I just watch her eat the leftover frozen food cubes that blow in her direction. After reading this awesome post by @Amoo, I think I will go back to once a month feeding of my anem using small parts of the silver sides.

 

[Mical]

I feed mine once a week

 

[Thomas B]

I would be interested in what would be the best type of food.

 

[Rip Van Winkle]

Thanks for the write-up.

 

[Shaun Sweeney]

Thanks for the info.

 

[Amoo]

I would be interested in what would be the best type of food.

Best is a very subjective and relative term. Generally I try to stick to things it would eat naturally in the ocean. I personally feed LRS so it's easy for me to just drop a piece on the nem a few times a week and let it go to town. If I'm not totally mistaken I think Mysis are kind of like an empty treat, kind of like eating iceburg lettuce if you will. Sure it's food but it's really just empty calories that your body can't really do anything with. You're not going to hurt anything, but probably not an ideal solution.

There have been multiple reports over the years of some people getting bad silversides meanwhile others will jump in and say, "I've fed silversides for years and never had a problem." I've seen it enough to know I won't use it, but I can't really say definitively that they are bad. Honestly any type of seafood that you can guarantee hasn't had a bunch of preservatives added to it and you can guarantee hasn't been thawed and defrosted a million times because there is no legit quality control, is probably a safe bet.

I've fed a small piece of Tilapia, Shrimp, Clam...etc people like foods in the past all with success, but anymore I just blow a piece of LRS towards my nem(s) and they're happy. The whole goal really is to get something into the Nem that it can convert into food the Algae itself can use so the Algae itself can release what the nem needs.

 

[Sharvey103]

Nice writeup. I fed my rose bubble tip once a week and after 3 months it fissioned and I now have 2. I have cut back to once a month now.

 

[Tony Thompson]

Excellent article Amoo, its because of articles containing detailed and scientific evidence like this that I joined this forum. Thank you for a very interesting read, it even mad my morning coffee take a back seat, Ha ha. Is it possible to share this article on my Face Book Group. I seem to be able to share some others but I am new to this forum so not sure how I can share this particular article. Thanks, Tony Thompson.

 

[Amoo]

Excellent article Amoo, its because of articles containing detailed and scientific evidence like this that I joined this forum. Thank you for a very interesting read, it even mad my morning coffee take a back seat, Ha ha. Is it possible to share this article on my Face Book Group. I seem to be able to share some others but I am new to this forum so not sure how I can share this particular article. Thanks, Tony Thompson.

@Tony Thompson I would assume since it's just a regular post and was not done in an article format that may have something to do with why you can't share it. I dunno though.

 

[Chalice Kingdom]

This is great info! I have a condy and a few mini maxi anemones. Wasn't sure how often to feed them for best health. I'm going to feed them once a week, and see how that goes. Thanks again!

 

[Flyin High]

Good info here. Thanks for the write up

 

[HippieSmell]

My rbta has split innumerable times over the 12 years since I bought the mother colony. Split more times than I care. I've never directly fed them and would never do so unless I had a dedicated anemone tank, because they are a menace to tank society.

They make great LFS trade fodder, however!

 

[reeftigergal]

Wow, I have 6 nems in my clown breeding tank while I am setting up my fish room to breed types of clowns. My Idea is to give a nem to each pair to host in. Past experience showed me that they breed faster, seem happier, I can put a piece of clay pot under the nem and they will lay their eggs there every time enabling harvesting of the eggs at the prime times and more interesting to observe as well. lol
Anyway, I have feed them every day and they do great I started out with 3. Have rainbow bubble tips & rose bubble tips.
I guess I will feed less now according to everyone else as I have seen one of them actually throw up its food one day and looked hungover the next day. Guess I fed too much or often.
I will take all advice and feed less and see what happens.

 

[inkvitalis]

I am also interested to know if the info is true for quadricolor and other BTAs...

 

[davocean]

I would say this info is probably especially true for E.quadricolor, and that seems to be what most have, and therefore most shared experiences, and some of this advice pertains to their ability to split, and keep in mind not all anemones split naturally.

I personally do advise mysis for recovery of bleached nems, or similar small foods that can be easily digested and not adding stress to the animal, brine to me is more empty of nutritional value unless it is live or freshly hatched.

I am one of those people that fed silversides for many years, and never thought twice about it, until I lost 3 healthy LTA's immediately after a feeding of silvers, so for me never again w/ those, there are just too many safer options IMO.

 

[andyg1960]

2x a week with 1 whole silverside each time. I think he's happy.