Green BTA not eating

[Thraciandrummer]

Hi all,
I recently purchased a nice Green Bubble Tip Anemone. Once I put it in the tank it found a spot pretty much immediately on the side of a rock right smack in the middle of the tank and has stayed there ever since (about a week and a half now). The anemone is open all the time and is in an area with a good deal of flow. It gets 12 hours of light a day and seems pretty happy to me. The only issue I am having is that it is not accepting food. For the last two days I have tried feeding it freeze dried krill with tweezers and it will not take it. I even was able to stick the krill in its mouth slightly today and it wouldn't eat it. Eventually my Coral Banded Shrimp came and stole the krill from the anemone. I continued to try to feed it the krill, but it wouldn't eat it. Is this a sign that it is unhealthy? Should I be feeding it something else? I don't want it die, it's such a nice anemone, but it is my first, so I don't have experience with anemone.

 

[Tahoe61]

If you have a modern lighting fixture your anemone will do fine without routine supplemental feedings. Never try to feed an anemone not accepting food.

Wait a couple weeks and try some raw scallops, squid or fish that you buy from the sea food section at the grocery store. The pieces should be no larger than a pencil eraser.

The anemone is receiving the vast majority of it's nutritional needs from the zooxanthellae found within it's tissue.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Sounds like you're overfeeding. I have two mini-maxi's and maybe feed them once every two or three months. They do have zooxanthellae and receive energy from this symbiotic relationship.

 

[Thraciandrummer]

Ok, so when would I know when I just should feed it. There is no way I'm over feeding it, it hasn't eaten a thing haha. I've tried feeding it but it has never accepted anything. I just don't want the thing to starve.

 

[Tahoe61]

It's not going to starve if you provide the anemone with adequate lighting.

Anemone do not eat routinely in the wild, they live off the carbon/sugars provided by zooxanthellae.

These BTA were feed monthly, sometimes twice a month if they were lucky.



What lighting type do you have?

 

[Thraciandrummer]

I have a Current USA orbit Marine LED light.

http://current-usa.com/aquarium-led-lights/orbit-marine-fixtures/orbit-marine/

 

[Tahoe61]

I have a Current USA orbit Marine LED light.

http://current-usa.com/aquarium-led-lights/orbit-marine-fixtures/orbit-marine/

That will work just fine.

 

[Thraciandrummer]

Ok good, then I am just worried for no reason lol. It's such a nice anemone, I just want it to be healthy. Thanks for your input.

 

[Tahoe61]

A Entacmaea quadricolor/BTA expanding fully every day, with good coloration and not roaming the tank is a good thing. In the wild fish will rarely approach an anemone, the anemone has to get very lucky to capture a fish. While as hobbyist we can not come close to providing the light produced by the sun most modern fixture provide enough light to adequately sustain BTA's. An anemone not receiving enough light will look like it's reaching for the light or move higher in the tank or even to one of the walls of the tank to get closer to the light source.

 

[Thraciandrummer]

Well this anenome isn't roaming at all and is sitting on the bottom of the tank next to a rock.

 

[Trex]

What size tank?
How long has it been set up?
What are your current water parameters? (( with numbers please )).

Just want to make sure that something else isn't off --- could just be because it is new to your tank, or something else. At this point I wouldn't be too concerned. I haven't directly fed my 2 S. haddonis in 1 year and 3 years respectfully.

Also, when you do feed it, place it on/in the tentacles, not the mouth.

 

[Thraciandrummer]

Tank is 125 gallons with 20 gallon sump, and it's been set up for about 6 months now. Current parameters are...
Salinity - 1.024
Ammonia - 0
Nitrites- 0
Nitrates -0
PH About 8.1

 

[Thraciandrummer]

This anemone has actually started eating. Over the last week he has eaten 2 freeze dried krill. The first one he held onto for about 15 second before he took it into his mouth, but the second one he pretty much immediately took. I am going to try to feed it twice a week. Otherwise, it's opened up all the time, and hasn't move an inch from where it first planted its foot. Really nice looking anemone. I was thinking about getting a second one. Would it be a bad idea to get a second Green bubble tip, or maybe a rose bubble tip this time? Will they be aggressive towards each other?

 

[twilliard]

In time it will become 2 if in the right conditions

 

[Thraciandrummer]

I thought they only split if they were not happy?

 

[twilliard]

True if they are stressed they will divide but also if they are kept in a "HAPPY" condition they will do the same. I have had the best luck with BTA's in this but struggle with with others to reproduce

 

[Thraciandrummer]

Awesome! Well this anemone definitely seems happy. He hasn't moved an inch since I put him in the tank, he's always opened up, great bubble tips, and now eating well. I just wish my black clowns would host it.

 

[Thraciandrummer]

Guess I spoke a little too soon. Woke up this morning to find my anemone has moved to the side of a rock. Still fully opened up, but he is definitely in a spot with almost no flow now, but higher up in the tank. Should I be concerned about his move? We did have a power outage last night, I hope that didn't annoy it.

 

[twilliard]

I would leave him be. He will find his happy spot just watch out for power heads

 

[Thraciandrummer]

Power heads shouldn't be an issue. I took some filter sponge the day I got the anemone and wrapped/zip tied them around my Hydor Koralias. I am just a little worried because he is getting nearly no flow back there. Also he is now 100% hidden behind a rock, which is kind of lame. I want to be able to see him. Would it be a bad idea to flip the rock he is on so he is front and center?