How to feed up an anemone?

[Aliyanna]

I have had a couple of problems in my tank because of fish illnesses. So I had to put some medicine in the tank, nothing harmful for corals and invertebrates but I had to power off my filter and skimmer for a few days.
This brought trouble to my tank biology and in the end I didn't found my entacmaea. I thought I had lost her.
Last week I bought some new corals - after 6 weeks of getting my tank biology back in form - and placed them and for this I moved a stone and found my entacmaea.
It's hard to believe but she lives, but she is so small, half of a penny. She has 3 tentacles - or mini-tips, because you really have to have a good eye to see them.
So she lives and I want to save her back to normal size.
But: how? How do I feed up an anemone that's so small? Can't give her fishfood, she is too small. Yesterday I tried to give her Cyclops breeze but I don't think that's enough.
Has anybody experience with anemones and how to bring them back to life?

 

[Zack K]

@AcroNem and #reefsquad should give you some insight.

 

[jsker]

I do not know what you have available where you are at? What I would suggest is to puree some frozen food and then spot feed with a syringe or pipette.

 

[jsker]

You can use this and make a paste http://aquaforest.eu/en/product/af_power_food/

 

[dylana407]

First: never ever medicate your tank. Always treat your sick fish in a hospital tank.
Second: never ever feed an unhealthy anemone. It will only make thing worse. A healthy anemone is one that is fully open and tentacles extended. Anemone get most of its nutrition from photosynthesis. We spot feed them because our lighting may not provide enough par and/or the tank water doesn't have enough trace elements that the anemone need. There are many reefers who never feed their anemones. Those who feed their anemones, only do it once or twice a week. I feed mine a couple of mysis a week.
Third: I recommend that you run carbon to remove the meds or traces left behind.

I'll assume you have been doing water change and the water parameters are inline with the recommend values. Anemones need good and STABLE water condition. I would turn the rock so that the anemone get some light. Lower the light intensity by 25%, and change the flow so that the anemone doesn't get strong flow. If the anemone moves down, then lower the light and flow even more.
Again, don't feed it until it is healthy. Good luck.

 

[Aliyanna]

Thanks for your anwsers.
@jsker I am feeding selfmade food and I already pureed some of it and gave it to her an hour ago. She is happy with that and is eating. But is it enough? This coral food, isn't it like cyclops breeze?

@dylana407 It is a good theory to never ever medicate your tank. Unfortunately not all fishes are willing to come out. My tank is 2meter long, 80cm wide and 60cm high. I would have to make it totally empty to get the fishes out. Did you ever try to catch a squampinni and a
Halichoeres leucoxanthus? Good luck with that.

I had no choice to get everything out of the tank so I decided to medicate the whole tank
because then I am sure, that there is no illness left.
The anemone seems to be healthy only small. She didn't get light or anything else under the stone. I put her back in the light but I am not sure if there is enough anemone for photosynthesis.
I am not the kind of woman who waits until everything is too late. Ask my cats and dogs.
I already have stable biology per water change and carbon and UV, otherwise I didn't have tried to put new corals in. Like I said, 6 weeks stable now.
And for the love of my other corals I will not lower the light. I know what will happen than. My Crassa would be unhappy and begins to hurry araound, my clowns will be helpless and swim after her, my Euphyllia would say: ARE YOU ******* danged CRAZY? and so on.
No, the anemone has to live with bright light, I put her in a place where she don't have all of the light - my tank has bright and dark places.
Thanks for your good wishes

 

[Zack K]

Are you positive this is your BTA and not a mojano? Sounds really small.

 

[Aliyanna]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/p1nzgaknyt5qtes/DSC01247.JPG?dl=0

A pic from her.

Yes, I am 100% sure.

 

[AcroNem]

Man that thing is tiny. But yes it's E. quadricolor. I'd feed it things like mysis, enriched brine shrimp and cyclops/arctic copepods for now to slowly bulk it up. It should be able to handle any pellet foods as well. It should take pretty much any smaller foods.

 

[davocean]

I agree, small easily digestable foods like mysis are best, really your lighting is their main source of energy, but when either bleached or small and encouraging healthy growth spot feeding can help and sometimes needed.

I would squirt mysis or other small foods mentioned 2-3x per week and keep it to that so you do not stress it, as that could induce a split rather than growth.

 

[Aliyanna]

Okay thanks all, I will try to save her life. Will keep the thread updated

 

[AcroNem]

I think there's a lot of misinformation with coral and anemones getting all or almost all of what they need from light. Anemones are essentially a moving stomach, and all of corals bodies are dedicated to catching food. I agree that especially bleached or recovering corals and nems should be fed more but they need a lot more foods than we think to be truly healthy. As Davocean said 3 times per week of good food should be fine to help it recover, but that's also a great feeding schedule for healthy corals too as all of mine are broadcast fed daily with targeting 3x weekly.

 

[jsker]

There is some great advise here. I feed my bubble tip anemone twice a week a piece of gulf shrimp and I broad cast feed twice a day.

 

[davocean]

I think there's a lot of misinformation with coral and anemones getting all or almost all of what they need from light. Anemones are essentially a moving stomach, and all of corals bodies are dedicated to catching food. I agree that especially bleached or recovering corals and nems should be fed more but they need a lot more foods than we think to be truly healthy. As Davocean said 3 times per week of good food should be fine to help it recover, but that's also a great feeding schedule for healthy corals too as all of mine are broadcast fed daily with targeting 3x weekly.

Well sea anemone's are somewhat unique as they have been deemed genetically half plant, half animal, and like a plant they are able to process light into energy.

I do agree they must filter some foods, but as far as spot feeding goes it is not a must, in fact many people purposely do not spot feed to keep them from outgrowing their tank too fast.

This link here discusses them more on being claimed half plant, half animal.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140318113816.htm

 

[AcroNem]

There are no "Halves" in taxonomy. It is one or the other. The fact that they said because "because they appear more like a plant" in the beginning of that explanation is a bit ridiculous. They may write a paper to try to explain but it does not make it so. Sure, they appear like a plant, as do a lot of other Cnidarians, but they are indeed animals. We found a photosynthetic salamander not too long ago, is it a plant? I understand we're getting into some more genetics testing with corals to remake Genera that are all mixed up. I study the papers daily. The fact that corals have systems strictly for catching food and abilities to digest them kind of rules out the argument that they don't need to be fed. Also the other studies that show the sources from which many photosynthetic corals get the majority of their nutritional intake from is gathered from things they catch from the water column. Which explains why people starve their anemones to keep them from growing quickly, because they aren't getting enough to reach max size or for them to reproduce. Just my thoughts, you may care for them as you will

 

[davocean]

All good and just sharing thoughts and findings in order to understand or learn more, I'm not a biologist or anything just going by reading and experience.
I think of more like a venus fly trap, a plant that evolved and adapted making it more efficient, and assimilate that w/ anemone's and their presence of zooxanthellae that enables them to process light through photosynthesis, though I'm aware corals do as well.

FWIW I had both an LTA/dorrensis and a Crispa for 5.5 years that grew to max size and perfect health, and long before any of these sites existed(about 20 years ago), and I had never even heard of spot feeding them so I never did.
They were as healthy and pretty as I've ever seen of both species.

5.5 years and these were never once spot fed.

 

[AcroNem]

Yes, you're correct there. But does that make a Venus fly trap or other carnivorous plant part animal? No. It does not. There are many people who will agree with you and say they don't need feeding, but fact remains that although these are animals that use the aid of photosynthetic Dinoflagellates in their tissues they are animals and are eating machines.
Sorry for the hijack OP, didn't mean to derail anything.

 

[Aliyanna]

So, an update. It is very difficult to take a pic, so this will come later.
I feed the anemone once a day with selfmade food. A mix from fish, shell, carrots and lions tooth with a few nori algae and vitamins.
She doubled her tentacles and wandered a bit to get a better place (5cm) and she has colour, red and green.

I think she is on a good way and I will continue with the feeding. We have new hope

 

[dylana407]

Glad to hear it is doing well. Good job.

 

[Aliyanna]

Thanks, I'm really glad about her. I am always fighting against the shrimps when I feed her