Is It Ok To Feed A BTA Silverside?

Katesreef · Mar 25, 2016

Ok here's the deal. I went to the local fish store 60 miles away. I pulled out what I thought was a bucket of Krill and when I got home to my horror it's silver sides. Can they eat it with no adverse effects? What can eat it? I have never fed silver sides to anything. Every time I post here it's because of something I do that's stupid!

FarmerTy · Mar 25, 2016

I'd personally chop them up but it would be fine for them. It will also create less mess for you instead of them consuming whole silverside and spitting out a whole dead fish to rot in your tank.

ReefQueen · Mar 25, 2016

Katesreef said:
Ok here's the deal. I went to the local fish store 60 miles away. I pulled out what I thought was a bucket of Krill and when I got home to my horror it's silver sides. Can they eat it with no adverse effects? What can eat it? I have never fed silver sides to anything. Every time I post here it's because of something I do that's stupid!

Silversides will be fine. If the nem is small you might have to cut them up though. And there is no such thing as stupid questions in this hobby

Trex · Mar 25, 2016

Personally, I will never use them again. Lost an otherwise healthy H. malu to their use about 10 years ago. A couple other experienced anemone keepers have lost their anemones to their use too.

Also, E. quadricolors would never eat anything like large/boney in the wild. Better off with mysis if you are going to spot feed.

Joshky · Mar 25, 2016

There's anecdotal evidence to suggest that feeding silversides can kill your anemone, this is because they are not regulated for human consumption and they thaw out/freeze multiple times before they get to you and could be rotten. I say feed at your own risk, I would not.

go29 · Mar 25, 2016

Im going to agree with @Trex ..... many people in the hobby use to suggest silversides for all anemones but that view has changed a lot recently due to the fact that many don't consume the silverside, and spit it out hours after "eating it". I just don't see BTA as fish predators, unlike carpet anemones that can def take down bony fishes. I personally feed my RBTA with just frozen food that I'm feeding the fish (LRS reef frenzy) or mysis. I believe these types of foods are much easier for the anemone to digest, thus allowing it to get nutritional value without expending so much energy just trying to digest. If it helps I have had the same RBTA for 10 years now (many splits ) going off this method of feeding only smaller foods.

ReefQueen · Mar 25, 2016

Well dang, don't listen to me then lol. I fed a nem Silversides years ago, but he had an unfortunate powerhead accident, but at the time the LFS had recommended them.

Katesreef · Mar 27, 2016

Thank you all for your answers. I have been feeding mine Krill for years but ran out. Picked up the silver sides by mistake. What will eat them or do I just need to throw them away? I have mysis but I have never seen any stick on their tentacles. I will give them a try though.

Lionfish Lair · Mar 27, 2016

I personally would use them. Mine ate silversides. If the piece was too big, he would spit it out later. He never spit out the smaller pieces that I cut up.

cmac330 · Mar 28, 2016

BTA's don't require feedings, as such I would just hold off on feeding until you have something considered safer. Why risk it?

Psiber_Syn · Mar 28, 2016

I use table shrimp cut into small pieces thaw them pop them in the tentacles and they do great heck even my tang and lawnmower blenny eat table shrimp when they can grab a piece