My expirience with feeding RBTA

[Koty]

My RBTA staeted shrinking after about 2 monthes and divided twice yrilding three small not so good looking nems. I read in several places here that feeding them should not be extensive. For about 2 weeks i feed one of the three almost every day with mainly small pieces of mussle. The response is clear: its growing and looking much better than the 2 "control" ones that do not get any food and look shrunk and are hiding.

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

I feed mine pieces of Silversides, had to cut way back, because they were taking over the tank, with splitting and how big they were.

 

[Glenner’sreef]

Great experiment. True supplemental feeding is important. Good lighting is important. A few years back, I was up to about 7 rbta. Sold them all as they decided to start traveling around the tank. My sps didn’t like that. But my go to food at the time for them was Krill. Good luck.

 

[Timfish]

How many fish do you have, what are your parameters and how mature is your system? Anemones have a high demand for ammonia as well as phosphate and a pair of clowns aren't adequate to supply enough for one. As BTA's do well in my systems without feeding I won't encourage them.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

My RBTA staeted shrinking after about 2 monthes and divided twice yrilding three small not so good looking nems. I read in several places here that feeding them should not be extensive. For about 2 weeks i feed one of the three almost every day with mainly small pieces of mussle. The response is clear: its growing and looking much better than the 2 "control" ones that do not get any food and look shrunk and are hiding.

I would venture to guess that if you have to supplementally feed your anemones or else they shrink and look poorly, You either don't have enough lamp over them or too clean of water. A BTA should not deteriorate in size or health over a few weeks if not a supplemented with food.

 

[exnisstech]

At one point I went from 3 to 39 in my 180g tank. I took all but a few to the lfs for credit. I stopped feeding and I haven't fed in over a year and I now have large healthy looking bubble tip nems tho they don't really have bubbles. I have 8 in my sump which is where they go when they start to wander until I can take them in for credit. The ones in the sump have nice bubble shaped tentacle but I'm not sure if its flow or lighting because both are different.
These are in the sump

And this is one from the display. Big difference in tentacles but healthy with no direct feeding

 

[Koty]

I have lots of fish and lots of parameters. My giant maroon female clown is guarding/ haressing all three nems. Tank is quite mature about 110 galons mostly LPS. I try to keep NO3/PO4 as low as possible but i feef a lot!!!! I use all export methods: Cheato,NPBactobalance, bioplastic reactor, and GFO. CBB intro to the tank caused a spike of N & P

 

[Eagle_Steve]

I have lots of fish and lots of parameters. My giant maroon female clown is guarding/ haressing all three nems. Tank is quite mature about 110 galons mostly LPS. I try to keep NO3/PO4 as low as possible but i feef a lot!!!! I use all export methods: Cheato,NPBactobalance, bioplastic reactor, and GFO. CBB intro to the tank caused a spike of N & P

Numbers don’t look bad, but a maroon with bta can be an issue even though that is their natural nem in the wild. Maroons are notorious for “beating” at a nem. Due to this smaller nems can be irritated a lot. This can cause retraction, which means less light and less food. In the wild, maroons have a “patch” of bta, so the beatings are spread out.

By feeding the nems, you are proving a good source for them, besides normal photosynthesis.

On a side note, it could additionally be lack of light as well. But I am leaning more towards “nem abuse” by an over anxious maroon lol.

 

[Koty]

Many thanks to all who replied. I think we may have nailed it. My first thought was that my parameters were not good enough although my corals are fine. So my take from all the responses is that the RBTA loses a lot of energy when harassed by a clown. This energy loss may be compensated by constant and extensive feedings. I will update

 

[Koty]

BTW my maroon female does not allow corals to be positioned around the nem. She topples down corals that I attach with epoxy and cyanoacrilic glue. Also she throws away fish poop and occasionally stirrs the sand with her cadual fin

 

[knockout]

At one point I went from 3 to 39 in my 180g tank. I took all but a few to the lfs for credit. I stopped feeding and I haven't fed in over a year and I now have large healthy looking bubble tip nems tho they don't really have bubbles. I have 8 in my sump which is where they go when they start to wander until I can take them in for credit. The ones in the sump have nice bubble shaped tentacle but I'm not sure if its flow or lighting because both are different.
These are in the sump

And this is one from the display. Big difference in tentacles but healthy with no direct feeding

Great looking anemones...

my experience with the "bubbles" is directly correlated to lighting
stronger lighting = fewer bubbles

 

[exnisstech]

Great looking anemones...

my experience with the "bubbles" is directly correlated to lighting
stronger lighting = fewer bubbles

I think maybe tho its not always the case for me. The ones with all the bubbles are in my sump under a black box. The red one strung out is under a combo of radion and hydra lights. But I do have a few directly under a hydra 26 that bubble but the bubbles come and go so maybe flow plays a part also as I have lower flow in the sump where they bubble more consistently. These are the ones directly under the hydra 26 and being whipped back and forth from the flow so I guess it's kind of a mystery to me why some bubble and others don't.