?'s About My First Anemone

[MaidOfDishonor]

I ordered a sebae anemone and I'm doing as much research as I can. There are a few things I'm not clear on.

Should I use Kent Marine Micro Vert Invertebrate Food along with silver sides, PE Mysis, clams, shrimp, etc?

I know they need iodine, is that already in the invert food or do I need to add to tank? If so, how? Mix into water before a water change? Will it bother my fish? (I have a FOWLR tank).

I'll keep the questions coming as I think of them. One always leads to another! (As one tank always seems to lead to another!)

Thanks,
Kate

 

[Gillman]

I personally don't like silversides. They're harder to digest for the nem. I just feed mine krill and whatever they grab from the water column. I add a drop of lugols solution once a week for iodine. That's more for my zoos though. The absolute most important thing is that you have a mature established tank. I personally don't think it will make it in a young tank even if your parameters are perfect. There is just something extra they need in a mature tank.

 

[MaidOfDishonor]

There is just something extra they need in a mature tank.

The tank has been cycled and had fish in it for about 9 months. I know that's not a really long time, but it's not like I'm putting a nem in a month old tank, either. ;-)

 

[OrionN]

Anemones are not filter feeder, so all that micro invertebrate foods are no good and not needed for the anemone. Diet wise, I don't intentionally feed my anemone with food market for aquarium. They do catch some of my fish food as I feed the tank. I feed them seafood that we human eat.

Anemone are mindless animals, they cannot differentiate good food from spoiled food like a fish with a brain can. If a fish bite a piece of food that is spoiled/or he doesn’t like the taste he just spit it out. It is not the same with anemone. If the tentacles detected certain chemical on the "food' they ingested it. Feed an anemone spoiled food can kill it. This happened to me and to a lot of experienced anemone keepers.

I do not like small fish or shrimps that are market for aquarium use because they are frozen with gut which causes them to spoil easy. This, in addition to been marketed as frozen pet food, they just do not get the proper care during transport like human food. The LFS often got melted packets and just refreeze it and sell. They, with rare exception, smelled terrible which indicated that they are spoiled. Take it from me, a person that eat a lot of fish, good seafood do not smell. Don't chance your anemone life on bad food, it will kill them. They are hard enough to keep with all kind of pitfalls; bad food is one of the pitfalls that kill a lot of anemones. The owners may or may not put two and two together, just "my anemone died for no reason", or "died due to chemical war with the other anemone at the other end of the aquarium". The truth to a lot of these mystery deaths may be bad food.

 

[MaidOfDishonor]

The truth to a lot of these mystery deaths may be bad food.

Wonderful advice. Thank you! I'm glad I'm learning this from you now before I make that mistake. I'll follow the rule, my nem will not eat anything I wouldn't eat!

 

[Trex]

What size tank do you have?
What lights?

Is it an H. crispa or H. malu --- both can be called "sebae"

 

[MaidOfDishonor]

I have a 29gallon nano. MHLs but my new LEDs come tomorrow. I hate the MHL, too hot!

As far as what species exactly, I have to check with the LFS. I'll post pics when I pick it up on Sunday! Bye the way, I'm buying sight unseen (insane I know but I live over two hours from the LFS and the anemones sell instantly-especially since they only got two in. I was going to get a GBTA but none came in and I really like the look of the sebae.) the LFS had two, a white and what the clerk described as a neon green. I asked him which he'd choose and he and I agreed on the green. I can still back out and get my money back if I look at it and don't like it. I just paid over the phone to hold it.

 

[OrionN]

A usual Sebae (H. Crispa) will get much too big for your tank. Malu, often also call Sebae by LFS would do OK in 29 gal tank. If it is green and small, It is more likely to be a Malu rather than Crispa.

 

[saltjunky]

Anemones are not filter feeder, so all that micro invertebrate foods are no good and not needed for the anemone. Diet wise, I don't intentionally feed my anemone with food market for aquarium. They do catch some of my fish food as I feed the tank. I feed them seafood that we human eat.

Anemone are mindless animals, they cannot differentiate good food from spoiled food like a fish with a brain can. If a fish bite a piece of food that is spoiled/or he doesn’t like the taste he just spit it out. It is not the same with anemone. If the tentacles detected certain chemical on the "food' they ingested it. Feed an anemone spoiled food can kill it. This happened to me and to a lot of experienced anemone keepers.

I do not like small fish or shrimps that are market for aquarium use because they are frozen with gut which causes them to spoil easy. This, in addition to been marketed as frozen pet food, they just do not get the proper care during transport like human food. The LFS often got melted packets and just refreeze it and sell. They, with rare exception, smelled terrible which indicated that they are spoiled. Take it from me, a person that eat a lot of fish, good seafood do not smell. Don't chance your anemone life on bad food, it will kill them. They are hard enough to keep with all kind of pitfalls; bad food is one of the pitfalls that kill a lot of anemones. The owners may or may not put two and two together, just "my anemone died for no reason", or "died due to chemical war with the other anemone at the other end of the aquarium". The truth to a lot of these mystery deaths may be bad food.

its nice to know that about food. but in saying that you should meet my qcbt nem if it don't like what it gets for food it spits it back out and have seen it more than once

 

[bucksfan1976]

For 3 years I have fed my anemones silversides. Just one a week, they eat they poop they grow they split. But thats just my situation others may be differnt , I have had RBTa, sebaes, carpet, condys

 

[OrionN]

saltjunky,
An anemone regurgitated food hours later because it cannot digest the food and regurgitated. This is not the same as spit it out without swallowing it like a human or a fish. It is much more like human eat something then throw it up hours later because of been sick or eat bad food. If the food is spoiled, the anemone got infected already, essentially a gut full of bacterial.

Other anemones that are sick and not eating. It get a perfectly good piece of food, hold on to it for a few minutes and let it go. That is not bad food, just sick anemone that did not eat.

 

[OrionN]

Anemone just need good unspoiled food. If the silverside is unspoiled, they are great. Certainly many anemone keepers use them and seem to have no problem, like bucksfan1976. Why I do not use them, I give my reason. Just be careful and don't feed them spoiled food.
Another factor is cost. The most expensive Sushi grade seafood is not any where near as expensive as silverside. Expensive and good chance of killing my anemone, I don't use them.

 

[saltjunky]

saltjunky,
An anemone regurgitated food hours later because it cannot digest the food and regurgitated. This is not the same as spit it out without swallowing it like a human or a fish. It is much more like human eat something then throw it up hours later because of been sick or eat bad food. If the food is spoiled, the anemone got infected already, essentially a gut full of bacterial.

Other anemones that are sick and not eating. It get a perfectly good piece of food, hold on to it for a few minutes and let it go. That is not bad food, just sick anemone that did not eat.

I don't know when it did it it never took it all in just a piece of it like a corner and pushed it out but the only times It has done that was when my mh droped off. I under stand what you say but mine has never done it like that I always watch mine to make sure it eats. I almost lost it right after I got it because of lfs lack of proper care all I know know is that I love it very bright and will take your advice and use it I want to have it for a long time.