How do clowns feed their BTA?

[stevenp]

I just picked up a BTA and my clowns hosted in 24 hours! Whoo hooo! I was cool to actually watch the whole scenerio unfold.

I saw one of them doing something wierd, he was sucking on the tentacles like a teet (don't know how else to explain it). Now they're both doing it. I was wondering if they could actually feed anything through the tips, or is the mouth the only place anenomes eat from?

Maybe this is just normal behavoir, and something I never noticed in others tanks or maybe I skipped that chapter in the books...

Steve

 

[NateHanson]

They chew on them sometimes when they're getting cozy. Not sure why.

Clowns feed their anemone by dropping food in it sometimes (or in some cases, chasing other fish into it)

My male always grabs the largest chunk of food and puts it in the anemone before he gets smaller food for himself.

 

[Jim Tansey]

My maroon clown will take scallop off my feeding stick and bring it down to his BTA.

Jim

 

[NateHanson]

Out of curiousity Jim, is that your male or female clown that feeds the BTA?

 

[clamm]

humm mine are pigs the bta only gets what falls out of the mouth.

 

[NateHanson]

It's funny because my male is tiny, about 1.5". The smallest fish in the tank. And he always manages to get a big clump of food as soon as it hits the water, and rushes it over to the BTA, then off to find some scraps that are small enough for him to eat. The 3" female concentrates on feeding herself though.

 

[One Eye]

Both of my Red Saddlebacks will push food into the Anenomes. The Tomato Clowns (I hate these fish) will both steal food away from the Anenomes. I have to feed the opposite side of the tank to draw them away, then stuff food into the Anenomes.

 

[Jim Tansey]

Nate,

I only have one Maroon (thank God) and not sure of the sex. This fish has four RBTA's that he will not let my pair of Perculas near, I need to get rid of him, any takers?

Jim

 

[NateHanson]

That's quite a sales pitch Jim.

 

[Jim Tansey]

Thats why I never went into sales, I have a hard time feeding the BS to people.

Jim

 

[Moe_K]

Jim, I think clownfish are female by default, and when you introduce a second fish, it then turns into a male. Therefore, I think your sole maroon is a female.
Can anyone confirm or correct my theory?

 

[TheUltimateNoob]

once a clownfish is female, it is forever female. however a male can turn into a female in the absence of a female. when there are a bunch of clownfish, the dominant one will naturally turn female. jim, yours is a female if it's been by itself for a while.

 

[TheUltimateNoob]

that's why if you want to introduce a new clownfish to pair up with your current one, you want to pick one that is a juvenile (unsexed) or a male, which will be smaller than the female. i believe two females will fight to the death.

 

[stevenp]

Nate,
They're getting really cozy. The BTA closed for about a half hour today and the clowns were pretty angry... This is too cool...

Steve