How to feed a BTA

[kquang]

Hello, I recently added a bubble tip anemone to my tank for my maroon clown. Does anyone know how to feed it shrimp? I put the shrimp in the middle of it's tentacles, but it floats out after a few minutes and the hermits get a hold of it. thanks in advance!

Kevin

 

[Behrmon]

What kind of shrimp are you using?

 

[kquang]

just a chopped piece of shrimp I picked up from the grocery store. Is that the correct stuff?

 

[JohnK]

BTA's can only handle food soo big, when it's too big they very often either take and hold it like you described, or eat it but then spit back out before fully digesting it.

I used to feed medium shrimp from the grocery store cut into chunks. A lot would be spat out or dropped.

A couple of yrs ago Anthony Calfo spoke at a meeting and advocated feeding much smaller stuff such as mysis shrimp because of the above mentioned spiting out/dropping issues. I gave it a try and all I can say is that my RBTA's have done at least as well as before just being squirted with mysis as I feed my fish. It's a lot less messy and IMO works better. It also is one less thing to deal with.

 

[JayM]

I put about 1/3 to 1/2 silverside in each anemone when I target feed....figure it's close to what they eat in the wild. I do it at feeding time to keep the shrimp from robbing the anemone

 

[kquang]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I'll give those two methods a try over the next week.

Take care,

Kevin

 

[scoobnoob]

I feed mine 2-3 mysis shrimp, it eats them rather quickly no problems.