My RBTA Doesn't Eat My Food Anymore...

[Canarygirl]

...Is that a bad sign?

He used to immediately close around offered food but the last several times that I've tried to feed him (over the course of about 3 weeks), he doesn't eat the food, just lets it drift away.

His color is good, and hasn't changed.

What should I do if anything? I have had him for 5 months, the tank is 8 months old, and he is captive grown.

He is under 250 watt 12K DE Reeflux bulb, about 24" below this light.

[wicked_NaCl_h2o]

Have you tried feeding it smaller pieces yet?

[Canarygirl]

Yes, like a small pinch of mysis shrimp soaked in selcon, for example. No go.

[enchie]

go to the supermarket. Ask for one shrimp. Make sure it isn't bleached or cooked. Usually they will give you a free sample.
Rinse it when you get home just to be sure it has no bleach. Cut a small part & try that.

[Canarygirl]

I'll try it but I'm afraid that its tentacles aren't even sticky anymore, and it's just showing no eating response anymore.

[wicked_NaCl_h2o]

Try putting mysis close to its mouth if its tentacles aren't sticky anymore you may have to put the food on its mouth. Is it on the glass or hanging sideways on the rock? If so it would be difficult to spot feed the anemone. Can you get a picture of your anemone?
Also how long have you had the mysis? My anemones start to stop eating the food I offer it when it starts to get a little old. My mysis usually last a month in the freezer before the anemones start rejecting it.

[Amphiprion]

If an anemone suddenly stops accepting food, something is wrong. The problem doesn't have to be life-threatening for them to stop eating, but there is an issue with something somewhere...

Edit-- They can do this also shortly before a spawn or split.

[Canarygirl]

yes, it's hanging sideways on a rock at the moment. Usually it's sideways, where ever it decides to be.

That's interesting that anemones might be sensitive to the freshness of food. I never considered that. I'll try to pick up some fresh shrimp from the market tomorrow. Are asian supermarkets a good source for unadulterated fresh seafood, do you think?

Also interesting to hear that they sometimes stop eating before a split.

[wicked_NaCl_h2o]

I stopped getting shrimp from the store. Its a pain, because I have to get the frozen raw shrimp in a bag. Its freshness doesn't last long and the zipper on the bag breaks. If you get a few from the store thats raw but defrosted..you can't freeze it again. Driving to the store twice a week isn't logical either. I know that all the fresh sea food at the store has all been previously frozen. If you have a local fish market where you can really get fresh sea food, more power to you.
Try getting some mysis at petsmart they have a better turn over than most local fish stores. I also think they have got better quality fish food. The mysis, brine shrimp and krill I buy at petsmart is enriched with vitamins. If I buy that stuff at my lfs its the food I have to rinse off with salt water and not as good quality fish food. I wish I could buy silversides and cyclops from petsmart too but I still have to buy that at the lfs.
I find using actual food already frozen and prepared for the fish and inverts in my aquarium easier on my checking account. Once the anemones start to not eat the food.. time to throw out what is left and get more. If you offer it food that you just bought and it still rejects the food then some thing else is wrong.

[enchie]

Unless the food is live isn't all seafood frozen?
I freeze my shrimp bought from the local supermarket. Sometimes I go to the Asian store to pick up fresh fish to feed.

It is very time consuming. I don't feed my anemones that much food. Once every couple of weeks. Then sometimes I feed them 3 times a week.
I target reefroids sometimes & they LOVE it. I put it in a small saki cup, mix it & then target feed very little with a turkey baster. Right away you will see them open their mouth real wide. About 10 seconds later it is really wide, then I turkey baste some of it right on the mouth.

I agree with wicked, try & post a pic.

[Canarygirl]

I tried some small pieces of fresh-from-the-grocery-store, previously frozen scallop, and HE ATE IT! No hesitation whatsoever. THere is definitely something to that freshness business!

[CHARLIE AGUILAR]

I feed my Haddoni and 5 RBTA muscles from the super market soaked in vitichem and they love it. I guess you can look at it like this, If we ate the same thing everyday we would get sick of it also. Keep us poasted on how it does!

[enchie]

That is great news Canarygirl.
Glad to hear it.
My RBTA's don't like scallops. They vomit them.
LOL
I feed mine various shrimps from all over the world, fresh salt water fish from local fishing trips including mackeral, silversides, and salt water fish and believe it or not fresh water trout fish.

Besides all the commercial stuff you can buy like bioplankton,etc.

[55semireef]

Originally posted by CHARLIE AGUILAR
I guess you can look at it like this, If we ate the same thing everyday we would get sick of it also.

No, this is a completely false analogy. Anemones are opportunistic feeders. They don't "get sick" of eating the same thing. They eat what they can. I fed my BTA since day one the same thing.

[Canarygirl]

I am also noticing that this RBTA is very particular about water quality. When it's getting close to the end of my 10 day water change cycle, it wanders more.

Last night I caught it twisting in the current, right underneath my Koralia 3, with only a 1" edge of it's disc holding on to the rock and the rest of its "butt" all swollen up and sticking up in the water. A very strange sight indeed. It makes you wonder what is going on in their little pea brains...oh yeah, they don't have a brain. Still, it makes you wonder what the heck it is trying to do.

(I ended up tipping over the long rock it was on, in order to lower the RBTA back into its normal sleeping hole)

[wicked_NaCl_h2o]

Hi, glad to see its eating again ..is it still taking the food you offer it? I tried feeding my bta a bay scallop once.. it ate it and then a few minutes later it spit it right out.

[Canarygirl]

It has taken the food the last two times I offered....good feeding response, etc.

[TylerMoore]

Originally posted by 55semireef
No, this is a completely false analogy. Anemones are opportunistic feeders. They don't "get sick" of eating the same thing. They eat what they can. I fed my BTA since day one the same thing.

You're right. Saying an anemone will get "sick" of the food like a human would is anthropomorphistic. Most organisms do need varied diets to get the nutrients they need though, I don't know if this is the case with anemones. I would assume that most of the meaty foods that are being fed to anemones have about the same nutrients and vitamins.

[CHARLIE AGUILAR]

Ok may they dont get sick of the same thing but they all must be women cause mine sure are picky eaters No offence to the women reefers out there just a analogy!