Feeding your Nem? Stop and read this first.

[davocean]

2x a week with 1 whole silverside each time. I think he's happy.

Well, hopefully your luck w/ silversides continues, nem looks way to good to take the risk of getting a bad silverside IMO.
I fed silversides about 10 years before I got bad batch, lost 3 LTA's that looked just as nice as yours, fed them, watched all 3 curl up, shrivel, and detach just like that, melted next day.
All 3 LTA's were healthy and established, I'll never take the gamble w/ silvers ever again.

 

[Brewski]

I feed mine when i want them to split and create more - otherwise don’t feed them. I also learned that they go where they want in the tank - which is why i no longer have any - they kept killing my other corals

 

[Susan Bates]

I feed my once a week and they also get food when i feed the clown

 

[andyg1960]

Well, hopefully your luck w/ silversides continues, nem looks way to good to take the risk of getting a bad silverside IMO.
I fed silversides about 10 years before I got bad batch, lost 3 LTA's that looked just as nice as yours, fed them, watched all 3 curl up, shrivel, and detach just like that, melted next day.
All 3 LTA's were healthy and established, I'll never take the gamble w/ silvers ever again.

Sorry that happened. Do you have any idea why? Do you think they thawed and re-froze? Got a different brand? Smell bad (worse than usual)?

 

[davocean]

Sorry that happened. Do you have any idea why? Do you think they thawed and re-froze? Got a different brand? Smell bad (worse than usual)?

Lots of speculation, not sure if anyone knows for certain, but many think they are packaged poorly as pet food, maybe.
I did not notice anything, pretty much bought same brand for a long time.
Too many other nem keepers had this happen, so now if I spot it will be food meant for human consumption, scallops are my go to, raw shrimp works, mysis, all much safer options IMO.
It's one thing to have a random coincidence, but to watch 3 healthy nems all react the same immediately after feeding eliminates any doubt in my mind as to the cause.

 

[Amoo]

Sorry that happened. Do you have any idea why? Do you think they thawed and re-froze? Got a different brand? Smell bad (worse than usual)?

Thawed and re-frozen is the working theory, because it's "just fish food" it isn't as heavily regulated as people food is and sometimes it just happens. As davocean mentioned, many people have had a ton of success with silversides for years. At the same time silversides is also the only consistent nem food which shows up causing problems. So you're basically rolling the dice. You may be fine forever or you may eventually roll snake eyes.

 

[srad750c]

I never directly feed my anemones, they get bits and pieces of what the fish miss. I just add amino acids, vitamins and trace elements.

 

[Christopher Davis]

I feed Depending on how much it eats, also size needs to be taken into consideration, these creatures have mouths for a reason! Good right up mine eat a whole shrimp each once a week. But they are cut up into 1 inch Chunks. You can always watch your anemones, if they spit it it’s too big!

 

[pajin]

Well, you want me to stop feeding my anemone because of some 30 years old article which is about host vs zooxanthelae relationship and not about feeding aquarium anemones?? In the pieces of the article you shared is no evidence why I should. In the last piece there are some indications that prolonged periods without feeding lead to some changes in the metabolism of the anemone in order to get the nutrients it needs to be alive. Not only I want my anemone to be alive, I want it to be thriving and happy. And that's why I feed it.

From the evolutionary point of view, organisms don't keep structures they don't need. Animals living in complete darkness don't have eyes, because they don't need them and it costs energy to keep them. Why do some coral and anemones have large feeding tentacles that are able to catch large amounts of prey? Wouldn't the get rid of them if they were not needed? Or beneficial at least?

The question is not whether to feed or not. The real question is what to feed, how often and how much to keep the anemone healthy, not on the verge of death.

 

[Jermey Clark]

Very informative

 

[jasonrusso]

Sorry that happened. Do you have any idea why? Do you think they thawed and re-froze? Got a different brand? Smell bad (worse than usual)?

I used to feed my fish the ocean nutrition silverslides (they tend to be smaller than most others) . I lost my angler and my lion within 3 days of each other, and that was the only common denominator.

 

[Orcus Varuna]

Well, you want me to stop feeding my anemone because of some 30 years old article which is about host vs zooxanthelae relationship and not about feeding aquarium anemones?? In the pieces of the article you shared is no evidence why I should. In the last piece there are some indications that prolonged periods without feeding lead to some changes in the metabolism of the anemone in order to get the nutrients it needs to be alive. Not only I want my anemone to be alive, I want it to be thriving and happy. And that's why I feed it.

From the evolutionary point of view, organisms don't keep structures they don't need. Animals living in complete darkness don't have eyes, because they don't need them and it costs energy to keep them. Why do some coral and anemones have large feeding tentacles that are able to catch large amounts of prey? Wouldn't the get rid of them if they were not needed? Or beneficial at least?

The question is not whether to feed or not. The real question is what to feed, how often and how much to keep the anemone healthy, not on the verge of death.

I dissected dozens of anemones back in college and I found a few small fish bones in two maybe three specimines. Most of the time there was nothing or some zooplankton mush. What I am trying to say is that in the wild these animals don’t eat whole fish but mainly eat the scraps that fall to them or the unsuspecting zooplankton that floats into their tentacles. As such I generously broadcast feed my tank allowing a few scraps to make its way to the nem. Every once in awhile or while I am establishing a new nem I will mash up some reef frenzy and squirt a bit in their tentacles.however, I would never feed one a whole fish as that is a very difficult meal for an anemone to digest, hence why you see so many “I fed my nem a silverside and it puked it back up” threads. Doing this has worked for me as I’ve never lost a nem outside one that was either sick or damaged when I got it and even then I’m able to turn most around by providing stability and some small easily digestible meals.

 

[GK3]

Well, hopefully your luck w/ silversides continues, nem looks way to good to take the risk of getting a bad silverside IMO.
I fed silversides about 10 years before I got bad batch, lost 3 LTA's that looked just as nice as yours, fed them, watched all 3 curl up, shrivel, and detach just like that, melted next day.
All 3 LTA's were healthy and established, I'll never take the gamble w/ silvers ever again.

What is a bad silverside? Didn’t know there was such a thing.

 

[GK3]

I dissected dozens of anemones back in college and I found a few small fish bones in two maybe three specimines. Most of the time there was nothing or some zooplankton mush. What I am trying to say is that in the wild these animals don’t eat whole fish but mainly eat the scraps that fall to them or the unsuspecting zooplankton that floats into their tentacles. As such I generously broadcast feed my tank allowing a few scraps to make its way to the nem. Every once in awhile or while I am establishing a new nem I will mash up some reef frenzy and squirt a bit in their tentacles.however, I would never feed one a whole fish as that is a very difficult meal for an anemone to digest, hence why you see so many “I fed my nem a silverside and it puked it back up” threads. Doing this has worked for me as I’ve never lost a nem outside one that was either sick or damaged when I got it and even then I’m able to turn most around by providing stability and some small easily digestible meals.

I notice you have not made mention of the clown fish and how those take part in the relationship. Most of the time in my tank, and I have read the same thing in articles online, your clown is supposed to feed your nem. Meaning when you drop food in the tank, your clown that is hosting the nem will grab some and take it back to her home, the nem, to eat. Then typically some will fall into or be given to the nem and thus the nem eats. My clowns never used to do this but now they always drag food back into the nems.

 

[Orcus Varuna]

I notice you have not made mention of the clown fish and how those take part in the relationship. Most of the time in my tank, and I have read the same thing in articles online, your clown is supposed to feed your nem. Meaning when you drop food in the tank, your clown that is hosting the nem will grab some and take it back to her home, the nem, to eat. Then typically some will fall into or be given to the nem and thus the nem eats. My clowns never used to do this but now they always drag food back into the nems.

Regardless of the mode of delivery, be it catching some scraps or being brought some scraps from the clowns the key is they feed on small pieces of fish not whole fish.

 

[davocean]

I agree, while they have the ability to eat whole fish it's more common that they are filtering small foods.

Really light is their main source of energy, w/ good lighting you could not spot feed at all and they will be fine.

 

[davocean]

Well, you want me to stop feeding my anemone because of some 30 years old article which is about host vs zooxanthelae relationship and not about feeding aquarium anemones?? In the pieces of the article you shared is no evidence why I should. In the last piece there are some indications that prolonged periods without feeding lead to some changes in the metabolism of the anemone in order to get the nutrients it needs to be alive. Not only I want my anemone to be alive, I want it to be thriving and happy. And that's why I feed it.

From the evolutionary point of view, organisms don't keep structures they don't need. Animals living in complete darkness don't have eyes, because they don't need them and it costs energy to keep them. Why do some coral and anemones have large feeding tentacles that are able to catch large amounts of prey? Wouldn't the get rid of them if they were not needed? Or beneficial at least?

The question is not whether to feed or not. The real question is what to feed, how often and how much to keep the anemone healthy, not on the verge of death.

No one is trying to make you do anything, we are just sharing experiences and observations, giving info and you can decide for yourself.

They are a creature that has evolved quite well, if there is food to be had they use that, if there is light to absorb, they take that in.
Many anemone keepers have had their anemones long term and thriving w/ out ever spot feeding at all.
They are actually considered to be both plant and animal.

 

[jasonrusso]

I don't feed my nem anything with bones or shells. I stick to LRS food, scallops, whitefish, Etc.

I really only feed every 3 weeks or so, and it's small pieces at that. It gets food that the other corals don't eat that gets kicked up when the flow turns back on.

 

[GK3]

Regardless of the mode of delivery, be it catching some scraps or being brought some scraps from the clowns the key is they feed on small pieces of fish not whole fish.

I guess my point was two fold.

1) to contribute to the conversation by pointing out a clown fish’s role. Which yes, does correlate to not feeding them whole fish.

2) point out that in a tank where you have nems but no clowns or like me two clowns but five nems, there is no way the clown is feeding all of them. Thus they may need supplemental food.

Wasn’t really trying to argue your point above.

 

[pajin]

I know. But what is the experience and observation based on? Someone's monitoring an anemone every second 24 hours daily? If I don't spot feed it it doesn't mean it's not eating at all. It may catch some copepods and shrimps at night, it may obsorbs some nutrients present in a specific aquarium etc etc. I just don't like when someone says "Don't feed because I don't feed and it works". It might, but might not in someone else's tank.

There are many species of corals and anemones. Some are highly dependent on zooxanthelae, some not that much. In most cases zooxanthelae can't provide the host everything it needs. Anemones can live hundreds of years so keeping anemone alive few years is not a huge success allowing the keeper to share the experience and "knowledge".

No one is trying to make you do anything, we are just sharing experiences and observations, giving info and you can decide for yourself.

They are a creature that has evolved quite well, if there is food to be had they use that, if there is light to absorb, they take that in.
Many anemone keepers have had their anemones long term and thriving w/ out ever spot feeding at all.
They are actually considered to be both plant and animal.