[parsonsc]

ok, today my LFS talked me into buying a rock tip anemone that is only about 2 inches wide when fully open. He said they were hardy and stay in one spot and are great for reef tanks. When he first tried to sell me on getting it I thought no way, since he said it had to be hand fed fresh meat daily, and was used to eating small gold fish 2 times a day. I later came home and researched them a little and did go a head and decide to go back into town and get one. It was only $6 and I bought a few small feeder gold fish to put in my regular fresh water tank to feed it, at only .08 cents each this seemed like a cheap deal. The only other items I have are 2 clown fish, 1 sally lightfoot crab, 5 red hermit crabs, 5 blue hermit crabs, a large colt coral, star polyps, 2 pincushion urchins, 2 LS urchins, and 2 pencil urchins & about 500 nassa snails. I have always just been feeding the fish every other day and putting an algae sheet in every day for all the urchins and have been fine. I acclimated it for a while and put it in the tank after about 90 min. It quickly made its way over to my live rock and found it self a nice dark spot. So this evening I went to feed it a little goldfish that was about 1/2 inch and I cut it in half to keep it from swimming away. As soon as I made it over by the live rock my crab jumped out of no where threw the water and took it from my little grabbers!!! I was amazed at what just happened, but thought ok and went to get another. I put it in the same spot and put it up to the anemone and it grabbed it no problem. I watched it for a few minuets and then went back to putting up all the fish stuff. I went back to the tank about 10 minuets later and everything in the tank other than the clowns had gathered on the anemone to eat the dead fish. Is it just me or is something wrong here? I know it is an ocean setting, but should I start feeding other items to the snails, crabs, and urchins? Is the rock tip anemone as good of reef item as I thought? Please give me any incite on if this is normal. Thanks

[SECRETREEF]

what type of food are you giving your fish? it is important to give them variety not always the same. i am not too sure about the rock tip if it is the one i'm thinking they could be a litle bit competitive. i had one that ate about 3 condylactis and some chromis. send a picture of your rock tip to see if it is the same i had

[parsonsc]

I have been feeding flake, and pellet foods to the fish, but they did not bother the dead fish at all. The snails and crabs are what amazed me, their was a pile on top of the anemone over 4 inches tall with crabs and snails to get that fish. Is their any thing I can start feeding just the snails and crabs besides seaweed or do they just really like dead fish?

[prototypep2p]

goldfish are dirty i feed my carpet livebearers and krill and he loves both

[parsonsc]

Yea, I just done what the LFS said they had been doing, but the anemone is the only thing that did not eat...

[e_baer]

its better to feed it saltwater fish, not freshwater fish.

just give it some thawed out frozen silversides.

[prototypep2p]

e_baer can you explain to me why its better to feed saltwater fish?

[Jeremy0322]

I dont know the exact reason but i would assume it has something to do with health conditions. It makes sense to me. If you were to go to walmart and get those poopy feeder fish they are usually really sick. Freshwater feeders are not really the best quality livestock...lol.

[plecosword]

i was thinking of having a bubble tip anemone but im not sure how to care for it. I AM NOTT FEEDING IT LIVE GOLFISH!! it is just discusting. i would only feed it dead fish or brinesrimp as its only live food. can they live in 20g?

[parsonsc]

I dont know if all anemones need live fish, but I was told the rock tip does. It has been feed 2 live fish a day for months, and today it wrapped right around it no problem and was gone in seconds.

[plecosword]

i dont like that anemone already. its a pig, no offese lol

[parsonsc]

yea, my wife thinks its gross too, but she loves to watch it, lol.

[plecosword]

ew, you too were ment for each other. that is just golfish cruelty do you have a kid? what are you going to tell him about that golfish eating monster, lol

[parsonsc]

lol, yes I have a 2 1/2 year old son who loves to watch it eat the fish.

[plecosword]

OMg i thought he would get sad seen the goldfish getting eaten. i whant one that is not a golfish pig and doesnt grow too big. my favorite one is the bubble tip. do you think i can keep it in 20g?

[parsonsc]

a 20g is the smallest I would recommend, they grow fast under good lighting.

[e_baer]

Originally Posted by prototypep2p

e_baer can you explain to me why its better to feed saltwater fish?

I dont remember the exact reason, but it has something to do with the different nutrients saltwater fish can offer vs the freshwater fish.

Its like feeding a lionfish, you need to feed it SW fish because the FW feeder fish are so fatty. it is like only eating fast food your entire life.

[e_baer]

Originally Posted by plecosword

OMg i thought he would get sad seen the goldfish getting eaten. i whant one that is not a golfish pig and doesnt grow too big. my favorite one is the bubble tip. do you think i can keep it in 20g?

Live aquaria recomends at least 30g becasue they can get so massive in size.

But if you get a small speciman, you will be fine for a few years till it gets larger.

[plecosword]

ok works for me. how large are we talking about? and i will make my 55g saltwater also by then.

[e_baer]

i beleive around 12-14" in diam.

[parsonsc]

Originally Posted by e_baer

i beleive around 12-14" in diam.

A LFS in a larger city has one that measures 26 inches and is only 3 years old.

[parsonsc]

they do feed it like 5 times a day though.

[e_baer]

wow, well at that size it needs it.

Liveaquaria only specifies if it is grown in captivity, in nature, they get HUGE.

[parsonsc]

yea, I had read a post and seen a picture of one as big as a small fishing boat!!!

[e_baer]

that is SO big.