Rose BTA being picky about food

[randythereefer]

So I have two anemone's a riterri who likes to eat scallops and a Rose BTA who is very picky. I've tried scallops, silversides, flake food, manilla clams, shrimp. The anemone has a good feeding response but will not actually eat the food, it closes up around it and looks like its eating but when it opens up the food hasn't been swallowed. For the longest time my ritteri would eat things then about an hour later throw the food back up undigested I found it was an issue with the size of the food with that anemone. Any suggestions on what to feed my BTA the it would like and eat and keep down would be much appreciated my next choice for food will be mysis unless someone has some better suggestions.

 

[MzWeazelle]

It could be a problem with the size of the food you are trying to feed the BTA, too. I don't seem to have any trouble with mine, but some of my other animals will not eat chunks of food that are too big. If you haven't already, try cutting the pieces in half. Mine will eat just about anything -- I've fed them scallops, salmon and thawed formula 1 food.

Good luck.

 

[Elmo18]

Yes, if you tried shrimp, silversides, scallops, clams and it wont eat, and the size are eatable, then I would try a Formula 1 cube thawed out.

Take one, soak it in tap water for 20-30 sec, so that its only half-way thawed. It is much easier to cut it into equal pieces this way. Cut into 4 cubes. Soak them again until almost fully thawed. Then feed one of them to the rbta. Cut into smaller cubes if necessary.

My two rbtas eat scallops, table shrimp, squid, etc, mysis that it catches, and other stuff.

I hope yours will eat.

- Elmo

 

[MCSInc]

You mentioned flake food but did you try pelleted food? Make sure it is a fish base pellet not a plant based pellet. Might be worth a try. Good luck.

 

[randythereefer]

Formula 1 is a good idea and gave me another idea to mix up several different food peices (shrimp, scallops, clams, fish, etc). Maybe the mix of food will get him to swallow it. I'm thinking may peices about 1/4 of an inch may be easier for him to swallow. Also do you think that its better to feed with the lights off or on. Right now I feed about a half hour before the lights go out to keep the bristle worms from eating the food first.