What do ritteri and long tentacle anemones eat and when? Also how should I feed it to them?

Question

I have been feeding my long tentacle and ritteri anemone CoraLife and live brine shrimp every few days by giving it to them with a syringe. Is this okay? Also my long tentacle anemone has been white (it used to be a beautiful rose-colored the size of my fist), and is always shriveling up. my clownfish are now only obsessed with the ritteri anemone and wont give the other one any attention and too much to the newer one. Should i get another anemone to help the ritteri get some rest? Help?!

to copper: i have been feeding them the coralife seperately from brine shrimp. i have a coralife bulb, and the LTA was bleaching and shriveling long before i got the ritteri (just a couple days ago). my tank has been set up since last christmas, and the water has been very good (i test it constantly, and do regular water changes with R/O water from the fish store) its about 40 gallons (hexagon). the ritteri has attached itself to the glass (almost immediately prior to putting him in, so i assume it is alright, but has just recently shriveled up since this afternoon and hasn't really recovered (i dont want it to end up like the other one) i tried a couple times feeding it frozen chunks of food, but it never "ate" it because my clownfish wont give it a chance to.

the light i have is the one that came with the tank-fluorescent. the bulb is CORALIFE Trichromatic 100% Super-Daylight 15 watt 360*[degrees] output fluorescent 6500K full spectrum. i was only told by the people at the fish store that you just needed the light bulb. (i assumed they would be correct because if they really thought i would need a new light they would try to sell it to me.) all my levels are very good and within range of what they should be. by the way, the anemones have both perked up overnight and are at full size (except for the LTA, but she's at a good size too). im not sure if this is because i fed them some brine shrimp of not? thanks for all your help

Answer 1

What type of lighting do you have? Also, how large is your tank, and how long has it been established? Ritteri are some of the most difficult anemones to keep, and require pristine water, bright lighting (Metal Halide), and strong intermittent flow. Long Tentacles are one of the more hardy species of anemones, so I would keep a good eye on your Ritteri if your LTA is displaying signs of stress. You may want to post your water parameters here (temperature, salinity, pH, alkalinity, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, calcium, phosphates) to help diagnose your problem better.

Light is their primary source of nutrition, but it is also good to supplement feed anemones mouth-size pieces of meaty foods like silversides, sandeels, squid, krill, and the like several times a week. You can soak their food in a good food booster like Selcon that is rich in fatty acids. Your Clowns may also share their food with your anemones.

If your Long Tentacle is bleaching, then I would check your lighting and water parameters. Bleaching is a sign of stress, which indicates the absence of zooxanthellae. Zooxanthellae is the symbiotic algae present in all anemones, which provides most of their energy. It is normal for anemones to shrivel up when they expel waste, but it shouldn't be for more than an hour or so a day.

With proper care, anemones don't need Clownfish, and vice versa, but Clownfish have been known to help Ritteri acclimate better in captivity. Ritteri always host many Clowns in the wild, so it doesn't need to rest. Make sure there is enough space between your anemones as well. They may attack each other in a closed space. I hope that helps.

Respectfully


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Update:
40 gallons is pretty small for a Ritteri, as they can grow to over a foot in captivity. Is your Coralife bulb Metal Halide, or Compact Fluorescent? CF bulbs may not support the LTA, and they definitely will not support the Ritteri. I would strongly suggest upgrading your lighting to Metal Halide if applicable. You want about 4-6 watts per gallon.

Check out the LiveAquaria link below for ideal water parameters in a reef aquarium. If your aquarium falls in between the suggested levels, then your water should be okay, and I would address the lighting issue. I would also have the fish store test their RO water with a TDS meter. If they don't change their filters when they're exhausted, than their water may be worse than your city's tap water.

Try and feed the Ritteri when it's open. If you have to, buy a plastic screen to shield the anemone from the Clowns, if they continue taking food from it. Most of it's nutrition should come from light though. Your tank has been established for about a year, so that is a good for stability and bio-diversity. Hopefully the anemones will pull through for you.

Regards


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Answer 2

Long Tentacle Anemone Care

Answer 3

Ritteri Anemone

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
What do ritteri and long tentacle anemones eat and when? Also how should I feed it to them?
I have been feeding my long tentacle and ritteri anemone CoraLife and live brine shrimp every few days by giving it to them with a syringe. Is this okay? Also my long tentacle anemone has been white (it used to be a beautiful rose-colored the size of my fist), and is always shriveling up. my...

Answer 5

What you can feed really depends on the size of your anemones. Brine shrimp are okay, but aren't the greatest unless enriched (which is what I assume you're using the Coralife product to do). You can also give them any of the frozen foods for marine fish (squid, clams, mussels, krill, plankton, mysis shrimp), and frozen fish (silversides, meant for larger marine predators, or bits of any frozen marine fish or shrimp from your supermarket).

A few possible reasons your anemone is bleaching and shriveling - water quality (always check this when you have any unusual behavior in the tank), not bright enough lighting, or placement where another organism (and in this case I'd suspect the other anemone) is bothering it. The anemones might be stinging each other if their tentacles can reach, and anemones and coral have a sort of chemical warefare they use to keep others from growing too close (prevents competition for food and light). You might try shifting the position of your LTA if it's near or "downstream" of the Ritteri, and add some carbon to your filter (this will absorb chemicals produced by the anemone to see if this at least helps).

Answer 6

Hope this website helps. Good luck!