Anemones

[Navarchus]

Do bubble tip anemones eat fish? I know that the carpets gobble them down, but was under the impression that bubble tips were pretty safe. Anyone have any bad experiences with fish-eating bubbletips?

 

[d2mini]

Mine only eats the frozen (thawed) silver sides that I give him.
But they can sting fish that try to swim in it and it can hurt/kill the fish if it doesn't slowly build up a tolerance to the nem.

 

[dustin_P74]

i havent heard of a BTA eating a fish but im sure it has happened

 

[daugherty]

they will i have seen them do it.

 

[Navarchus]

Thanks daugherty. I figured as much. Now the question is "do I remove the BTA in my tank to prevent it from eating my new Majestic angelfish?" :/

 

[ccCapt]

Anemonies are passive feeders in that they don't go out hunting for food. They take what drifts into them or what their hosting fish bring. I would say they are few, if any, health fish that can't just swim away from it. The anemone doesn't jump out and grab it. Both my tangs and lamarck angel get awefully close to my sebae when grazing the rocks. I've seen both tangs touch the anemone and end up with little marks, but they easily pulled away.

Here's some good reading for you.
Pomacanthus navarchus - The Majestic Angelfish

 

[Navarchus]

Thanks ccCapt. Well the guy who published that article has HUGE anemones with his fish.

 

[cthegame]

+1 capt. I have had a carpet for well over a year now and it hasnt eaten any of my fish. Fish other than the clowns dont go to close unless they are stressed & weak. A healthy fish in most occasions will not get eaten by one.

 

[Bifferwine]

A healthy fish in most occasions will not get eaten by one.

Yeah, this is generally true. I think the exception is small perching fish, like gobies and mandarins. It's in their nature to land on stuff and sit on them, and not swim around so much. Those guys make easy meals for nems, whether they are healthy fish or not.

 

[yote]

I used to give my BTA a live damsel at times.Also watched it eat my clumsy sea hare when it fell into the nem.
That same BTA wiped out a few hundred dollars worth of SPS in one night when it decided to move across the tank.