BTA pooping or dying?

[Picoso]

Wife called this evening while I'm at work and said my BTA that I just got about 3wks ago started to emit this slimy substance from his mouth. What is it doing pooping are dying. What should I do???
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq6/surferjc2000/c00374df.jpg
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq6/surferjc2000/42b849e4.jpg
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq6/surferjc2000/6801a8c9.jpg

[Big_Pun]

stop feeding it lol, it's pooping! I personally feel there is no need to feed anemones, they will pick up stray left over food and your lighting should provide enough energy for it to grow.

[justahobby]

It looks to be having a major bowel movement, but it also looks very stressed. A healthy nem shouldn't be that shriveled with a gaping mouth. How much have you been feeding??

[Bill S]

Dittos. Just let it be. I've got dozens of my clones running around, and I NEVER directly feed my RBT anemones.

[Picoso]

Well I got him about 3wks ago I started feeding him pieces of silversiders.

[Bill S]

Feeding an anemone silversides, is like putting a dead fish in your tank...

Again, this is my PERSONAL opinion. However, having had dozens of splits/clones over the past 5 or so years, my experience with BTAs is that they manage to get their food from what they catch, plus the photosynthetic part of their makeup. I almost never feed mine directly. A silverside? No way. Sorry. I mean, NO WAY.

[kkiel02]

I used to be a big fan of feeding, especially after Calfo's presentation we had awhile back, but stopped doing so because of the stress it causes plus they do fine without direct feeding like Bill said. I think the only way I would try feeding directly again would be if I planned to farm them but I just never really got the results I was looking for with feeding.

Plus I have read stories about the bones of silversides stressing out the anemone sometimes to death. I have fed them silversides without negative effects but after reading that I didnt want to chance it and switched to clam strips. This was awhile back though and I no longer feed directly anymore.

[Picoso]

Well this morning he looks a little bit better. Thanks for the great advice people. No more Supersize fries for the nem. What do you guys think?
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq6/surferjc2000/ac17c9d3.jpg
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq6/surferjc2000/65da51ff.jpg

[hobogato]

definitely better. i used to just feed the fish directly over the anemone so small bits of food would settle around it and it could eat what it wanted. i wouldnt even do that with your anemone for a while - just to let it settle in a bit more.

[allan]

What everyone else said.

My first anenome would routinely look like your first pictures. It got to the point that I began to put it together. I'd feed three times a week, it would look like poop three times a week. It took a minute but then I put two and two together... that and a message from Bill and Ace indicating that target feeding isn't necessary. So another week went by and and I lowered my feeding to once a week. My anenome would look like doo doo once a week. It was about this time that I noticed a patern... and realized that that "them boys on MAAST may be onto something here".

I stopped altogether and sure enough I've never seen my anenomes look like that in the last year and a half. I don't believe they process large foodstuff that well and expell it before it begins to rot in their bellies. That's why they mentioned putting dead fish into your tank. I pulled out a large chunk of scallop early on thinking it was a small clone (didn't realize the whole birds and bees thing at this point) and that I was extremely fortunate. But after watching it bounce around for awhile I pulled it out and the smell hit me. Ugh, it was nasty.

Don't feed it. You pay attention and you'll see a mysis or brine shrimp get snagged up once in a while when you feed the fish. That's more than enough.

[justahobby]

Glad it's looking happier today. How long has your BTA been in that spot?