Is this normal that anemones wrap the food to eat it?

[fengzhu]

I just bought an anemone this morning, so I tried to feed it a small shrimp meat as almost the same size of its month. Since I never feed anemone before, I don't know whether it's normal: it used its edge to stick to the meat, then shrinked and expanded many times for almost harf hour while it moved into a hole in the rock. Then I saw it totally wrapped up itself, just like a baseball glove, expanded it self to be a white ball, then stayed there before I went to bed.

If you feeded your anemone before, could you tell me if it's normal? And I feeded it quite a big bite of shrimp meat, compared what I usually feed to the fishs, it's almost 1/4 inch in diameter. Will that cause too much trouble to water quality? I guess I'm quite mean to my fishs.

Thanks
Feng

 

[Ray Pollett]

It sounds normal for some anemones. Some of mine do it on ocassions when I feed them.

Ray

 

[Desolas]

I'd feed smaller pieces, it can only benefit the animal. Larger chunks can be wasted as they may start to rot before they are fully digested and the animal may expell it before it has fully digested the meal. Cut it down even more and it should be able to take it into it's mouth easier and may not even expell any waste afterwards. On say a 6-8" BTA I cut the fish down into about 5-8mm chunks.

My BTA's do what your describing. They will "sock up" when I've overfed them, once they get the meal down they open back up. I'd call it normal.

 

[fengzhu]

Thanks for your replies. This morning it fully opened up again, hided his base in a big hole, but exposed his tentacles outside like a flower. Since I could see from the other end of the hole, I found that his base was quite large and extended all the roof of the hole.

Now my clownfishs are swimming in and out of it. Not sure how they found the anemone so quick, I was expecting 3 to 4 weeks before they could settle in the anemone.

 

[mattseattle]

also buy some Silversides for your anemone. It's really good for them nutritionally and will make them even more pink. or so i've read! i am going to buy a package today for mine.

sounds like the anemone is doing well.