Could an BT Anemone eat a Catfish?

[Jon-R]

Hi,

Fantastic forum and resource!

Just got into the joys of a marine aquarium.... We have a 3'x2'x2.5' tank with a Bubble Tip Anemone 2 x Clowns, a Mother Blenny and a couple of Boxer Shrimps. We introduced a 2" striped Catfish (not my choice, by the GF liked the whiskers...) anyway after 2 days in the tank it has completely disappeared, it's now been over a week and it's still missing.

Is it possible that the BTA ate the catfish perhaps if it swam into it by mistake? I can't imagine the Shrimps being involved as there was no trace at all.

Secondly if it was the BTA, should we be extra careful about other fish we introduce in the future that perhaps avoid those that aren't familar with avoiding Anemones?

Many thanks in advance - Jon

[Ninong]

Hi Jon-R,




Yes, a BTA can definitely eat a 2" catfish. We even have a report on this board of a BTA eating a blue-ringed octopus. Don't ask, it's a long story. Maybe I can find the thread. ;;

[Ninong]

Oops! My mistake. It was a carpet anemone that ate his blue-ringed octopus. I finally found the thread from January 2001. And it was his second blue-ringed octopus. The first one escaped from the tank and died, so he bought another one and it was eaten by his carpet anemone.

[Ninong]

We introduced a 2" striped Catfish (not my choice, by the GF liked the whiskers...)

Don't take your girlfriend with you next time. This fish is a terrible choice for a reef tank for several reasons. It's aggressive, it gets too large (up to 12"), it's very messy and it has venomous spines. All in all, not a good choice for a reef aquarium.

[Jon-R]

Hi,

Thanks for the advice (definitely no more catfishes!).

Out of interest is our BTA likely to cause a hazard to any other fish?

Cheers Jon

[Ninong]

Out of interest is our BTA likely to cause a hazard to any other fish?

A lot depends on the size of your anemone and the size of the fish. The fish that are most at risk are small, bottom-dwelling fish. And the fish has to be dumb enough to get too close to the anemone. BTA's are not usually as big a threat to fish as the carpet anemones. They're the most likely to take out a careless fish.