Nutrition
Aneomone bringing food to its mouth. Picture by Elizabeth Guck |
A Heteractis magnifica eats both invertebrates and vertebrates usually consisting of small fish, shrimp, isopods, amphipods, mussel, sea urchins, and plankton. It also relies on glucose produced by algae from photosynthesis. Sometimes this sugar source can be the anemones only food source for a long period of time. Feeding regularly is important because as the anemone eats more it will grow, but if it is starved it will shrink to a smaller size. | ||
| The Ritteri Anemone has a high need for sulfur, nitrogen, and other important elements. These are essential for growth and reproduction. One way the anemone can retain most of these elements is by consuming the waste of the anemonefish they are hosts to. The anemonefish have also been known to catching food for its host as well, bringing the food to the anemone's opening. |
Clownfish near oral disc |
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Catching
food within its tentacles |
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| Heteractis magnifica catch their food with their tentacles. Since anemones do not hunt their food the prey must bump into the tentacles, coming into contact with nematocysts which paralyze the prey. The anemone is then able to bring the prey to their oral disc, consuming the organism. | |||
