Anemone(?) ID 2/26/10
I set up a tank recently with rock from an aquaculture outfit in the Gulf of Mexico near Florida, and after having the tank set up for the past 3 weeks, I noticed a small anemone-like creature on the rock. I asked the owner of
the outfit, and he said it was a "bead anemone".
<Mmm, what's in a (common) name? Is an anemone/Actinarian>
Of course, Google turned nearly useless at that point, as there's a concept in beading (necklaces and the like) called the "anemone technique", with its' own type of bead...
I've looked at pictures all over of Aiptasia, but this doesn't seem to be one, as I've never seen a picture of Aiptasia with the "bead"-type tips on the center tentacles.
<Agreed... is likely an Anemonia species>
It's somewhere between a nickel and a quarter in size. Another one has shown up right near it, about half the size, that I didn't notice yesterday. The actual color is a bit redder than it is in the picture, but that may be the coloration of the rock altering its' color as it's semi-transparent. It has stripes that are more white than the rest of it on all tentacles. There's 2 types of tentacles visible. Can you ID the guy, and point me in the right direction for information on them? Thanks a lot!
Andrew Angrist
<Yes. Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/otherpstanemfaqs.htm
and the Related FAQs files linked above. Bob Fenner>

Anemone ID... and much more 2/9/10
I bought two anemones at the LFS and they were not sure as to what species they are.
<? These animals (Actinarians) are not easily kept>
I have been successful with them in the past and I couldn't pass up these colorful specimens. One has bright yellow/green tips and the other has a neon green background color with purple tentacles and a tan edge around the
whole thing. Both have an interesting zebra like pattern on the tentacles.
They seem to get along and are now cozy next each other. My clown won't host in them however (percula or false not sure). Any help as to what kind of anemones these may be would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Kevin
<Uhhh, need to see or have their pedicles (columns) described... are they coloured? Smooth or otherwise marked/distinguished? Off hand, judging by the colour, shape, number and placement of their tentacles... the one on the left looks like a Heteractis malu, the other possibly a H. crispa...
Whatever they are, they are not happy... Read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Anemone ID 2/7/10
Hello
<Hi there Zoe>
I bought some live rock yesterday - had quite a deep hollow in one side - I thought there were some mushrooms in there but couldn't really see as they were all shriveled when out of the water. I put the lr into a holding tank and this morning have found 4 anemones?
<Mmm, yes... appear to be Stichodactyla helianthus, the Sun Anemone.>
have moved out of the hollow onto the front. They are all at least 1inch x 1 inch - the tentacles extend less than 1cm - they are quite flat, almost like a mushroom. I have had a look at the ID pages and couldn't see much resembling them. I wondered whether you could ID them for me and suggest whether its a good idea to keep them or not. I have a 500l tank with a 100l sump, 3 x 54w T5s with reflectors (soon to be 4). Lots of soft corals.
<These are very "sting-y"...>
I have attached a picture and hope I have given you enough information.
Thanks for your time
Zoe
<Please see here on WWM:
http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/twaanemones.htm
and on the Net re their husbandry. Bob Fenner>

Small Anemone Identification 2/3/10
Hello, my name is hunter.
<James with you today, Hunter.>
I live in sunny south Florida and have the privilege of being able to walk the beach nearly all year round.
<I'm in Michigan currently walking in the snow and no anemones to be found, although I do stumble upon a "snow angel" every now and then.>
Recently I stumbled across small purplish anemone on one of my regular trips to the beach. This one was definitely either a juvenile or a small species, being only about an inch when she was half open. She was rolling in the surf, so
I picked her up and looked. She appeared to have her foot torn. Afraid she would die, I brought her home to nurse her to life. I've had her for about a month now and she's definitely made a complete turn around. She's always open, and eats shrimp which I hand feed readily.
I currently have a nano 10 gallon tank set up with approximately 15 pounds live rock and one small false percula clown. My water is pristine, ammonia and nitrite 0 and nitrate reads between 1-3 depending on if I fed that day or the day before.
Anyways, I was wondering if you could possibly ID this cute little girl for me? I've searched and searched with no avail.
<Appears to be a young Condylactis Anemone although I have never saw one quite that purple. Bob has dived in these waters and he may input here.>
Thanks so much guys!
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Hunter.

Unknown inhabitant: Aiptasia Anemone.ID and Control 2/1/2010
Well Hello!
<Hi Dani!>
I have someone living in my tank that I was hoping you could help me ID.
<Sure.>
You can't see it very well in the pictures but this little guy is coming out of a tube in a piece of my live rock. It goes inside the tube if anything touches it but doesn't seem to be bothered by movement. The tube feels kind of soft and almost squishy to the touch. Anyway, I would like to know what it is so that I can either remove it if it is harmful or take care of it properly if not. Any info you can give would be very helpful.
<Looking at the pictures, it is an Aiptasia anemone. They are pests.
Thankfully, if you catch them early, they are easy to control. Have a read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/aiptasia/aiptasia.htm
for some background and read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_1/cav1i3/aiptasia_impressions/aiptaisia_impressions.htm
for the best methods to kill them. I've found injecting them with a Kalkwasser slurry works the best.>
Thanks much!
<My Pleasure.>
Dani
<MikeV>

Another Anemone ID 1/22/10
Greetings again, oh great ones,
<Geez, what a title for Bob.>
So many pictures of anemones, so many possibilities. I bought this guy as a Sebae, but I believe it to be a Carpet.
<No cigar.>
I cannot see any good close up pics of any of the different anemones, so it is hard to determine if it is a Carpet. What throws me off is the small tentacles that appear to be slightly branched. Hopefully this is a clear enough picture to ID.
<Well I've scanned through all of Bob's anemone pictures that he provided me some time ago, and my best guess is that you have a specie of Actinodendron. Am I close Bob?
<<I do think so. RMF>>
Thanks again for all the help, for all of us!
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Steve

Anemone... ID and more! 1/9/10
Hi guys
<and gals...>
A question for you I have recently setup a marine aquarium and put in some live rock. A couple of <?> says alter I noticed that this popped up it must have been hiding I the live rock. I assume it an anemone. Is it ok as it shrivels up and has now gone into hiding.
<Does appear to be so and so>
I got to clown fish yesterday and it still looks the same.
I've searched the web and I cant see one looking like mine. What type is it?
<Can't be absolutely sure, but maybe an LTA, Macrodactyla... based on the color of the pedicle mostly... Read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm
I have attached pics. Picture 004.jpgPicture 003.jpg
Thanks
Sarah
<Read on my friend. Much to learn, apply, enjoy. Bob Fenner>

Anemone Identification 1/6/10
Hello, all:
<Hello Matthew>
I've been a long-time lurker of WWM, and thank you all very much for your contributions to the reef-keeping knowledge base.
<You're welcome.>
I am usually fairly adept regarding identification of things in my tank, but this one has me stumped. I have looked through all 27 pages of Anemone ID on your site, and Google is of no use. Here goes:
I've got a JBJ 12g Nanocube that has been up and running for around 3 years or so. It was at first a home to a very dear friend of mine, a G. ternatensis mantis shrimp. She was great, but being wild caught, was unfortunately short lived (just over 2 years). The tank has since been converted to a reef. I keep mainly LPS corals, with a few Zoanthids for good measure. Other livestock include 1 percula clownfish, 1 cleaner shrimp, 2 blue-leg hermit crabs, a few Nassarius snails, a strawberry anemone (the sort that lives symbiotically with hermits) an E. quadricolor rose-tip bubble anemone. Also various stomatellids, Vermetid snails, Asterina stars, etc. etc. A good hitch-hiker community. I didn't buy the rose-tip anemone, it was given to me by someone who didn't know what they were getting into, and decided they couldn't handle it. I know 12g is way too small for such a creature, but it seems to do okay, with fully colored, and bubbled, tentacles. It has divided 3 times. On to the critter(s) in question. I inspect my tank nightly, mainly because I like to see what lurks in the darkness. About 3 weeks ago I noticed two new anemones. Bear in mind that I have not added anything to the tank in probably 6 months, minimum. The first anemone is has a clear foot, along with clear tentacles, and white tips on each tentacle. It is probably quarter-sized when fully opened. It only comes out at night, yet is not light-sensitive. It is not visible at all during the day. The other anemone is quite similar, maybe related. It has the same clear tentacles, and same while tips on them, the only difference being a translucent orange base. I've searched the internet to the best of my ability, and have come up with no ID's for these two. The best I could find are ball-tip anemones from Singapore, which I can't find genus and species information for. Do you have any idea what they may be? I am guessing they are juveniles.
<There are literally thousands of animals belonging to Cnidaria, and your find may not even be an anemone but another member of this large group.
I would give some time to let these animals grow, see if they bud/reproduce to give a better picture as to what they might possibly be. At that time, sending us a couple of pics would help. Bob may shed some light/input here, but you can also look through the photos in this link, you may find a match. Do not limit your search to anemones.
http://guamreeflife.com/htm/inverts.htm>
Thanks very much for your help, and I look forward to your response.
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Matthew

Re Anemone Identification 1/6/10
Hello again:
<Hello Matthew>
Thank you, James, for the quick response.
<You're very welcome.>
I looked on the www.guamreeflife.com <http://www.guamreeflife.com/> site, and I believe I found a near-match:
<Was hoping that would aid you.>
http://guamreeflife.com/images/organisms/thumbs/inverts/anthozoans/actiniarians/
actinarian_spI/actinarian_spI_thumb1.jpg
Unfortunately, there is no genus or species information included for that individual. I did come up with a bit more from a different forum, though.
While I cannot attest to the accuracy of the post, I can say that the critter in question is the same. The forum has identified it as a juvenile 'Orange Ball Anemone.' Here is another picture:
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f382/icyuod2/IMG_7084.jpg
<Neat, will attach to this email for Bob to post.>
<<The pic is very likely a Corallimorpharian of the genus Pseudocorynactis. See WWM re: http://wetwebmedia.com/mushrmidfaq2.htm
and the linked files above. BobF>>
That picture is identical to the specimen I have found. The genus appears to be Pseudocorynactis, and species appears to be inconclusive. What do you think about this conclusion?
<Will let Bob answer that here.>
I have read differing reports regarding this genus - ranging from docile to fish-eating. Do you know much about the husbandry of them?
<Likely non-photosynthetic since it only appears at night and likely an opportunistic feeder catching whatever comes by that it's capable of eating.
I would try putting Cyclopeeze in the evenings. Is how I feed my Plate and Candy Cane Corals.>
Thanks in advance for your help.
Unfortunately, I don't believe I was much help. Thank you for sharing your findings with us. James (Salty Dog)>
Matthew

What type of anemone are these? Not searching before writing 12/28/09
<Aiptasia likely.... read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/aiptasiaidfaq3.htm
and the linked files above>
They came with the 'live' rock. (no idea where the vendor has gotten the rock specifically! I think majority is from the Caribbean).
<Very/too common>
The anemone are approximately 2-3 inches in diameter with tentacles approx. 4-5 inches in length.
They only expand their tentacles at night.
<They'll learn to stay open during the day>
The Clarkii I have is approx. 4-5 inches in length and every once in awhile will camp out in the larger anemone.
<Neat>
They do take brine shrimp and krill with no issues.
Tank also contains a porcupine puffer and lip-stick tang.
(55 gal. tank)
<Both of these fish species need much larger worlds. See WWM re. Bob Fenner>