AnemIDFAQ9

FAQs on Anemone Identification 9

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Anemone Success
Doing what it takes to keep Anemones healthy long-term

by Robert (Bob) Fenner

Anemone ID 11/14/06 Hi, I cannot seem to find a picture that can assist me in identifying this anemone (See attachment) I think it might be a Heteractis crispa although I am not sure. <By the tip appearance, verrucae, I think you've got it... though this specimen is terribly bleached, bereft of zooxanthellae> I have a two stripe clown (I think it is an African Clown) living in the anemone and feeding it. <Mmm, looks like a Clark's... Bob Fenner>

Re: Anemone ID. Bleached H. crispa -- 11/15/06 Hi, thank you for the speedy response. Is their anything I can do to try and save it? I have 2x 54w 20 000k, 2 x 54 10 000k T5's and 2 x 150w MH 6500K as lighting in a standard 6ft tank. <Good lighting fixtures> The anemone does take small pieces of clam fed by the clown. <Ah, good. Only time, patience can/will tell. Bob Fenner> Regards, Wikus <There is evidence that such endosymbiotic endosymbiotic algae is reincorporated by way of its availability from other hosting organisms at times... Perhaps this will occur here. Bob Fenner>

Bubble-Tip or Ritteri? - 10/15/06 Good Morning knowledgeable ones of the aquarium world, I have a dilemma that maybe you can help me with. <<Let's see>> I recently bought an anemone from my LFS (very credible LFS), it has a maroon base and long yellow tentacles and 11" across and bubble tips like a BTA. Now I have had both BTA (which never looked like this nor got this big without splitting), and I have had a Ritteri, which looked like this, but never had bubble tips. <<Hmm...strange indeed>> Just some back up info, I have a 135 Gal established about 7 months now, with a refugium and a Aqua-C pro skimmer, about 130 lbs. of live rock and 2 (175watt 10K halides). My aquarium controller says everything is perfect. After 2 days of slow drip acclimation and only turning on my T-5 actinics, the anemone finally got a taste of my halides and it acted just like a Ritteri, went to the highest part of my rock ledge (about 6" from the surface) and opened up WIDE - 11" wide (I measured) and is consuming both halides not just one. This is behavior of a Ritteri is it not? <<Seems to be, yes>> But I can't say for sure what this anemone is cause it has bubble tips, maybe a cross breed between the two, or can a Ritteri produce bubble tips like a BTA? <<Have never seen/heard of this...but that doesn't mean it can't be so>> Please help, because I need to know for my sake and the anemones sake, as you know there is a BIG difference between the care levels of the two. <<Perhaps this is a species anomaly or a reaction to an environmental factor (I really doubt it is a result of cross-breeding)...maybe temporary, maybe not. But if the anemone looks like, is acting/responding as a Ritteri then this is how I would treat/care for it>> Thanks, Michael <<Regards, EricR>>

Anemone ID 2/18/06 Could you please tell me what these are? <Anemone ID generally requires being able to see the column, but this is almost certainly Macrodactyla doreensis, the "Long Tentacle" anemone. Best Regards, AdamC.>

Majano/Tulip Anemone 01-26-06 Hello again Crew, <Ricky> I have another question for the experts at WWM. I have an anemone in my tank that must have come with my rock. <A hitch hiker.> Not sure what it is but it seems to be multiplying in my system. If it is not a desirable species, I would like to know so I can remove them. They are a brownish-green with pink tips. <From your picture and description I would say you have what is commonly called tulip anemones. They are very striking in their own right. They can be a pest due to their fast rate of growth/reproduction, but do not worry as they do not pack a coral killing punch like Aiptasia. Travis> Cheers!
Ricky Waibel Jr.

Anemone ID 1/17/06 Hello crew. <Hello Cindy> I hope you can help me ID an anemone. I really can't tell you much about it, except it was listed as a mop head anemone. It is about 3" across fully expanded. Hopefully my photos will be enough. <It looks like a Heteractis (Sebae) anemone.> <<Bob correct me if I'm wrong.>> Thanks for your time. <You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)> ~Cindy

Anemone ID (w/picture) 12/26/05 Long time listener, first time caller. First: Awesome Site! <Thanks> Search as I may, I can't seem to find an exact photo of the small anemone which appeared from a crevice in my rock some weeks ago. (This 5 lb. rock surprises me weekly, it seems.) <... though is obviously strongly striated along its tapering tentacles... does look like a Glass Anemone to me... one of a few types/species of Aiptasia> So far, I've identified sponge, coral, and tunicate life on the rock, but my efforts to ID the anemone are frustrating! Its stretch has almost doubled in two months, to ~1.5" now. <Mmm...> Is this yet another form of those "pest" Aiptasia anemones? I can produce a better snap, if this isn't detailed enough. Thanks in advance! Chris <I'd keep an eye on this one's progress... replication. Bob Fenner>

Here's her crab, missing one of this anemones.

Pom Pom Crab - Lybia tesselata 11/24/2005 Great site, guys. <Thank you Steve> I've searched the site as well as the web and have been unable to find an answer to my question. What type of anemone does the Lybia tesselata crab carry? <The Pom Pom Crab will normally arm himself with anemones of the Bunodeopsis species (Beaded Anemone). Shouldn't be too hard to find as San Diego declared them a pest as swimmers were complaining of being stung by them in Mission Bay. They are not native to Mission Bay, just got there someway.> <<Likely got there the same way Batiguitos Lagoon got its Caulerpa taxifolia. MH>> My friend's crab has lost one of his. <James (Salty Dog)> Thanks a lot. Steve Wright

Condylactis ID - 11/18/05 Hi Bob, <<EricR here tonight>> I was wondering whether you could accurately, (Or close enough) name this anemonal beasty! <<Looks like a Condylactis specie to me...Condylactis gigantea. Do a Google search on the name and see what you think.>> Thanks for your help. Craig New Zealand <<Happy to assist, EricR>>>And a Fungiid to me... RMF<

Re: Condylactis ID - 11/19/05 Cheers Eric....Hoping you would say that. I hear they eat Clowns though? <<Tis true, at least more often than not...this anemone and clown fish make for an unnatural combination as they would never meet in the wild.>> <<Have heard that just as often some clowns will happily host these anemones (pers. comm's, BB postings). It appears that Maroon clowns have the greatest propensity for this sort of madness. Marina>> Cheers, Craig <<Regards, EricR>>

Another Anemone ID, Emails Lost in Cyberspace 11/11/05 Dear Mr. Fenner- <Hello Michael> Thank you for your reply. It appears that my e-mail didn't make it anywhere as I only heard from you. If you will bear with me I will try to send you the pictures to see if you can tell me what type of anemone it is and if it will hurt fish. I found it at the bottom of my bag of live rock (which I think came from the Caribbean). I am just beginning a fish only saltwater aquarium and did a great deal of research on your site (outstanding reference and help!!!) <Appears to be a type of Condylactis: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/anempt2.htm> Everyone I have talked to or shown the anemone to says to kill it. <... I wouldn't... it's beautiful> It is such a beautiful animal I hate to destroy something like this if it is not necessary. However, I would like to start putting fish in my tank since it has gone through all of the cycling it needs. I also, don't want to feed my fish to the anemone. <Not likely> It sounds a lot like the Pachycerianthus fimbriatus Family: Cerianthidae, <Mmm, I don't think so> but it doesn't have nearly as many tentacles. Then it looked like the Pachycerianthus maua same family, but it doesn't have the shorter inner tentacles and it has the banding on the outer tips. I am too confused. Its column (cream to pinkish red as it reaches the top) can stretch out to a good 5 inches. It is about a half inch in diameter. The rest I hope you can see from the pictures. Sorry they aren't very good. I hope they help. The glass and the water distort the picture. Thank you for any information you can give me. I just don't want to kill an innocent animal of such beauty without finding out for sure that it will destroy any fish I put in with it. Very sincerely Kristi <Please see the sections on Anemone ID and Caribbean Anemones archived on WWM. Cheers, Bob Fenner>

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