AnemIDFAQ6

FAQs on Anemone Identification 6

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

by Robert (Bob) Fenner

Anemone Question (possible H. crispa) 8/22/05 Hello again Crew, and thank you for your patience. I have a question regarding an anemone that I would like to add to my tank, mainly with regards to lighting. This particular individual is a Heteractis crispa or malu, and is a pale white/gold with purple tips to his tentacles. Our LFS recently acquired him, and will hold him for another 2 weeks for us. <With a decent reference, H. Crispa and H. Malu should be fairly easy to distinguish. I am guessing this is probably H. Crispa because it is more common and very prone to bleaching (which this one sounds like it is). H. Crispa is fairly hardy (by anemone standards) if a healthy specimen is acquired and is successfully acclimated. Bleached specimens often fail to survive. Observe this one for evidence that it is repopulating zooxanthellae before buying. Healthy specimens aren't always beautifully colored, but they should not be white, pale or "washed out" looking.> I have a 75 gallon tank that is 48L x 24H x 18W, with 62lbs live rock (buying more as I go). I use an Aqua C Remora Pro with a Mag drive 3, and have a sump with carbon and Chemi-pure. Am: 0 NO2: 0 N03: <3ppm I do a 10 gal water change every two weeks. Sounds good. pH, Alkalinity and Calcium should all be maintained in their normal ranges and salinity should be 1.025-1.026 for anemones.> Lighting is: 2 65 watt PC 10,000K and 2 65 watt PC Actinic. These are suspended 3" above the water, no cover glass. Will this be enough light if the anemone is placed in the top half or third of the tank, or should I invest in a MH bulb? I have seen the clip-on halides, are these effective? I plan to quarantine the anemone for 4 weeks also, after 2 more weeks at the LFS. This will be in a 15gal tank, would a clip on MH work here also? <I would suggest at least 50% more light (double would be better). You could accomplish this with more PC's or a MH. I am not sure what you mean by clip-on MH, but most fixtures offered for the aquarium trade are suitable.> As to the general health of the anemone, I'm not sure if it is bleached, or just a pale specimen. I am going to look more closely in the morning, would it be helpful to you if I sent a picture to get your opinion? Thank you for your excellent site, and all of your help. Benjamin Kratchmer <Pictures are always beneficial, but you have presented a very classic situation. H. crispa is commonly imported, more often than not they are bleached, and occasionally dyed (Bright yellow is not a natural color for H. Crispa and a sure tip off that the animal has been dyed!). If after two weeks, this anemone starts developing a richer cream or green color, is expanding well and shows no signs of physical injury, it is probably a safe bed. Be sure to feed it small bits of meaty foods every few days, especially as it recovers. Best Regards. AdamC.>

Anemone Question (possible H. Crispa) part2 8/29/05 Sorry, I didn't get the photos on that one....oops. <No worries. Does look like H. Crispa. It is definitely bleached, but looks to be in otherwise good health. Feed small a couple of small pieces (the size of a marble or so) of food twice a week until it recovers. Best Regards. AdamC.>

Anemone(?) identification/detachment from glass? i? Hello there, <Bonjour> First i must say excellent site, i just started my marine tank and having various trouble and come across it Googling on various subjects, and your site have been extremely helpful! <Ah, good> I had an anemone in my tank (at least i think it is) but i wasn't sure what type it is, can you help me identify it? <Maybe here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/anemoniafaqs.htm> Originally it was tiny (<1cm), now it is a huge thing (>5cm) and one morning i saw one of the mandarin i newly put it had gone head first into it :( I also got a seahorse and another mandarin in the tank with it, coexisting for the past year or so, are they safe or should i move them? <Mmm, I would separate these fishes from the anemone> It is on the glass panel right now, how should i try to move it (without killing it i guess)? <Slide it off with the edge of a plastic "credit card"> I read that one of the replies was that you hold ice against the glass where it is sitting right now but i can't find more words on it :( thanks in advanced. Regards, Alan <The personal pronoun "i" is capitalized... Bob Fenner>

Anemones...One Good...One Not So Good - 06/14/05 Can you identify and advise of care please. I have been searching for a couple of days. I was told it was a carpet coral???? When it is closed it looks like a green mushroom on a stem. When it opens it has little stems that are pink with a white tip. Under the light it looks like it reflects the lights. I would appreciate any advice. <<Looks like a specie of carpet anemone, yes. Please start reading here ( http://www.wetwebmedia.com/anemoneidfaqs.htm) and at the associated links in blue. Much more info/advice than can be listed here to be found.>> The second anemone appeared from some rock after about 6 weeks of us having the rock. It looks clear like glass. It appears for a few hours and then disappears. I wondered whether it is Aiptasia???? <<Does appear to be an Aiptasia/glass anemone...several species about, can vary by conditions as well. Looks like more reading for you my friend <G>(http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/aiptasia/aiptasia.htm).>> Again advice much appreciated.
Louise
<<Regards, Eric R.>>

Anemone ID (Begging, Please no HTML, Folks!) I picked up an Anemone this weekend. I know they are somewhat difficult but everything has been going great with my reef tank, so let's kick it up a notch. The salesperson told me what it was but I forgot. Dumbxxx. It has an orange stalk/stem/foot. The top bulb? has a pin stripe pattern and the tentacles are brownish and have stripes running across them. It is as thick as a tennis ball. It is currently moving around my tank for a place to rest. Hopefully. <Mark, I'd call the salesperson up and ask what it is. We can't give an accurate description without seeing it. If I had to *guess*, I'd say it was a rock anemone. James (Salty Dog)>

Identifying anemone/feeding, using test kits... Hi Crew, <Debbie> Any information you can lend will be appreciated. I have read over and over all the FAQ's I could find and looked at all the pictures I could find but still can't really tell what my anemone is. I think I finally found the answer but then it also sounds like another one too. At the LFS, they called it a Carnation Anemone, when I asked what family that was from they said, Stichodactyla gigantea, it's like the Ritteri. So here it goes. It has short yellow tentacles, under the tentacles is a deep orange color, then this color is down the column until the end where its yellow. If it balloons up its more of a yellow column but when it goes back down its orange. I thought it might be a dyed anemone but read where all the anemone would be the same color. <Mmm, no... can be multi-colored... and from your description it sounds like this one is dyed> Is that right? I don't know if I should put it on the sand which they had it on in the LFS, and they also said that they have had it for 3 weeks and it was still beautiful, healthy too, but back to my question. I put it on the sand, and it laid on its side, so I moved a small piece of rock under it and it ballooned up till it fell off, so I've left it in the sand and it hasn't moved an inch in 2 weeks. Does get some slime under it but is that from it trying to attach itself to the sand? <...> Also I was wondering if I could blend all the krill, Pacifica plankton, squid, Cyclop-Eeze together and squirt it near the anemone. <.....> This anemone also never closes during the day or through the night and is still open when I turn on the lights, and then it closes for 1-2 hours and stays open again. Is this normal, or should I be worried? <........> Another question I have is my tank has been running for 1 1/2 years now and I'm probably the most brain dead person but I cannot read the Red Sea calcium test I bought or the Seachem PH/ALK. When ever I read the results I just can't believe it because the calcium test I get from my water goes below their chart and my heart starts pumping, also the Seachem Alka test says 1 drop equals 0.5 meg/L and I have to use 5 drops before it gets to the right color and then it says to divide it by 2. Well my number is 1.25. Does that mean its 12 and its suppose to be 7-8. Are my fish going to die? Could you please help me. My PH reads 8.1 with the Seachem test kit but reads 8.3 with the Red sea one. All the other tests are good or I would be worrying about them too, but those are easy to read. I'm doing everything to prepare the water properly, water changes weekly. I also add Aragamilk along with the water changes. I even went home and got a water sample so they could check my water first before I bought it. Really care about these animals and a lot of stress to, to make sure their happy. Thank you for all your time. Debbie <... please return this anemone, don't buy anymore livestock that you can't identify... and read on WWM re test kit use, alkalinity... Bob Fenner>

Guess the Anemone sans Photo! Hello, <Hello, Debbie> I read your website a lot and you have helped me a great deal. I bought this anemone and it has a orange column, dark yellow base under the tentacles, and then the tentacles are pale yellow. Please can you help me identify it so I can read up on it. They called it a carnation anemone in the pet store, but when I look at pictures I can't really see what color their columns are so I don't really know if it's a dyed anemone or not. I've read that if the column isn't the same colour as the tentacles then it wasn't dyed. Any help would be appreciated. <Debbie, a photo would help very much. By the sound of it, I'm guessing you probably have a BTA. Send photo if you can. James (Salty Dog)>

Anemone.... Hi Jim, I'm sorry for bothering you again. Can you tell me the name of this anemone? Can you also tell me if it could be eating my fish? I still can't find my Sixline wrasse, now my Firefish goby is missing. I looked on the floor and found nothing. I have a lot of live rock, is it possible that they are hiding? Probably not. My Firefish was fine last night swimming around and eating now it's gone. This anemone has gotten so big within the last 5 months. What is it and should I remove it? Thanks, Kris >>>Hey Kris, I'm actually not positive which anemone that is. Please compose another email regarding this anemone, but don't put my name in the header. That way another crew member will look into it for you who might know exactly which critter that is. Glad to be of help
Jim<<<

Majano ID? Hello Sir, Could you please help me ID these little green things? http://www.incarnato.com/fishtank/redricordiababy.jpg They look like mushrooms or Zoas. Thanks Tony <Sort of... likely Anemonia. Please see here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/anemoniafaqs.htm. Bob Fenner>

Aiptasia Hello, I have a type of anemone growing in my tank I have no idea to what it is it is all over my tank it spread rapidly it they are about one fourth of an inch a very thin stem and a very fine looking tentacles. Any ideas on what it can be. Thanks. <Sure sounds like the pest Aiptasia. Do a Google search on the Wet Web, keyword "Aiptasia". There are links there for controlling the critters. Please capitalize your "i's" in future queries as it saves us time from editing. Thanks. James (Salty Dog)>

Anemone Identification: A (Good) Picture is Worth 1000 Words Hello, <Hey, Mike G with you tonight on my question-answering spree> I've spent the last few days looking over your FAQ's and other internet resources in an attempt to identify the anemone in the picture I've attached. I haven't seen any images that match, and text descriptions are, well, insufficient for identification. I found it in my main 150g reef tank, surrounded by Aiptasia. I moved it into my new 20g Nano reef, and it moved into the position you see in the picture, under a cabbage coral. <Well, that picture only shows me the tentacles, and I really cannot make a very good identification attempt with the picture provided. could you possibly get another one, perhaps showing the column and oral disc?> I don't think it's Aiptasia, mostly because it looks nothing like the Aiptasia in my main tank. <Agreed.> It has a very short base, and is very mobile. I've had a friend say it looks a bit like a baby Condylactis of some kind, but I'd really like to be sure. <Come to think of it, the tentacles *do* remind me of a Condy, but, again, I need a better picture.> If it is a form of Aiptasia, I want to remove it right away, but if it's a "good" anemone I'd like to do good for it. It was the size of a U.S. nickel when I found it, and has since (about a week) expanded out to about 2.5 inches across. The base is still very short and opaque. <It looks fairly benign to me.>)

Anemone Identification & Anemone Lighting Requirements Hello. <Hey, Mike G with you tonight> I warn you this is a bit long, but I wanted to be as detailed as possible. <More detailed question = More detailed answer :-) Such lengthy emails are encouraged, not scorned, by this crew.> I picked up some live rock about a week ago and found two anemone-like creatures attached to one piece. So far they do not seem to be reproducing frantically or causing havoc, in fact, they don't really move much at all. The anemone in the first 3 pictures is a little shorter than a cm (about 1/2 inch) with a disc that's about 5 mm wide (1/5 inch). I have another that looks nearly identical which has been in my tank more than 6 months and has never reproduced or moved, but I never worried about it because it never tried to cause trouble. I've bumped them with my hands and I never get stung (although the same goes for my Condylactis) or stick to it. <While viewing the provided photographs, "Aiptasia" bounces around in my head.> The second anemone worries me more because it is bigger and seems to be more like your average anemone (it sticks to others, although I haven't tested its sting). It only has 10 or so tentacles and they look like chains of cubes or beads. It is much more mobile than the first anemone although after its first little trek it went right back to where it was initially and hasn't moved since (6 days). So should I worry about these guys? I'm keeping a close eye on them at least... <It still reminds me of an Aiptasia. There are many forms and varieties of this scourge of the reef aquarium.> One more question about the health of my Indo-Pacific Condylactis anemones. <<Condylactis anemones are native to Atlantic/Caribbean waters only. >> I've got two in my 55 gallon and both stay pretty close to the lighting which I try to keep fairly undiluted. I clean regularly and replace the bulb every few months. <Good habits to develop.> It is standard 32W bulb that came with my tank. <By "standard bulb," I assume you are referring to a Normal Output (NO) Fluorescent Tube. In that case, you do not have nearly enough radiation to support your sea anemones. If I were you, I would seriously considering investing in a better lighting setup. Since you are keeping anemones, you would need a fairly high output fixture if you intend to keep them happy. I would suggest taking a look at Power Compact (PC), Very High Output (VHO), T-5, or Metal Halide (MH) lighting.> The last 6 months I had no problems with them and they looked great (big and puffy and brightly colored). In the last month or so they have begun every night to shrink back into the bases and the next morning they will come right back out and look wonderful again. <It is common for sea anemones to shrivel frequently to perform a water change in their bodies. Some anemones will also retract during the dark hours.> One tries moving every two weeks but gives up and returns to where it was quickly. The other one seems to be growing new tentacles in its disc but 2 or 3 of them are malformed (tentacle growing out of a tentacle or really small tentacles on the disc). The original tentacles on it also look strange like they have been bent or broken; they aren't as smooth as when I originally purchased the anemone, and they are thinner like fat spaghetti. I feed them brine and krill regularly and chemicals in my tank are right on target. There is a pretty strong current on one (its taken to the powerhead) and the other is in slow current water. Is there anything I can give them besides a boost in lighting that will help their condition? <I think that a boost in lighting is all they need to do better. :-) > Thanks for any help you guys can give! <Glad I could assist. Mike G>

Anemone Identification: Part II (Stumped) Mike, Sorry about the previous picture, I hope the attached image gives you a better idea of what I have. <It is exactly what I was looking for. It completely smashed my previous thoughts that this was a Condylactis anemone.> I haven't been able to get a good image of the column yet, but I can describe it. It's about the same length as the width of the disc, maybe a bit longer. Same coloration as the disc and it may be semi-transparent (I can't get a very good look at it, the base of the cabbage coral is hiding it). <Well, I do have to say that you have an anemone I have never seen before. It does remind me of a temperate species of anemone...Urticina (seen here, NOT my picture, just a Google search: http://cordellbank.noaa.gov/images/environment/urticina_450.jpg ), I think, because of the tentacle arrangement and mouth, but Urticina anemones also look a bit too different from this one for a positive ID. The body shape is saying Aiptasia, but nothing else looks even remotely close. I *do* have a hunch it is a coldwater species, though. Keep taking pictures, now I have to know what this guy is! :-) In the mean time, would you mind answering a few questions? Describe the Stickiness of the Anemone. How does it look when it eats? When it closes up (if it closes up) what does it look like? How does it react to being prodded? (fast retraction, trying to eat you...fast retraction is a characteristic of Aiptasia) Does it seem to be photosynthetic? That is, does it seem to actively seek out light, and open/close in response to lighting changes? > Thanks very much for your time! <Thank you for the opportunity to see an anemone that I have never seen to this day! I do hope that I have been of some assistance. Mike G>

Anemone Identification: Part III (Getting Clearer) I have never seen it eat, but I haven't actually watched it that closely. It doesn't seem to react to sudden shadow, and it reacts very quickly to being prodded, retracting in on itself like an Aiptasia. <Reinforces the idea of Aiptasia a lot...> I'll try for some more pictures this evening when I get home from work, and attempt to target feed it. <I just dug up this photo of an Aiptasia Anemone from WWM's archives, and it looks to be similar. What do you think? http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/aiptasia/aiptasia.htm First pic, upper right hand corner. Do get a few more pics, this certainly is intriguing. Mike G>

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