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FAQs on Anemone Challenges from Predation, Pests

FAQs on Anemone Disease: Anemone Disease 1, Anemone Disease 2, Anemone Disease 3, Anemone Disease 4, Anemone Disease 5, Anemone Disease 6, Anemone Disease 7, Anemone Health 8, Anemone Health 9, Anemone Disease 10, Anemone Disease 11, Anemone Disease 12, Anemone Disease , &
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Crabs, Hermits, large Polychaete worms...

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

by Robert (Bob) Fenner

Parasitic isopod on an anemone? 2/11/08 Hello, first I'd like to express how much I appreciate your site. This is a fantastic resource for a fascinating hobby! After a stop through my quarantine tank, I introduced a new sebae anemone to my aquarium. Not 48 hours later, I saw what I think is a parasitic isopod emerge from the fleshy tube of the anemone. <This is the first instance I have encountered of this crustacean group found in such an association> Sigh; hindsight is always clearer, but I sure wish I'd kept him in quarantine just a little longer. Anyway, here's what happened: I noticed a 1/4-1/2 inch long, narrow, "bug" on the fleshy tube of the anemone. The little guy was yellowish brown, with a clearly discernable head and eyes. It had plates on its back, and many feet. It was right next to a newly formed crater in the tube. This crater was approximately 1/2" in diameter, and speckled with brown stuff on its interior. <This is the anemones insides... and likely a hole bored through the pedicle> I'm not really sure about this next part, but I think the bug may have had some blue dots clutched on its underside. It looked for all the world like a shrimp with eggs. In any case, it wandered off and then a short time later returned to the anemone and died. Any idea what this "bug" could be? <Mmm... likely an isopod from the description...> Should I be worried about the continued health of my anemone or coral? <... if these are mixed together, yes...> Other inhabitants include some star polyps, xenia, a toadstool leather coral, a clam (tridacnid crocea), and (in the opposite corner of the aquarium) a frogspawn (captive raised). <Good for the last> If it is harmful, is it too late to do anything now that it has been set loose in my display tank? <Not likely> Thank you sincerely for the help, and for this excellent web site; there always seems to be something new to learn! Sincerely, Mike Harris <I'd be reading on WWM re Isopods, Sebae/Heteractis crispa compatibility... Bob Fenner>

Malu anemone died... Polychaete ID, comp... 5/9/07 Hi Crew, <Hazel> I love your site and have found many answers to my questions. Someone always has had the problem before me it seems. I would like to know what this is though. I have a 200L marine tank and this worm has been in it from the start. He must have been in the live rock. <Yes, very likely> I thought that he was about 8 inches long but he is over 24 inches as I found out when I removed him a few days ago. Something was eating the Cladiella coral and the malu anemone in the front left corner of my tank and he lived in those rocks behind that area. I am not sure he is the problem as he only seems to eat dead items despite his enormous size; <Mmm, yes> I have him in a spare tank at this moment so I can observe him. (He is very interesting because of his size and he loves muscles and eats small dead fish as well as flake food) I do not want to kill him. In my regular tank I saw a small red bristle worm steal some food from the malu anemone as the anemone was beginning to show signs of damage. I have not caught this yet. Too quick for me. <Can, could be baited, trapped...> My tank is water salinity 1.025, ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates 0, PH 7.8 am and slightly higher pm. Calcium 380 - 390, I use RO water and mix the salt, change 15% water every Friday, and keep mostly soft corals. The tank is a Berlin system with a skimmer and filter at the back of the tank and 3 pumps moving the water around, two at the bottom and one two thirds of the way up. There is a grill where the water flows to the back part of the tank into the skimmer etc. I have recently added a superb Catalaphyllia which was about eight inches away from the anemone and from the Cladiella, and wonder if that gives off any poisons in the current. <Of a certainty, yes> Could it be that it is blocking the water flow from the area as they are in the front corner? <Perhaps... circulation matters are too-little discussed in our interest> The Catalaphyllia is eating well and is out all day. The clowns have moved in as the anemone has now disappeared. Above the sand, on the first level of rock I have a Tubastraea which is growing very well and has new heads growing from the sides of the existing heads. I feed this every night, sometimes brine shrimp or Mysis and sometimes parts of defrosted frozen fish from local marine store. Also small pieces of shrimp. This has been very good, always open at 7pm ready for its dinner. This has been above and to the right of the malu anemone for some months. Could this give off some chemical that hurt the malu? <Yes> I have one yellow tang, one coral beauty, one mandarin, five blue Chromis, one fairy wrasse, one chalky goby, three pyjama cardinals and a breeding pair of Banggai cardinals (had babies few weeks ago) and the two clowns. The tank is quite peaceful. I have a flame scallop and two hermit crabs, and two Lysmata amboi and three Lysmata wurdemanni, plus a long spined urchin (recent addition for baby cardinals to hide in). Babies disappeared soon after being born and the one I caught died later in the breeding net. I use PhosBan to keep the phostrogen levels down as I feed the fish and the corals on a daily basis. I have kept tropical fish for many years but only had marines for a year or so. I have read up on the marine tanks, on reefs critters corals etc and spoken to lots of local stores people but there is so much to learn, can you help me with this problem as I would love to buy another anemone, but only after I have the right conditions for it as I hate to see it die. Thanks for reading this Best regards Hazel <Please read here re this Polychaete, Hermodice canunculata: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/polychaecompfaqs.htm and the linked files above... And take a jaunt through our page re using WWM: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex/question_page.htm re Catalaphyllia compatibility, other questions you have/pose. Bob Fenner>

Cocoons and anemone pest? I have been searching your site for a good answer and have asked around, now I need the pros advice. On my live rock, I have what appear to be many small, white "cocoons", some have opened...now my long tentacled anemone is having what appear to be wounds, like if a triggerfish was biting. I don't have any idea what the cocoons might be...if the culprit happens to be bristleworms, then they have to go before they make my anemone look like a leopard. Thanks for any info! Ian <The "cocoons" may well be some type of tubiculous (tube-dwelling) polychaete worm, but I very much doubt that they are directly or indirectly involved in your anemone's health issue. Time to "go back" to basics, have you read through the many anemone articles, FAQs archives on WetWebMedia... test your water, gain an understanding of what is involved in their husbandry. Bob Fenner>

Sea Anemone Woes hello, I apologize about the capitol letters. I read a lot on your web site. I thought the information was very informative and helpful. <Thanks and no worries... trying to do my bit to see longer through the days onward...> I have a question about my sea anemone. his base is orange but now it is starting to get white blotches. he seems to be shrinking a lot more than he used to. his base also looks swollen up. my water test come out good. I test once a week for nitrite, nitrate, ammonia, and ph. I use two 50/50 bulbs. I have had him for 9 weeks. the angelfish I have often eats at his base. lots of the time lately some of his tentacles are shrunk while the others are open. he opens wide and stands up a lot too. he shrinks all the way when the lights go off. these are most of the observations I have made. do you have any advice for me? thank you <Bunches to say here... do read over the FAQs files again on the www.wetwebmedia.com site re "anemones" and the link to "The Breeder's Registry"... I take it you don't have a clownfish that might be protecting the anemone from the Angel... your/its real problems may simply be predation! If there's some way to separate these two I would... Shrinking at night (or even during the day) is natural and nothing to be alarmed about... I encourage you to try a little more feeding (twice a week, something meaty like a crustacean or silversides, frozen/defrosted) and increase circulation about this specimen and see if these changes help to rally it. Bob Fenner>

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