FAQs on Sebae Anemone Use in Marine Aquariums 2 Related Articles: Heteractis crispa/Sebae Anemones, Bubble Tip Anemones, Anemones, Cnidarians, Colored/Dyed Anemones,  Related FAQs: Sebae Anemones 1, Sebae Anemones 3, Sebae Identification, Sebae Behavior, Sebae Compatibility,  Sebae Selection, Sebae Systems, Sebae Feeding, Sebae Disease, Sebae Reproduction, Anemones, Anemones 2, Caribbean Anemones, Condylactis, Aiptasia Anemones, Anemones and Clownfishes, Anemone Reproduction, Anemone Lighting, Anemone Identification, Anemone Compatibility, Anemone Selection, Anemone Behavior, Anemone Health, Anemone Placement, Anemone Feeding, Heteractis Malu,  A bleached out, though healthy Sebae in an aquarium.

New Print and eBook on Amazon:   Anemone Success Doing what it takes to keep Anemones healthy long-term by Robert (Bob) Fenner

Sebae Anemone Hi, <Hello there> I've tried to look up as many articles as possible, however I haven't really found a full answer to my question. <Go on> I had 3 false Percula clowns...I believe my new sebae anemone ate it as it was the clown that had really taken to the anemone that was eaten. <I see> I've only had it for a couple of weeks. Since it "ate" the clown fish...it's been tipped over sitting on its side and really not looking healthy at all. I've checked the water and the levels seem to be fine. I've also cleaned up the water so that it doesn't choke on its own waste. <Cleaned up? It is a good idea to remove solid waste (after the anemone disgorges it), but they don't like sudden or large changes in their environment> I have a standard two ft tank and have one fluorescent and one blue light as the pet shop lady told me that coral and anemone really love the light so I hope it's not too bright. <Mmm, take a read through WetWebMedia.com re this species (actually Heteractis crispa)... they require a surprisingly intense quantity of light... is yours "bleached out?"... that is, white or whitish with pink to purple tips at the ends of its tentacles? It may be impugned from its collection and shipping ahead of your purchase... very common> Can you please let me know if this is normal behavior for an anemone to be rolled over like that? Thanks Cheryl <Not normal... not healthy. Though almost all "giant anemone" species/specimens that live in conjunction with Clownfishes do have periods of more or less tumescence, they should not be flaccid... for any period of time. A warning sign. Again, there is too much to convey to you in this space, time. Please read through the articles and FAQs files archived on WWM. Bob Fenner>

Anemone Identification and Over skimming? Hi there, <Hello> Great site, Just want help in identifying my anemone. Since I bought it it has been this colour but I got if from a display tank at my LFS in Singapore. It was already with a Golden Maroon Clown and so I bought it too. <This is a bleached out Heteractis crispa, most often called a Sebae Anemone in the trade in the west> The clownfish has grown but the Anemone has begun to not open fully and its tentacles are not fully extended. This started to occur after I bought a much larger skimmer. Is it related? <Not likely. Take a read over the Anemone FAQs on WetWebMedia.com... very common for bleached out (lacking endosymbiotic zooxanthellae due to mishandling, being kept w/o adequate light...) Sebaes to perish slowly> My green button polyps and mushrooms are doing fine and I have had them for a year now. I feed the anemone squid and occasionally target feed it with Liquifry Marine. Heard its good stuff. Anyway it takes the food and it seems to open a bit larger then resumes its previous smaller state. I have read that it is common for anemones to occasionally deflate and this is the first time mine has done this apart from when it was first introduced into my tank. Should I worry? <Yes. What you state is so, but in this case, these specimens rarely "rally", but this is not altogether the case. Some crispas reincorporate flagellated algae, regain color, health> My clown is about 2 inches long and it spends the better part of the day trying to force itself into the Anemone using his snout to pry it open. <Yes, likely not adding to the health of the anemone either> The anemone was white since the day I saw it but after a month or so in my tank, the tips became brownish but have since become white again. Is there a way to aid it in replenishing its zooxanthellae? Or is this creature on its way out? <Ahh, I see you know of the situation already. If your system is otherwise "healthy" and you have other zooxanthellate animals present, enough light... maybe> My pH is 8.2 - 8.3 My temperature is approx 29 Degrees Celsius -  Is this too high for softies? <Not most that folks keep> My nitrates are undetectable Tank is a 15 gallon <Fifteen gallons? This is quite small... much greater chances of success, disaster-proofedness with larger volumes> Regular water changes New oversized skimmer My copepods cannot be seen anymore on the glass or LR 2 fish are doing fine Clown and fire goby Turbo snail does his daily rounds. Lighting is 36 Watts 1 marine white 1 marine blue, both from arcadia <Your anemone needs much more light, by more than twice> 1 sweeping wave maker 3 stalks of mangroves <In this 15 gallon system?> My 2 shrimp (1 blood, 1 skunk) died while molting, heads were semi detached - or could be clownfish. I do regular weekly water changes ~ 10% I add calcium, trace elements and buffer on a weekly basis. Please help me! <Mmm, is there a chance you might be getting a larger system... perhaps to match your skimmer? You really need this foremost. Bob Fenner>

Sebae anemone, need second opinion 4/12/04  Greetings crew.  <cheers Thomas>  I moderate another forum and am trying to assist someone with their sebae anemone. All the information that I have about this persons system right now is that it is only 2 months old, and he has MH lighting.  <I'll pray with you that its not a 400 watt fixture over a 55 gallon aquarium <G>. Too often newbies get steered towards excess lighting on the big SPS-keeper dominated message boards. It's a disservice to us all (especially the new folks that are most certainly keeping lower light species mixes)>  I am enclosing a photo of his anemone for viewing, I do not have permission from the member for publishing said photo.  He could not have had the anemone for very long and I don't believe he was foolish enough to try to cycle with it, so I believe he has only had it a week or two at most.  My opinion. As you can see this anemone looks stressed. I have never seen a mouth on an anemone look so much like a stem in its protrusion. Very odd. the tentacles seem to have ridges around them, if I had to guess it has suffered some type of acclimation shock. Beyond that I'm not sure. I have not ascertained if the anemone is still sticky or not or whether it will accept any food at this point. Not sure how it could with its mouth in that condition. Any thoughts or guesses to point me into understanding this photo? Thank you so much crew. Thomas  <although this specimen is rather far from optimal (health), it really does look very salvageable to me. If only we could do a Vulcan mind meld and share images of the anemones we've seen over the years, you'd be inspired that this specimen is really not that bad off. It is not bleached or gaping yet, and that's a lot. The protruding mouth is not an indication of ill health, per se, like gaping is. And the tentacle constrictions occur for many possible reasons in addition to acclimation/shock. Frankly, with this specimen on the bottom of the aquarium, getting enough water flow and feedings of very finely minced foods (meats of marine origin like Pacifica plankton and mysids), I can see this anemone being one of the few that actually survives and looks good several months from now. I'm concerned that it is in a newbies hands though. Shame on the merchant for selling it... and more so, shame on the aquarist for not being an educated consumer and taking into their charge an animal that they were not likely (initially) able to care for (lack of information). If you do chat with them further, please pass on my strong advice that they do not mix this or practically any anemone (motile cnidarians) with corals (sessile cnidarians). Besides being unnatural for most species, it is a recipe for disaster in the long run for many folks when (when...not if! <G>) the anemone moves about the tank. Read all about these sad stores in the wetwebmedia.com archives. With kind regards, Anthony>

Sebae anemone upside down 3/28/04 First I would like to thank all of you for your great site and all the helpful info. <thanks kindly... please do tell friends/fellow hobbyists about us> I have a Sebae Anemone that I have acclimated to my system and it seems to be doing ok.  It is still white from it's bleaching, but when I put him in I set him right side up (pedal foot down) the next day he was upside down (tentacles in the substrate). I flipped him over and he stayed that way for several days and got up one morning to find him upside down again.   <this is often caused by water flow not to their liking. Do experiment> He seems to be doing topsy turvey every few days but eats fine when I feed him with a turkey baster.  Though some time it seems as though nothing sticks to its tentacles and my cleaner shrimp climbs across them and picks food out as well.  Is this something of the norm or not? <please do keep trying to feed and offer different foods (very fine diced). Also consider adding Cyclops-eeze (frozen if possible... freeze-dried if not). Anthony>

Sebae death - 12/9/03 Thanks for the reply. <No problem> Checked this morning, and the anemone didn't make it, unfortunately. <I am very sorry to hear>  I tried moving positions of it, <Not usually a good idea> and after a while it came back to life, but then the clown fish found it. <Yeah. Not easy to hide an anemone in a confined space> It wasn't really eating now that I think about it. <Hmmmm>  Tried pellets, <Nope> frozen brine shrimp, <Not really a nutritional choice for the sustainability an anemone> even some squid (hey, you never know) <a very good choice. Also try Mysids as well>.  It was holding though in place, I think it got so agitated it was flipping over to protect itself. <You mean retracting> Alas.... I have about 60 lbs more of live rock I've been curing for 5-6 weeks now. <Sounds like it could be ready> After I add to the tank, I may try again with a different type. <Well, maybe just not necessary to have an anemone for this clown fish.> Thanks again for the help. <My pleasure ~Paul> Geoff

- Sebae Questions - Hello, I stumbled across your site, and think it is great.  I just recently purchased a rather large sebae anemone, and I have a 55 gallon tank with about 50lbs of live rock in it.  There are some bare spots on the bottom that are just substrate, but the live rock covers the majority of the tank.  I have 2 false perculas that have taken to the anemone, and really love it.  My tank has been set up for almost 5 years, so it is an established tank, and my water parameters are good.  I have 3 powerheads in the tank, along with the return, and my lighting consists of 4 96w powercompacts 2 W/2 actinic blue.  The anemone was doing fine the first day or two I put him in, but there is not a huge amount of substrate for him to attach his foot.  I would say he's about 8-10 inches when fully stretched out, but I haven't seen him that big since I purchased him. <Was this anemone under similar lighting in the store? Chances are good that your lighting just isn't quite as strong as this animal is used to.> Does he need a good portion of substrate to stretch himself out fully, or will he be able to stretch out over the live rock too? <It will stretch out when and where it chooses - depth of substrate really isn't a factor.> Also, he seemed to be moving around, and AFTER reading your articles, I can tell that you recommend not moving them.  I did move him before I read the other articles, and he seems to be quite healthy.  I put him on a rather large flat piece of live rock, hoping he would stretch himself out.  Will his foot be happy on the live rock without any sand, or would he prefer the sand to burrow his foot? <Again... it will choose the place where it gets the best current and best lighting, not necessarily where it thinks it has a good footing.> I'm not sure if I should move some live rock around so he can have some more sand or not. <Move it around so it can have more light.> Please help!  Also I have a small hippo tang that has not been feeling well ever since the anemone was introduced.  Is it possible that it brushed against the anemone? <Always possible.> He has been breathing heavily on the bottom of my tank now for a couple of days, but does have the strength to swim away if I put something near him.  If he was stung, will he survive, and is there anything I can do to help him? <If the fish was stung well enough, then there is nothing you can do I'm sorry to say.> Thanks for all your help, Steve <Cheers, J -- >

Anemone of some kind? 12/3/03 I have sent you questions recently about ich.  I have moved all fish to the QT tank as per your recommendations.  The fish are fine by the way. <very good to hear> Quite a challenge to get them though, all the live rock had to be removed.  The corals had to be placed at the bottom of the tank to do this though.  I damaged my open brain coral.  I am not sure how I did it.  I noticed a small tear in the outer parts of the fleshy parts of it (not good) to say the least.  I have not had much luck with restoring damaged corals back to good health.   < largely a matter of good water flow... keep this coral on the sand bottom in this case (natural... never on rock)> I have been given 4 by my LFS that were in bad shape.  They all have perished in my QT.  My question is what I do about the brain coral. <Hmmm... Trachyphyllia is actually a very hardy coral. It needs to always be kept on soft substrates... and if fed 3-5 times weekly is one of the most hardy LPS corals. Truly a beginner species. I suspect lack of feeding here for this very hungry coral> Obviously I cannot move it to the QT tank as there are copper meds in it. And to make matters worse my wife bought some kind of anemone today.   <ughhh! please do not mix anemones with corals. Motile cnidarians with sessile cnidarians is a recipe for disaster. At best, keep this anemone in an inline refugium... and not in the display proper. A separate tank would be better. A 20G by the window might even be fine> I have no idea what kind it is.  It looks like a carpet of some kind.  Please let me explain what it looks like.  It is cream colored with short stubby tentacles.  Each tentacle is tipped with a blue or purple dot.  It is round when it is fully extended (hence why it looks like it might be a carpet) Rather pretty I must say.   <my guess from the description is that it is a (commonly) bleached Sebae anemone (they are white/yellow with purple tips when bleached) and it needs extra special care to recover to a healthy brown color if it is to have a prayer of surviving. Shame on your LFS for selling this if so/true.> But I have no idea how to take care of it.   <please look at the picks and descriptions of sebae anemones and others in our archives and FAQs at wetwebmedia.com. Use the google search tool on the home page for a fast hit of links> And I have common anemones in the tank already. <ughh... you are killing me <G>> Chemical warfare will become a problem.   <ahhh... yes> I already fight this with all the corals I have.   <BINGO... you win the hairy kewpie doll> Really aggressive skimming and frequent water changes have been good so far for that. 3+ years.  Fish are relatively new additions.  I added them about a year and six months ago.  Never had ich until this week.  Still not sure were it came from as I quarantined them for about 5 weeks, before I added them. Thanks yet again for your help. Craig B <wishing you the best of luck and return to good health for the system. Anthony>

Another Bleached Sebae Anemone :(  - 11/22/03 Hi, we recently added an anemone to our tank. We've had it for about 3 days.  This morning I looked at the tank and it had a "ball of stuff" coming out of the middle of it.  As the day went on, it kept coming.  I've attached a couple of pictures of it.  Any ideas??  Thanks for you attention! Erika <this is a common reality/problem my friend. Your anemone is dying... and it was not a good candidate from go. Frankly (not berating you), your merchant should have known not to sell this animal and you should have known not to buy it (as an educated consumer... research your livestock's needs before you buy them). This species of anemone is naturally dark in color (usually brown) with dark purple tips. Yellow is not a natural color and indicated an animal that is bleached and/or has been dyed. It will be dead within days. Few live weeks beyond import. I really don't know why merchants pay for these things when they are shipped to them. If they stopped paying for them and if consumers would stop buying them, then the collectors would get their acts together and stop shipping them unhealthy. Please read more about anemone health and car in our archives. Be sure to follow the links at the top of the page too. Best regards, Anthony http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/sebaeanefaqs.htm http://www.wetwebmedia.com/sebaefaq2.htm http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemonelightngfaqs.htm http://www.wetwebmedia.com/anemonelgtgfaq2.htm http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemonehealthfaqs.htm http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemoneselfaqs.htm

Recovering anemone... No such thing as White or Yellow Sebaes!!! 9/30/03 I have a sebae anemone that used to be white with purple tips.  Several months ago I moved the entire tank and now the anemone is always a light brown color. It looks like it's growing and healthy.  I also have 2 clown fish. Is it healthy or should this anemone be white? Thank you, Erin <you are very fortunate... the brown color is the recovering zooxanthellae of a bleached animal. Sadly, most sebae arrive in the country as white or yellow... and there is no such thing practically in the wild... they are bleached and likely to die. You have a survivor. With weekly feeding by you, it will get browner and fare well. Read more about this phenom in our wetwebmedia.com archives under anemone topics. Best regards, Anthony>

Shedding Some Light On Anemone Coloration? I have a Sebae anemone that used to be white with purple tips.  Several months ago I moved the entire tank and now the anemone is always a light brown color. It looks like it's growing and healthy.  I also have 2 clown fish. Is it healthy or should this anemone be white? Thank you, Erin <It could be a function of the light that the animal is exposed to. The concentration of zooxanthellae in the animal's tissues can influence the color. Colors can vary widely in these animals. Other times, they can be a response to stress. In your case, because the anemone is feeding and responding normally, I'd think that it's a response to lighting. Perhaps the animal needs more light. The zooxanthellae may be concentrated in the tissues as a response to lower lighting than it is receiving. Try increasing the lighting a bit, and see how the animal responds. Regards, Scott F>

-Sebae in a 1-week old tank under 1 NO fluorescent- I just started a small saltwater tank (10g), about a week ago.  I have purchased a sebae anemone (about four days ago).  There currently are no fish in the tank, but will probably be adding some tomorrow. <Ouch, pacific anemone in a brand new tank?> I have never had any type of aquarium, but hope to be very successful with this one and hope to enlarge the tank by Christmas. <Unfortunately, anemones are not something that you would want to start off with. Be wary of the person that is giving you advice as they seem to be horribly misinformed.> I have just a regular fluorescent light <This is a big problem, this type of anemone requires very intense light, such as metal halide. Several VHO or compact fluorescent lamps would work also.> and I am currently feeding the anemone "Invertebrate Smorgasbord, A Gourmet Feast for Corals and Anemones"  should I be feeding it more? <I would return this critter to the shop you purchased it from because it will not survive for very long in your aquarium.> Should I put the food in a syringe or something and put it next to the anemone?  When I placed the anemone in the tank, I place it by one of the live rocks and it decided it wanted to be in the right front corner and you can see the foot through the glass and it is buried in the sand.  Is it normal for the anemone to pull in and then release?  Do I need to play with the anemone?  Is it okay for me to touch it?  Help. <Here's some recommendations for you: 1. Bring back the anemone to the shop you bought it from. 2. Pick up a few good books. Bob's book, the Conscientious Marine Aquarist is an excellent book for beginners and Joyce Wilkerson's clownfish book has indispensable information on anemones. 3. Write back with information on how the tank is set up so that we can make better recommendations about how you should stock (or even re-set up) the tank in the future. Anemones are difficult to keep in captivity (with some exceptions) so you should have plenty of marine fish and coral keeping under your belt before attempting such a creature. There are many other hardy choices for your aquarium, and we can help you choose them and be successful long term. Your salesperson clearly does not understand the basic lighting requirements of a very common anemone, nor what is going to happen to the poor thing as your tank cycles; I suggest you find someone else! Good luck Amy! -Kevin> Thanks so much, AMY

Sebae Anemone Hi, <cheers, my friend> I just purchased a sebae anemone online and it just arrived today in the mail with two false Percula clowns.   <a fine species although I'm not convinced the clowns are likely to take to it> I guess I shoulda done some research before hand, but didn't.   <we live and learn... do learn and grow from this> I read in your FAQ's that they are not naturally white in color.   <correct> Mine is white with purple tips.   <too common> I was wondering, if the anemone will live?    <yes... easily, if you take the time to feed it very fine minced meaty foods (nothing larger than 1/4" bits) 3-5 times weekly perhaps. It will go through a blotchy ugly stage when re-coloring but should finish rich brown with handsome purple tips in time> It appears healthy, It attached itself to a rock in my aquarium.  I have power compact lighting...this should be sufficient, shouldn't it?   <if the water is shallow (anemone in 12" of water from surface ... not much more?) Also, I fed a chunk of frozen Mysis shrimp.   <excellent,. but so thaw first> I placed it on it and it grabbed it and has eaten it all. <very good and one of the very best foods for marine animals at large> I would appreciate any feedback you have on caring for it.   <keep feeding several times weekly and maintain good water quality and all will be fine> Another quick note, my two clowns are not going into the anemone at all, do you think after a few more days of acclimation they might or does this anemone not host them? <the latter... and know that clowns harm more anemones than they help in captivity. Not needed or recommended> thanks, Ronnie <best regards, Anthony>

Sebae question Hello, I just got a Sebae last week at the LFS and it hasn't attached to anything yet and gets blown around by the current even though I dropped the current down to practically nothing. <Common problem and is explicitly stated throughout fish literature> What current should it be at? low? med? <Most likely current isn't the problem. These critters are easily damaged and in general, do not survive well in captivity although there are exceptions to the rule> It is about 4 inches in diameter and looked decent at the LFS according to others that I've seen.  It does have coloration to it and the tentacles aren't shriveled up but its mouth is open a little.  I have it in a 29 gallon tank with a 55w actinic pc and a 65w 50/50 pc plus a near by 120w plant light <Plant light won't help anything except nuisance algae> next to the aquarium that I was using for my banana tree and I have it aimed right at the anemone, was that a wise thing to do? <Good for growing hair algae. Won't help the anemone at all. Most likely it's the wrong spectrum> Is just the 120w of PCs enough for it? <Probably> It was under less lighting at the LFS. <LFS didn't want to keep it for years. I assume that you do>   It is open but it is all bunched up right now next to a piece of live rock and you can see the foot.  I tried to put in on the live rock close to the lights but it keeps dropping off and going to the CC.  The current wasn't real strong but it kept getting blown over on its top. I even dug a hole in the CC and placed the foot in there so it wouldn't blow over but it just crawled out and got blown over anyways.  It did make it to the side of some live rock where it is now but one side isn't getting any light, is that ok? <It will settle wherever and whenever it wants. That's one the many problems associated with anemones>   I also dose micro Vert invert food, coral Vite, reef calcium and iodine once a week.  The tank has 20lbs of live rock, a Red Sea Berlin air lift skimmer and the eclipse 3 filter that I only use once in a while to just clear the water up.  I was told not to run the eclipse filter often because the carbon will absorb beneficial things and the filter adds nitrate and nitrogen to the water and to leave the filter to the DSB, live rock and skimmer.  Should I use the eclipse filter all the time or once in a while as I have been doing? <If what you're doing is working I would continue. If not then leave the filter on all of the time> Thanks for the help. <You're welcome! David Dowless>
Aaron

Help! Anemone Heteractis crispa - The Story Dear Sir, Thank you for an excellent resource. I have attempted to educate myself as much as I can but I'm having an anemone drama and I'm afraid that time spent on my learning curve is, at the moment, my enemy. <Ok> Tank start 09/05/02 - 75 gallon tank with 10 gallon sump with water and filter and skimmer running but no lights and tank empty. For circulation I have water comes out to tank from sump at 600 gph. Also inside the tank are 1 Rio 200, 2 Rio 600's and 2 Rio 800's that come on and off anywhere from 7 minutes to 20 minutes apart at different times throughout the day (thanks to the Aquacontroller from Neptune systems) to result in what I think is a different form of current every 7 minutes in a pattern that repeats itself only once every 24 hours. <Be sure your anemone is protected from all these powerheads, so it cannot wander into/on one and become blenderized.> I realize this is more detail than you need to answer the questions I will ask but perhaps you will find some use in it, or in sharing it with your comments, with others. If not I apologize that it is so winded- skip to 10/04 for the start of the questions. 07/30/02 - This nimrod (me) decided he was going to have a saltwater tank. I purchased Marine Atlas 1,2,3 - Modern coral 1-4 and skimmed them several times and read about the parts that were of interest and still refer to them. Also - saltwater for dummies <Not a very good reference. Bob wrote a review. You can see it here, http://www.wetwebmedia.com/salth2odummies.htm> R.S.'s books on DSB and several others as well as hours of reading online. The point of including this is to basically indicate how I knew absolutely nothing 3 short months ago (and still don't really). <Ok, where is the anemone part?> 09/22/02 - Installed 15 gallon H refugium next to sump and added "miracle mud" as the substrate and some Caulerpa. Went with high because I wanted to reserve the option to put seahorses in it and they like high tanks. 09/24/02 Diatom bloom (yuck) - not that I had a choice on tapwater but yuck! 09/27/02 - The genius that I am so not decided I was going to grow sea lettuce and Ogo in the refugium so I put some in it. Ugh. 09/30/02 Dummy me only wound up feeding the brown algae more nutrients by adding that sea lettuce. There was something in it that it just LOVED. The Ogo didn't like the water flow - I was obvious to me that was the problem so I put it in small CPR refugium inside the refugium and have it rolling in a circle with 2 Rio 50 pumps - just loves it now. <Anemone, ohhhh here anemone. Where is that anemone?> 10/03/02 Added 40ish lbs of aquacultured live rock and 60lbs of live sand to tank from a Tampa Florida company. Although its not cured and I have inherited some unwanted guests this was important to me to buy aquacultured rock because I knew I was not destroying a million year old reef so that I could have a pretty tank of water in my house. <Please see here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marusepets.htm http://www.wetwebmedia.com/sourcesmortworldreefs.htm> Also, I think this rock was very fresh because each piece was loaded with thriving living barnacles and I'm told even the expert can't keep these alive. <Yes, it generally takes months for these to starve to death in most aquaria.> I also think because of the refugium setup that I cycled in a day with this rock because I measured for ammonia and nitrites at least 3 times a day for the next 2 weeks and saw signs of these only on the first day. <Perhaps it was already cured.> Also - the refugium is now almost 2 weeks old and all the algae in it is growing well (including the d!$! brown stuff that is now looking reddish but it is not slimy so I don't think its slime). I go in and shake it off the green stuff so it does not smother it out with a pair of tongs on a daily/every other daily basis. <Far better to physically remove the stuff versus merely liberating it (siphon it out).> 10/04/02 Inherited guests include 1 mantis shrimp (I know they are not shrimp at all but I see why people call them that) - one very adult pistol shrimp (he is not wanted because he stirs the sand to the bottom of the glass which would not be so bad but he does it under rocks and cause them to topple). Also, there is no doubt in my mind that I do not have the DSB to support him and he will destroy it in its infancy. Also, 3 Aiptasia - not real concerned at these at the moment. Figured I would handle them by keeping my ORP at between 450 and 500 and add some peppermint shrimp. <I like to use natural predators.> Also - there is something else that clicks. I don't know if its pistol or mantis. Have not seen it, only heard. 1ST QUESTION: <Thank God!> Is there anything besides pistol shrimp or mantis shrimp that will make that "clicking" noise? <Those are the tow likely suspects.> Are there "pistol crabs" for example? <No pistol crabs, but many crabs that hitchhike. I once witnessed a "Margarite" hermit crab kill a blue legged hermit crab by bashing the shells together.> I still hear it but I see no signs and its coming from a rock other than the one above. <More pistols or mantis?> SIDE NOTE: I have since removed the mantis and pistol described above and will share how here for those who are interested. <Oh boy!> I tried the commercial traps, that didn't work. I tried the coke bottle method, that fell apart. I tried squirting hot saltwater at him - he just ran. I tried Kalkwasser in a needle and he just snapped at it. Finally I called the people I got the rock from and they told me to take the rock out - let it dry and eventually they would come out. So I got a tub, made sure he was in his home and took the rock out for 10 minutes. I decided that was long enough and that the whole rock did not need to suffer, so I took 3 ml of fresh water in a syringe and placed the rock so the water had the shortest path to the bottom, squirted that water right at him in his cave. He snapped at it twice and ran quickly with the water path to the bottom of the tub where I had a small amount of saltwater. The pistol shrimp by this time had come out of his cave looking for someplace else to be and I picked him up with a pair of tongs and sent him on his way to his new home at the LFS. The mantis did not survive the fresh water battle and so he went to the water department. <Flush> I will say here that I think those mantis shrimp are the "aliens" of the ocean because he was way to smart. I say this because he lived in a cave with a front and back entrance high up on a "ledge" of the rock. When I started shining light into the cave he stuck a shell up to "close" the door and then used this shell as just that - a door - and opened and closed it as he came and went. That is how it was easy for me to tell if his was "home". Several times he would open his door come to the ledge while I was standing there. I swear he would look right at me and snap his snappers and run back inside and close the door. I think he viewed me as a predator and was taunting me (a correct assumption on his part). And this is a "shrimp"??? ha! <I have nothing to say, but I am still here.> QUESTION 2 10/05/02 - Using actinic lighting on most of the tank to encourage coralline algae growth and diminish the brown stuff, I have several very nice sea squirt colonies growing on what I will call ROCK A and I wonder if that is because they just "loved" that actinic only lighting? <More likely that is the rock they came in on. See here for more information, http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ascidians.htm> SKIPPING AHEAD -the next 2 weeks is just typical startup drama <I am starting to get a headache from staring at this computer screen for so long.> 10/16/02 2nd part of the rock arrives - added another 30lbs, 100 blue leg hermits, 2 tiger tail cucumbers and a sebae anemone <Holy cow, we reached the anemone part. I feel like I just scaled Mount Everest.> of the Heteractis crispa. When it arrived it was very full - very open and wavy and its pure white with purple tips with a fluorescent green mouth that stands out under the actinic. I have a 175 metal halide 10K bulb with UV filter hanging 12-13 inches above the tank with the glass top on. <I would lower the light or lose the glass cover. The distance combined with the glass cover work to reduce light intensity/penetration.> With this light on - he was stuck to the plastic bag so I snipped around him and stuck him and the plastic he was hanging on inside the tank and hung it from the back. I was afraid of forcing him off because I didn't want to hurt him. <Good> He hung there all day, all open and wavy, very beautiful creature. He even ate the little piece of cocktail shrimp I gave him. Now that I know he MUST have this halide light to survive I have increased its burn time, however, since he has taken a liking to ROCK A I am concerned that the life I have spawned over the last 2 weeks are going to freak at the extended intense light. Is this going to kill my squirts? <They are very difficult to keep alive anyway.> If so is there anything I can do? <Not much> QUESTION 3 10/17/02 The anemone moved down the side of the tank and fell off - I watched him fall- all the while staying very open and lush. I moved him (with my rubber Aquaglove on) to a piece of PVC pipe, a joiner piece, that I had buried in the sand and emptied most of the sand out of it so that only the top was sticking out of. I fed him again another little piece of shrimp to encourage him to stay there. <Not likely to help. I would let it choose where best to live. This will depend on lighting, water flow, and substrate preferences.> He seemed to like this spot for about 2 hours <Far to short to tell anything> and then slowly moved around ROCK A to where the Tigertail cucumber had taken up residence. Is he going to get along with that cucumber? <The cucumber can move away.> Will the cucumber hurt him? <No> DRAMA! 10/18/02 Turned light off to have a "dim" light day and just had the actinic. <Strange, I just have mine set on timers and encourage others to do the same.> The anemone shriveled up (only been in tank 2 days) and started looking very sickly. Never seen him do that. <It had only been two days. Did you expect to see all of its behaviors by then?> Was this from the cucumber or my decision to have a "dim" light day? <Who knows?> Does he require that halide for 12 hours? <More likely 8-10. I would use the actinics for one hour first, then the MH's, then just actinics again.> I turned it back on and this seemed to help bring him back to life but I really =wonder is all the stuff I started growing on ROCK A going to die now from the increased light intensity? <It was probably doomed to die anyhow.> Anyways, I hope this is not a silly question but I feel pressed and I'm afraid to turn the halide light off again lest he have a fit. <Just stick to a normal schedule.> I really would like to keep him successfully and I have not yet added a clownfish because I have read that it is best to let the anemone find a home and get comfortable before having him play host. <Neither needs the other in captivity to survive/thrive.> Please tell me what steps I should take, can take, right now, to ensure the good health of my anemone. <Educate yourself in their proper husbandry and more importantly, do less.> I really hate thinking it is my ignorance that is killing him and I don't know what else to do other than give him bright light, excellent water quality, and good food. <That is it.> I'm feeling pressed for time as parts of him are still shriveled and the light is going off now via its timer. <It gets dark in the ocean, too.> LAST QUESTIONS - FOR SPECIFICS. 1. Do I remove the cucumber? <Not for the reason you mentioned.> 2. Do I move the anemone back to the PVC pipe but in a different location? <No> 3. Do I get a clownfish? <Up to you> Will that help him? <No> 4. Do I stop feeding him cocktail shrimp and go with just the fishes recommended? <Feed small, whole prey items.> 5. He has moved next to a scallop will he sting it to death? <Maybe> Do I move the scallop? <Sure> 6. If that clicking noise I still hear is a mantis - will the mantis shrimp hurt him? This is all taking place on, near, or next to ROCK A. <No> Thanks so much for taking the time read. I hope my spelling wasn't too bad and this email is useful. I wish I could proofread it more but this is such a primitive machine and I can only see 7 short lines of text a time. <So, you could not see how big this email was. For the future, please try to be more concise. This novel was very long, but without a single bit of water quality analysis in the whole thing. Please try to limit yourself to the actual questions/problems and pertinent observations/analysis.> Best Regards, James Pennington in Ohio <You may want to consider joining an aquarium society for an additional resource. Take a look here for leads http://www.angelfire.com/oh3/aquariumclubs/ -Steven Pro>

Steven Pro - Re: Help! Anemone Heteractis crispa - The Story Dear Steven Pro, Thank you for taking the time to read my novel. I am at work now on a real machine and I had no idea I wrote such a book! Kudos to you for your patience and your comments! <And thanks for not taking any of my jokes badly. I had to do something to entertain myself this morning.> I was in a panic. I don't want the anemone to die because I'm stupid and was not prepared for him. He was a bonus that came with the "package". <I hate package deals of all kinds. You always get something you do not want or later realize you do not want or you are not prepared and educated for.> I had no idea I was going to have him until I opened the box. A very welcome but unexpected guest. I realize it might not matter now but just in case the water conditions for the tank: pH fluctuates between 7.99 and 8.26 Still trying to find a balance between Kalkwasser and buffer <This is a bit low. I would prefer to see something like 8.2-8.4> ORP Ranges from 432 - 451 TEMP 77.6 night to 78.9 day Ammonia has never read more than 0.25 ppm (testing daily watching for cycle) and is at 0 now Nitrites, and Nitrates are both immeasurable and have been since day 2. ALK: "normal" Lastly, they way you phrase something below makes me want to ask - should I get rid of the Tigertail cucumber for other reasons? <I would not chose to have one.> The woman gave him to me as part of her "package". I have mixed feelings and wish an expert would share his advise. Is the benefit of these creatures worth the risk in your opinion? <Their are other creatures that can do the same job with no risk.> Kind Regards, James Pennington in Ohio P.S. I realize I'm a just a stupid newbie but those sea squirts came to me as group of 3 and grew to a group of 30 and were growing strong until the metal halide light "time on" got longer. Once a week I would squirt about 2ml of plankton at them through a plastic needle. They look just like the ones on the cover of the Marine Atlas Volume 3. <They are beautiful! Clavelina caerulea - Baensch's says they prefer shaded areas, so your lights may have some effect.> Now they are starting to shrivel since the halide light hours lengthened. I just wanted to say that I GOT THEM TO GROW! ... or did I actually get them to "reproduce" ? :) I'm going to go put a piece of wood between them and the light for shade to see if that helps. <Good idea!> Kudos again for putting up with us Newbies! <No sweat. -Steven Pro>

Anemone questions? and other questions? Hello WWM crew, About a week ago I bought a green tip sebae anemone for my 20 gallon reef.  <and what of the body color? brown/green? Hopefully not light in color or white> It looks pretty good now but I was reading all the problems people have with them on your site.  <alas yes> Well is my lighting too much for this anemone? I'm the one with the 175 watt metal halide on the 20 gallon?  <most anemones need rather bright light. This may not in fact be too much if the lamp is suspended appropriately between 9-18". Did you also acclimate it slowly?> Do you have to feed them with this amount of light if so what should I feed and how many times a week? <yes... they still must be fed. Even with reef quality light, the animal is inherently not autotrophic. It must feed organismally for growth and reproduction at the very least we believe. I'd recommend 3-5 times weekly with very fine minced meats of marine origin> My water is good nitrites and ammonia 0 my nitrates go between 0 and 10 at the highest ph is 8.1-8.3.  <a little higher would be nice... do look closer at your alkalinity levels. You may need to be using SeaBuffer more> My filtration is a Prizm skimmer a Skilter 400 and 2 power heads.  <no filtration here... you do have live rock, live sand?> I have 3 little fish, 2 captive bred perculas and an orange-spot prawn goby.  I was wanting to know if I could add another small fish or 2? <if small and peaceful yes, my friend> Would I be able to add another anemone since I don't have the right clowns for this one?  <under no circumstance... the tank is ultimately not even big enough for this one species. Two species in a tank this small is a death wish. I'm quite sure of it. Mixing anemone species in any sized aquarium is dangerous... I never recommend it... it is one of the main reasons why many anemones rarely live past 2 years captive> For corals I have 2 colts, 1 medium leather and 2 small ones and some mushrooms.  <wow... you will need to propagate/thin or remove these soon due to fast growth> What other water quality should I check because I'm adding calcium but there's still a lot of red and brown algae? <you have the nuisance algae because the skimmer you have unfortunately seems to have a well deserved terrible reputation. I would suggest a better skimmer like an Aqua C Remora. In the meantime... change water and carbon/Polyfilters frequently to compensate for the lack of nutrient export to starve out the bad algae. Also do test for Calcium and Alkalinity to keep stable levels. best regards, Anthony>
Re: Anemone questions? and other questions? hello, Yes the anemone is white with green on the tips. Is it going to die if it is white but its been white since it came into the store.  <no matter... most are white because most are bleached on import and most will die within the year if not months. There are no white Sebaes. Yellow at best and rare at that. They are brown most commonly and sometimes green/brown> So are Sebaes not supposed to be white or what because every one they had was white?  <none are ever supposed to be white... see pics here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/heteraccrispa.htm and check out the FAQs on the top of that page link>  My lights not that high off the tank maybe 3 inches <very good... fluorescents should not be any higher> but I have a big radio shack fan on top making air flow threw the canopy I made but it doesn't heat up my water no more than my 2 24 watt power compacts I used to have. When I feed the anemone should I just put the food right in its mouth?  <actually... feeding is a little tricky. Its best to make a slurry of minced food in seawater and gently baste/drift the food onto the tentacles. An abrupt shove or blast of food will illicit a fright response instead> Do you think this anemone will make it at all or is it already going to die? <actually, many can recover if fed often and well enough. 3-5 times weekly. Recovery will be evidenced by a less than attractive blotchy "bruised" looking stage where patches of brown color come back in. Read hear too my friend: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fdreefinverts.htm best regards, Anthony>

Yellow sebae anemones Hi, Anthony, <cheers, mate> I wanted to bug you about your anti-yellow sebae anemone comment included below. While bleached Sebaes are certainly a challenge, I've kept a yellow one with blue tips for several years now without any trouble and see no harm in healthy light yellow specimens.  <please understand my friend the context of my advice/comment. Here at Wet Web Media we answer queries for the benefit of so many more folks than the sole person proffering the question. On any given day, around 6,000 people (unique ISPs) read our answers to these posts on the FAQ page... the very place that you read my response. After the one day it is posted, it is archived for many more thousands of folks to read. Not all of which have the same experience or good fortune that you have enjoyed. The fact of the matter is, that of the thousands of "yellow" sebae anemones imported any given year... almost all are bleached or dyed specimens. Very few are naturally occurring. Of the few that are naturally occurring, even fewer of them actually make it into the hands of a competent aquarist with reef grade lighting. I have a mere 10+ years of witness to this reality... Bob has about 30, my friend. We are talking near 100% mortality for white/yellow specimens 1 year after collection with over 90% failing within 6 weeks of import. And so... advice like this is quite easy to proffer. What serves the greater good is apparent. I truly appreciate your input, but cannot in my position and in good faith encourage folks to pursue and support the trade of a specimen when the majority will die just because a fraction of the population succeed. A favorite saying of mine... "Even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes." I respect that act that you are a competent aquarist and I'm grateful that this anemone has found its way into your hands. As a test to see if you are truly a rare exception... let me ask if this was your first anemone, and if not... how long did the other specimens or species live?> I'm pretty sure the anemone is not in decline as its color has never changed and it has grown from about 4-5 inches to well over 12 inches (I sent you a picture last month ;-) I'm assuming you mean an Heteractis crispa by Sebae, BTW. <actually growth is extremely slow in most anemones (decades slow!)... most swell in captivity as light bulbs age (decline in light, so the it swells to spread zooxanthellae to pan in effect)> These anemones do seem to prefer the strongest light, stronger than BTAs but they also eat quite well when established, picking Mysis, brine, formula I and II from fish feeds with gusto as well as taking larger supplement feeding. <I'll believe that>> Anyway, I'm a big fan of the yellow-ish ones and don't think they should be rejected out of hand. Marc <I must stand by the wisdom that serves the greater good at the expense of success like your. With kind regards, Anthony> Re: Yellow sebae anemones Hi, Anthony, <cheers, Marc> I can appreciate the concern on the lighter anemones. I'm not sure I've come across dyed ones but I do admit that mine may be the only healthy yellow one I've seen.  <agreed... more in the trade are simply bleached and not so many dyed although the dreadful practice seems to be resurging with dyed corals too: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/dyedcorals.htm> If you are trying to steer people to greater success with anemones, though, I'd suggest sending them to BTAs.  <Marc... I have no intent to steer anybody towards anemones for anything but species specific displays where they get necessary and direct attention. With the reality of poor shipping and collecting techniques, aquarists need to take the position as good stewards of the reef resources they admire so much and not contribute significantly to their further demise. Countless divers have observed that areas where many corals were collected heavily or damaged by storms have recovered in as little a one year. However, regions where anemones have been collected heavily are still barren even 10yrs later. We simply do not know enough about the physiology and reproduction of these animals to carte blanche recommend anemones for the masses of casual aquarists in tanks with unprotected overflows and powerhead intakes, other cnidarians (anemones and coral, etc).> These can be killed too, course, but seem to be a bit more tolerant and like lower light. They can be harder to feed and can sting and wander about more, though. <I feel comfortable recommending brown Malu/sebae anemones and BTAs indeed to any aquarists willing to just do enough research to understand their basic needs in captivity> I've killed a few Sebaes in my day, mostly 10 years ago with poorer lighting. Within the last three years, this was my only sebae but I did recently kill two BTAs before having success with 4 BTAs after that.  <good heavens, my friend... this is my point exactly. You are indeed part of the same statistics. So we have 3+ (a few) Sebaes and 2 BTA dead and five that have lived. 50/50 at best unless there were more... horrible odds. And how do we define success/living in an animal with a theoretical infinite lifespan (they have no defined senescence)? Many corals and anemones can hang in for 2 years operating near their compensation point but still dying ever so slowly by missing it slightly (as in approaching their compensation point though photosynthesis and feeding combined at say even 98% efficiency, but still dying unnoticeably slow due to the 2% daily deficit). The proof is in the pudding. I have seen corals that were nearly 20 years captive... many more over 15 and 10 years... yet you and I will be hard pressed to find an anemone that is even 5 years captive. Sure... they exist, but how many have to die in the hands of casual aquarists to get those few to survive. To be clear... I don't want to see the collection of anemones halted at all... I'd like to see more aquarists research and care for them adequately. And I do my part in the meantime to educate those that are receptive to providing for those needs and dissuade those that don't appear to be> (Per D&S, I didn't feed the first two BTAs at first because they had clowns; by the time I realized my mistake, they were in irreversible decline although they took six months to actually die.) I'm not sure how you measure true anemone size. Counting tentacles, my healthy BTAs and sebae don't seem to have too many more than the smaller ones although they do fork new ones all the time. However, their deflated mass is definitely more.  <I'll take your word for it and am glad to hear it> The BTAs less so (i.e., much of their size seems to be extension) but the sebae is much heavier when squeezed down than he used to be (had to move him twice in the last year). I think his increased growth is mostly more tissue mass. But short of drying him out and weighing him, it seems hard to establish. I think he'd prefer not to be dried out. <agreed <smile>> While the BTAs seem easier to establish, once established the Sebaes are great: they don't move, they feed very easily, east almost anything (can't say the same for BTAs which often spit their food out or let someone else steal it) and they don't seem to sting their neighbors as much.  <alas... as many aquarists have had contrary experience. We cannot fairly make such generalizations> I have tried a BTA and a sebae in the same tank.  <this honestly bothers be... "silent" chemical aggression/allelopathy between popular anemones seems to be as potent or more severe than what we commonly ascribe to coral> In a large tank they did fine.  <defined how... they live together without dying for 12 months...24 months? Still, I suspect they were battling and tolerating each other supported by your good skills as an aquarist and good water quality> In a smaller tank they stung each other too much.  <the common demise of many coral> I've read the WWM warning about anemone chemical warfare and I've got to confess I'm a little suspicious of that.  <good heavens my friend!... you and I could be buried in the data on this topic. I'll take the advice of the experts in the field, stay impressed by the bible length citations and spare my eyes of most> I'm sure they do try to poison each other but most soft corals are trying to poison each other as well and I'm sure anemones are trying to poison soft corals.  <agreed> Doesn't good skimming pretty much take care of that?  <not at all... browse analyses of skimmate. Indeed, skimming is tremendously helpful, but the quality of skimmate is highly variable and none take out enough or all such noxious element. Responsible husbandry is the key instead (and water changes <G>)> What is this comment based on and how was the normal risk of anemone decline eliminated as a cause? <the biggest wholesalers in LA (the primary and almost sole port of entry for all such animals into the US) track mortalities and the numbers are staggering. If you have any doubts, take a stroll down 104th street: you'll find the fine folks at Quality Marine counting every single damsel mortality, etc. The numbers don't lie. I realize that you are passionate about anemones my friend... but I'm not sure if you are looking for data, which I will help you secure as time allows, or just what the follow-up to your follow-up is for.> Anyway, anemones can be challenging but with good water quality, good lighting and the right tank mates they can be pretty easy as well.  <all a matter of perspective, Marc. You are a fine aquarist but most of the new and still inexperienced folk that we counsel will kill 5 of their first six anemones just like you did by your own admission above ("before having success with 4 BTAs"). > Once established, I've yet to have one died and I can't say that about hard corals and some soft corals.  <then you aren't doing it right ;) > I will say that I don't have anemones in a large, mixed reef tank anymore nor would I do it again (it can work but too much trouble). <much agreed> Currently I have my sebae in a 45G tank and it's the center piece with some zoanthids and mushrooms to fill in the odds and ends.  <Ughhh> Lighting is that 2x150W MH and 2 VHOs you were aghast about earlier ;-) <again... "even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes". Heehee... you are sure one lucky AND talented squirrel> Always enjoy the chats, Marc <yikes... it feels more like sparring. Maybe you can try the Vulcan mind-meld to get me to promote the continued wholesale slaughter of anemones? In all seriousness, Marc... if you get a good 10 (or 30!) year look behind the scenes of the industry, you will see and agree that the promotion of these animals to casual aquarists does not serve the greater good. I think we can all agree that we would rather self-police and limit their collection to prevent that they are always legal for us to keep in aquaria and so that there really are some left in the ocean for our grandchildren to see. Anthony>
Re: Yellow sebae anemones Hi, Anthony, <cheers, my friend> I must confess I do like a good argument from time to time; keeps the brain exercised.  <heehee... I would have to agree. I've got a strange dichotomy of my own: the older I get the less fight I have in me yet I'm just as inclined to embrace "grumpy old man" syndrome early :)> I'll defer to your data from the wholesalers; that sounds like a good source of information.  <yes my friend... by sheer volume of the sample> I questioned the original assertion for reasons you gave yourself: anemones tend to die anyway in captivity. That then makes it hard to separate cause and effect.  <agreed> We have probably all be guilty of grasping for a cause when a specimen dies and "warring anemones" sounded to me like such a supposed cause. But, with a large sample size like an importer gets, that is statistically relevant data. Can't blame me for challenging you to the point that you revealed your data, though ;-)  <true <VBG>> If you have them, I'd love to see the numbers but if not, I'll defer to your judgment on them. <actually, I don't think it would take much to dig relevant data/reports. As an aquarist (and especially the industry professionals) one of the best investments in your education is a trip to LA to visit the big wholesalers. You can walk into almost any facility and browse... you/we can arrange to chat with folks sometimes too. Fantastic to hear their reports/experiences and to see the inner workings of the industry. Many of the very biggest are all together within walking distance (industrial strip on 104th street by the airport). If you ever get the chance do check them out... a wild experience. Plus you get to see all of our dream toys! $15K skimmers.... tanks with 50 Goldflake angels, etc :P > What's the "ugh" part about the anemone mixed with mushrooms and zoanthids?  <Corallimorphs and Zoantharians are categorically 2 of the top 10 noxious cnidarians. Zoanthidea has the most complex and arguably most potent toxin known (I've been poisoned by it before and lost my sense of taste for a full day). I suppose I have concern that they will contribute significantly to toxic soup> My experience is the BTAs will sting zoanthids and mushrooms.  <agreed... but its not a one sided battle. The "losers" may be kept at bay but still will shed defensive compounds that degrade the water quality for all... all to concentrate in time and perhaps lead to a "mysterious" death that is not so mysterious> Both because they have a potent sting and because they just seem to get around more (a little shifting of the base creates a large sting zone). Dead, dying and warring corals are most certainly not a good thing; lots of bad chemicals released. I tried it, watched it carefully for a few weeks and having observed a bad response, sold my BTA to someone who has good success with BTAs. The sebae on the other hand, doesn't appear to be stressed nor stressing anyone. If everything is happy and growing, what's the harm? <I do agree until we learn otherwise. I fully respect and value a trained eye of an aquarist... knowing ones charges> From my own experience and from what I've read in multiple sources, I got the impression that BTAs are hardier. Also, since some strains clone so much, it is possible to stock entirely from tank clones which is why, if someone asks me, I tend to steer people to BTAs rather than Sebaes. I take it they doesn't jive with your experience?  <no my friend... in fact, I personally do like BTAs better for many reasons... especially the ease of cloning> Just for the clones, it seems BTAs are a better anemone to recommend, assuming one is recommending anemones at all (which I take it you aren't). <The truth is I simply hate to recommend any anemones to most people and if I have to, a brown sebae/Malu anemone is less demanding for light than most BTAs. Since poor lighting is the most common problem we see... brown anemones get the nod for beginners just like brown corals do.> As to my mortality rates, nothing to be proud of but I do try to learn. <agreed, my friend... I have certainly learned the same way with some... sorry to say. Through our (you/me/all) articles and advice proffered to new aquarists we can hopefully teach them to avoid our mistakes> We'll see how long this one lasts and I am curious about my zoanthid/mushroom question (two paragraphs up) because if you can convince me it is a bad idea, I'll remove them.  <I could live with it in a system with aggressive nutrient export: small weekly water changes, heavy carbon, efficient skimming... perhaps a larger tank> The anemone is my prize specimen and it trumps everything. However, all I have to go on is the apparent health of the tank which I watch closely (it's right beside my computer ;-) and with the corals reproducing well and the anemone getting bigger all the time, eating well and fully extended, it is hard to see a risk here. <awesome> Definitely not interested in killing the anemones so I support your and the rest of WWM's efforts to improve their lot. ... <thank you kindly> but what about advocating only tank-raised BTA clones? At the very least the doomed anemone isn't coming from the ocean.  <although not all would, I agree with this idea and sentiment in essence fully> They aren't that easy to come by but there also isn't harm in making aquarist wait and think about their purchase longer.  <yes> Most aquarist prefer tank stock any way since it tends to be hardier. <very much so> Anyway, I'll keep myself in the blind squirrel category until I can keep the anemone alive for a few more years... Marc Q <a wise squirrel at that! Likely wiser than I am :) Thanks for the good humor and stimulating discussion... many aquarists will benefit from our dialogue. Kindly, Anthony Calfo>

Sebae anemone Hi, I have a 125 tank with LR,300 Watts (HQI MH) it has white color. Is that good? <if the lamps are between 6500K and 10,000K in color, yes> I will add a sebae anemone next week . <brown with dark purple tips only... not white or yellow specimens (very unhealthy).> I was wondering is it possible to feed him a frozen dried food (brine shrimp). <not at all recommended... ideal foods are very finely minced meaty foods of marine origin Mysids, shrimp, krill, etc. Please do research more about this anemone in the FAQs and articles on this our site www.wetwebmedia.com> I have a very good water condition. Is there any thing else I should worry about? Thank you. <so much info here on this anemone... read articles on feeding, lighting, dyed specimens, etc. best regards, Anthony>
Sebae Anemone Hi Again Anthony thanks for the great info :) OK I will try Sebae anemone I went to the LFS this morning and I have seen three kinds of red sea anemones Green , Brown and White . What do you think should I buy? <A brown Sebae with dark purple tips would indicate a VERY healthy animal (darker the better on the brown). White is a starving/dying animal> I place the MH 1 foot above the tank (its really hot) and I will c now if there is no too much heat I will add another 140 Watts. Once again THANK YOU for taking the time to answer me. <best regards, Anthony Calfo>

Sebae Anemones Dear Sir, I have had a Sebae for about 3 months now. Yesterday I noticed he was turning a brown around the edges it looks healthy other than that and has grown since I have had it. Could it be a bacterial infection? <No, it is a return to normal coloration. Most host anemones have expelled their symbiotic zooxanthellae (algae) and are bleached white and near death. You are to be congratulated. Do read here for additional anemone care information http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm and following on through the other linked pages.> If so what can I treat him with, he has a tomato clown as a host. I checked all my water and my ph is 8.0 a little low but it has been that way. <I would try to increase the pH, 8.2-8.4 is appropriate.> Any help would be great. Thanks, Sue <You are welcome. -Steven Pro>

The Fate of All Too Many Anemones Hello, I have a purple tipped anemone and it seems to be dying. It's not moving around as much, not sticking its tentacles to its food, and its tentacles look like someone has wrapped tiny elastic bands around them, looks like the tips are going to break off it looked like it was doing well for approx 5 weeks. I have a sebae clownfish, and I am wondering what its host anemone is, and what are ALL the requirements for keeping it healthy in my 60 gallon tank. I have standard (one normal one blue) double bulbs. I am a beginner (within the last 10 months) and I need help! <An incredible amount of information for you to learn my friend. The care of anemones is not something to recommend to beginners. They are generally difficult and slowly die. Most imported are dead in less than one year. You can read more about them at the following links: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm http://www.reefs.org/library/article/r_toonen8.html Perhaps try some mushroom anemones instead. Clownfish do not need an anemone to live and thrive. -Steven Pro>

Anemone Question I have a purple-tip sebae anemone that this evening, excreted a large amount of mucus, and then shrunk down to about ? of its normal size. Is this normal? <Please explore this page and the many links on it to see what scenario is most likely to explain your anemones behavior. The brief description alone is no enough to tell... http://www.wetwebmedia.com/heteraccrispa.htm> Thanks! <Anthony>
Re: Anemone Question Thanks for the response. Shortly after the excretion, the anemone returned to a more full size. It seems to look a bit better, however, ignorantly, I bought one of the whiter purple tip. <no worries just yet... we'll have help of brown color returning. Please do research your animals first before buying though... with so many great resources available to read or hear just for the asking, it's a shame not to use them. Best regards, Anthony>

Sebae Anemone Howdy, Did a stupid thing. I bought a sebae anemone from a local pet store, got home and THEN did the research. <Yes, agreed, a stupid thing.> I have had a lot of luck with a lot of things people have said were impossible before (Anthias, elegance) <Definitely not impossible, but can be challenging and definitely require specialized care.> on the web so I am wanting to know if all the bad hype is true. So far everything I read says this specimen will not live more than nine months. Here's the setup: 165 Gallon; 28" Tall, 18" Wide, 72" Long Sea Life Systems Sump 30 Gallon Refugium; Caulerpa Macroalgae and Live Rock RO/DI Water Magnum 350 Canister Filter & UV Sterilizer (backup when the power goes out this keeps the tank circulating) <Good idea!> 4 - 60" 140 watt VHOs 2 - 250 watt 6500K Metal Halides 4 - 3.5" Fans on Light Kit 2 - Kitchen Exhaust Fans Above the Lights into the Attic Chiller System Berlin XL Skimmer 250 pounds of Premium Fiji Rock 3" Live Sand Bed (17 fish, 38 Invertebrates, 32 Corals) 2 - Mandarin 4 - Purple Firefish 1 - Bi-Colored Blenny 2 - Catalina Gobies 1 - Dragon Goby 1 - Royal Gramma 1 - Pink Anthias 2 - Cardinal Tetra 2 - Cleaner Shrimp 9 - Peppermint Shrimp 7 - Emerald Crabs 24 - Nassarius Snails 4 - Blue Leg & Red Leg Crabs ? - Snails 1 - Brittle Starfish 2 - Sand Sifting Starfish and a host of Corals Xenias (many kinds) Torch Corals (many many kinds) Elegance Coral Moon Brains SPS Corals (up top near the light) Frog Spawns Leathers Mushrooms Polyps Sponges etc etc etc.... PH 8.4 PO4 0.2 NH3 0 NO2 0 NO3 0 Calcium 600 <A little high, do be careful.> Copper 0 ALK 3.2 Salinity 1.024 Temp (ALWAYS) 77 no fluctuation because of chiller system http://www.faithwarren.com/webstore/shop/Avery_Tank1.html I think that if there were a possibility of a sebae making it, it would be in my tank. But the specimen I got is white with purple tips. The tentacles are not very long and again I say it is WHITE. There are no visible tears, rips, no mouth gaping etc. What should I look for as far as signs of degeneration? <It will turn into mush.> I don't want this thing to die and crash my tank, but I would love for it to thrive and live. How can I go about babying this thing to make it live? <Regular feedings almost daily to make up for the loss of food/energy from zooxanthellae with frozen Mysis shrimp and/or plankton soaked in Selcon and/or Vita-Chem. No guarantees, but can be done.> I have read so many varying things about them. But most say it will die. This is very disturbing. I must say I am contemplating taking this thing back tomorrow, and not risking it. <A potential solution.> My tank is beautiful and VERY stable. I read that most mandarins die of starvation but mine are years old and FAT. <Most mandarins die in immature, small tanks that house other aggressive feedings tankmates.> I have copepods, amphipods, sponge growth and all the signs of a most healthy tank. So it is not like I am trying this out in my beginner thank that isn't cycled and hoping for miracles. <No miracles, just dedicated care at this point.> Give me the truth man, I will flush it before I risk my love (which is this tank). Should this one not be tried? <Please do not flush. Return it or give it a try. It does seem your tank and your husbandry are up to the task. -Steven Pro> Faith Warren