Flowerpot method for anemone removal - any experience?

[scolley]

I've got an "ultra" mini-maxi that is just in a bad place in my tank. Going to give it away if I can remove it. But it's foot is deeply buried in a very porous rock. And it does not respond to powerheads - just withdraws into the rock. Does anyone have experience with the flowerpot method?

If so, how long under the pot until a mini-maxi should move? Hours? Days? Weeks?

And is it fair to assume that the pot needs a hole in the bottom (top when upside down over the anemone), so there is a source of light for it to crawl to? Our would any opaque pot do, because the 'nem will travel upward anyway?

Thanks.

 

[scolley]

Bump.

Really? No one's done this?

 

[scolley]

Well, no one ever responded to this, so I tried it anyway. It did not work for me. Or not exactly.

My pot was a small clay flower pot with a drain hole in the bottom. When inverted over the nem that hole should have been the only source of light for the nem. But unfortunately the rock the nem was on was not flat. So the edges of the pot did not lay flush on the rock. There were gaps where light got in.

After four days under the pot the anemone did move. It moved to the edges where there was light. But not up into the pot.

So unless your anemone is on a very flat surface, IMO the flower pot technique does not work for removing the animal. But it can be effective in making it to move.

 

[bradleym]

Good to know. I've never tried it but I've always wondered. Thanks for sharing.

Just for kicks, what about a larger pot that covered the whole rock? The sand would make a light blocker around the edge then, so you would have that single light source you mentioned.

 

[scolley]

Just for kicks, what about a larger pot that covered the whole rock? The sand would make a light blocker around the edge then, so you would have that single light source you mentioned.

Good thinking. :thumbsup: I would assume that has a good chance of working. I mean, the anemone did move. Right? Took a few days to get motivated. But it moved.

 

[scolley]

FWIW since the flower pot technique did not work for me in being able to remove the anemone, but did coax it into moving, I took out the pot and replaced it with a small flat rock. I positioned the rock so that it has a tiny edge exposed in the direction I would prefer it to move (if it stayed in the tank). That has worked very well.

As the anemone moves out from under the rock (takes a couple of day), I'd just cover it up again - all but one edge. In that way I've been slowly "walking" the anemone across the rock to a better spot. It's in a better spot now, and currently emerging from under the rock. I HOPE that it will go up the rock so I can get it out of the tank. But I don't think that's going to happen. The rock it's on is pretty high up, so it's getting plenty of light. I don't think it will be motivated to climb any higher.

At any rate, it'll be in a better spot.