*** Happened To My Tube Anemone?!

[Angeline]

Ok, I have no idea what happened to my tube anemone. I turn my lights off in my tank for a little bit at this time every night to lure the dwarf lion out so I can feed him. I turned off the lights, and walked away from my tank for twenty minutes. The anenome was there when I left, fully extended and doing it's thing.

When I returned the anemone had been SEVERED from it's tube, I've heard of them leaving the tube, but I don't think that's what happened. Half of the tube is still buried, whil the top half is severed on top of the sand. I cannot find the branches of the anemone ANYWHERE in my tank, although there are several very small pieces of tentacle in various places, but I'm talking very small, as in less than an inch.

What could have happened here?! It's tankmates are a flame angel, dwarf lion, maroon clown, copperband butterfly, various emerald crabs and very small hermits.

Does anyone know what happened?!

 

[BonsaiNut]

Are you sure this was an anemone? Sounds a little like a feather duster. When you talk about you can't find the "branches" of the anemone anywhere - are you talking about "tentacles"?

Sorry to ask these questions and I'm not trying to make fun of you - just trying to understand what you had and what might have happened.

Assuming it IS a standard tube anemone, it is important to note that the tube is not part of the anemone. The tube can get broken off in a storm, knocked over, whatever, and the anemone will merely hunker down in the bottom, and build a new tube when the coast is clear. Do you have a deep sand bed or other deep substrate for your anemone? Have you checked to see whether he is still down in the bottom half of the tube?

 

[Angeline]

I meant tentacles. It's definately not a feather duster.

The top half of the tube is completely SEVERED from the bottom half. I have a very deep substrate, and I dug up the bottom part of the tube and there is nothing down there. The anemone is gone ... Could it have left the tube and dug itself a hole? I can't find the thing anywhere. It's not in my overflow ... I have no idea where it could have gone.