Splitting Carpet Anemonies
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elegance coral
They call me EC
This is an e-mail I received from Dr. Daphne Fautin.
"To prevent taking animals from the wild, some well-intentioned people propose cutting sea anemones in pieces to propagate them artificially. I am astonished how often I receive such proposals! It appears that only (or nearly only) anemones that naturally divide will predictably survive this treatment. Despite a persistent belief otherwise, anemones of most species do not reproduce asexually: only two of the 10 species that are natural hosts to anemonefishes do, and that may be a pretty good estimate of the prevalence of that ability among all anemones - 20% of species.
Perhaps the myth that division is how anemones reproduce is due in part to the feeling that anemones are "primitive" and division is a "primitive" attribute (in fact, anemones have been on earth far longer than humans, so can be argued to be more evolved!), and in part because pests such as *Aiptasia* are many peoples' ideas of a "typical" anemone. In fact, they are so prevalent and common precisely because they have that unusual ability - most of the 1000 or so species of anemones are less conspicuous because they do not occur in such densities at least in part because they lack that ability.
Another possible source of the misconception about anemone division is the practice of fragging corals. Clearly anemones and scleractinian corals are closely related. But that does not mean they can be treated identically. All anemones are solitary (even those that divide separate entirely once they have formed separate bodies, whereas polyps of corals in a colony remain physically attached to one another after they have arisen asexually). So fragging is dividing colonies (groups of polyps) into smaller colonies (fewer polyps per piece). By contrast, cutting an anemone into pieces is analogous to cutting you into two or more pieces; and for anemones of most species, the result would be precisely the same -- we would not have numerous identical yous, we would have no you.
Associated with an ability in some anemones to divide (into two or many pieces, depending on the species) is an ability to heal; obviously healing is necessary for regeneration. And although the reverse is not necessarily the case, it seems that animals that do not normally divide also have poor healing ability. So the prospects are dim for propagating anemones of species that do not naturally divide by cutting them into two or more pieces. One person who wrote to me rather triumphantly with a proposal to reduce collection from nature by cutting anemones in pieces as a means of artificial propagation was so pleased because he had cut in half two anemones of a species that does not reproduce asexually (as I recall, it was a species of *Stichodactyla*), and although both halves of one had died, both of the other had survived. So he started with two and ended with two, each half as large as the originals. I failed to see promise in this approach.
And even for the two species of anemonefish host anemones that seem to divide in nature, differences from place to place make me think there may be more than one species of what we think is a single species of each or there may be differences among individuals. Thus, even an anemone that is thought to be able to propagate asexually (*Entacmaea quadricolor*, the bubble-tip, and *Heteractis magnifica*, the "Ritteri" anemone) may die from being cut up.
Daphne Fautin
Daphne G. Fautin
Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Curator, Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center
Haworth Hall
University of Kansas"
"To prevent taking animals from the wild, some well-intentioned people propose cutting sea anemones in pieces to propagate them artificially. I am astonished how often I receive such proposals! It appears that only (or nearly only) anemones that naturally divide will predictably survive this treatment. Despite a persistent belief otherwise, anemones of most species do not reproduce asexually: only two of the 10 species that are natural hosts to anemonefishes do, and that may be a pretty good estimate of the prevalence of that ability among all anemones - 20% of species.
Perhaps the myth that division is how anemones reproduce is due in part to the feeling that anemones are "primitive" and division is a "primitive" attribute (in fact, anemones have been on earth far longer than humans, so can be argued to be more evolved!), and in part because pests such as *Aiptasia* are many peoples' ideas of a "typical" anemone. In fact, they are so prevalent and common precisely because they have that unusual ability - most of the 1000 or so species of anemones are less conspicuous because they do not occur in such densities at least in part because they lack that ability.
Another possible source of the misconception about anemone division is the practice of fragging corals. Clearly anemones and scleractinian corals are closely related. But that does not mean they can be treated identically. All anemones are solitary (even those that divide separate entirely once they have formed separate bodies, whereas polyps of corals in a colony remain physically attached to one another after they have arisen asexually). So fragging is dividing colonies (groups of polyps) into smaller colonies (fewer polyps per piece). By contrast, cutting an anemone into pieces is analogous to cutting you into two or more pieces; and for anemones of most species, the result would be precisely the same -- we would not have numerous identical yous, we would have no you.
Associated with an ability in some anemones to divide (into two or many pieces, depending on the species) is an ability to heal; obviously healing is necessary for regeneration. And although the reverse is not necessarily the case, it seems that animals that do not normally divide also have poor healing ability. So the prospects are dim for propagating anemones of species that do not naturally divide by cutting them into two or more pieces. One person who wrote to me rather triumphantly with a proposal to reduce collection from nature by cutting anemones in pieces as a means of artificial propagation was so pleased because he had cut in half two anemones of a species that does not reproduce asexually (as I recall, it was a species of *Stichodactyla*), and although both halves of one had died, both of the other had survived. So he started with two and ended with two, each half as large as the originals. I failed to see promise in this approach.
And even for the two species of anemonefish host anemones that seem to divide in nature, differences from place to place make me think there may be more than one species of what we think is a single species of each or there may be differences among individuals. Thus, even an anemone that is thought to be able to propagate asexually (*Entacmaea quadricolor*, the bubble-tip, and *Heteractis magnifica*, the "Ritteri" anemone) may die from being cut up.
Daphne Fautin
Daphne G. Fautin
Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Curator, Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center
Haworth Hall
University of Kansas"
deangelr
Clown Whisperererer
without being too controversial here (as I am not a proponate of cutting carpets).. Just cause it hasnt been done doesnt mean its not possible..
There are recorded cases here on RC where carpet anemone have been cut and both halves survive. I am curious on what makes these example survive when survivabiltiy is so low.
There are recorded cases here on RC where carpet anemone have been cut and both halves survive. I am curious on what makes these example survive when survivabiltiy is so low.
elegance coral
They call me EC
I know of one case, where a photo of one half of the anemone was posted, that appeared to have survived this process. I am aware of no other.
I went to Anthony Calfo's forum and asked for his evidence to back up his claims of success with this, and he couldn't provide any. Not one example of were he was successful. Eric Borneman also took part in the thread, and despite being asked multiple times for evidence, he too could not provide any.
I'm sorry, but I am very passionate about this subject. Most of us here spend large sums of money, time, and hard work to insure the anemones we keep live long healthy lives. Thanks to a few people that are more interested in inflating their own ego, than the lives of the animals we keep, many hobbyist believe that cutting their "carpet" is a valid means of propagation. It is not! It is a slaughter!
If we want to propagate an animal in captivity, we should first look to their natural means of reproduction for clues on how we can be successful. Most anemones do not reproduce asexually. Trying to force them to isn't working and it's not going to work. All anemones reproduce sexually. This is an area where we actually stand a chance of being successful.
So please, these animals are far to precious to meet their fate on a cutting board. When we purchase an anemone we take on a life long responsibility. Our efforts should be devoted to keeping them alive and healthy. Not cutting them up like a pizza.
For the record, quadracolor and magnifica do reproduce asexually, and it's not a coincidence that these two are the only two host species that have shown the ability to survive this process on a productive level.
I went to Anthony Calfo's forum and asked for his evidence to back up his claims of success with this, and he couldn't provide any. Not one example of were he was successful. Eric Borneman also took part in the thread, and despite being asked multiple times for evidence, he too could not provide any.
I'm sorry, but I am very passionate about this subject. Most of us here spend large sums of money, time, and hard work to insure the anemones we keep live long healthy lives. Thanks to a few people that are more interested in inflating their own ego, than the lives of the animals we keep, many hobbyist believe that cutting their "carpet" is a valid means of propagation. It is not! It is a slaughter!
If we want to propagate an animal in captivity, we should first look to their natural means of reproduction for clues on how we can be successful. Most anemones do not reproduce asexually. Trying to force them to isn't working and it's not going to work. All anemones reproduce sexually. This is an area where we actually stand a chance of being successful.
So please, these animals are far to precious to meet their fate on a cutting board. When we purchase an anemone we take on a life long responsibility. Our efforts should be devoted to keeping them alive and healthy. Not cutting them up like a pizza.
For the record, quadracolor and magnifica do reproduce asexually, and it's not a coincidence that these two are the only two host species that have shown the ability to survive this process on a productive level.
shabreeson
New member
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1942665&highlight=split+my+carpet
A thread you might want to keep an eye on, we'll see how it turns out. This guy may be one of the lucky few, he's also very experienced.
A thread you might want to keep an eye on, we'll see how it turns out. This guy may be one of the lucky few, he's also very experienced.
elegance coral
They call me EC
Thanks for reminding me of this thread. I bumped it up so hopefully well get an update.
elegance coral
They call me EC
Thanks Todd.
He did shout from the roof tops that he could cut anemones in half. He even gave demonstrations on how to do it, as if its a real complicated procedure.
What he wouldn't shout from the roof tops is how many anemones he killed in these demonstrations, or how many were killed based on his advice.:sad2:I have read repeatedly that maxi-minis can be successfully fragged; however, I've never tried with one of mine. Of the host species, E. quadricolor and H. magnifica are the only species that I'm aware of that naturally divide by asexual reproduction. I expect the survival rates for fragging these species is better because they do it naturally.
davocean
Active member
And w/ lots of pictures!
Sure, there are freak accidents of all kinds where people or animals survive something unusual, but that would be a rarity.
For the $$, time, and effort I put into building something nice w/ a good collection of animals I've grown attached to I'm not into experimental gambling, so I also lean w/ conservative and tested true practices.
It's a bummer for me to see someone hack a nice nem just to check out what happens, and especially posts encouraging people to do this.
phender
Active member
Most of you guys who have responded have seen this thread. But the OP may not have.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=921143
In addition to reasons that I gave it a try, I had also seen a merten's anemone in a wholesalers tank that had two oral disks on one foot, giving me the feeling that maybe they did sometimes split on their own.
I sort of thought Calfo was feeding me a line when he said that he had split every species of host anemone including S. mertensii. I thought then, I doubt that you have SEEN many merten's carpets captivity much less split them. This was in 2006. I should have gone with my gut.
At least it was sort of a wake up call to people that maybe you couldn't actually split all anemones.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=921143
In addition to reasons that I gave it a try, I had also seen a merten's anemone in a wholesalers tank that had two oral disks on one foot, giving me the feeling that maybe they did sometimes split on their own.
I sort of thought Calfo was feeding me a line when he said that he had split every species of host anemone including S. mertensii. I thought then, I doubt that you have SEEN many merten's carpets captivity much less split them. This was in 2006. I should have gone with my gut.
At least it was sort of a wake up call to people that maybe you couldn't actually split all anemones.
Thanks for the link. I just spent over an hour reading and digesting the information.
I think I continue splitting BTAs for now and let all that info sit in my brain and try to figure out what may have caused you to loose it.
elegance coral
They call me EC
It's simple. The animal is not designed to survive such trauma. It died, not because of anything Phil did, or didn't, do to save it. There is no mystery here. This is the typical outcome when an animal, that is only known to reproduce sexually, is cut in half. It dies.
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phender
Active member
I'm not sure what I could have done differently. (Obviously I wouldn't have pumped the one half full of tiny air bubbles.) It was in a tank where it had doubled its size in 3 years. It just never healed properly. Was it because of something I did or didn't do? I don't know.
The original post on my thread was 5 1/2 years ago. Since that time there are a lot of people out there cutting up their BTAs and making a fair amount of money. If they could cut up their red, blue or bright green haddonis, they would be doing that too. There are plenty of healthy brown haddonis that can be had for pretty cheap to practice on, yet you don't hear of anyone selling clones. Its not because people haven't tried, its because it doesn't work very well. Carpets are just not built like BTAs or Mags. They don't "complete their circle" quickly like BTAs and Mags. Just because a mushroom polyp can grow back from a tiny piece of foot left on the rock, doesn't mean a carpet can do the same thing.
I am not on RC as much as I used to be. You say that there have been situations where both halves have survived. I will have to take your word for it. It could just boil down to luck. It could be that they were premature in their declaration of success. One of my halves lived for over a year. A lot of people have a tough time keeping any carpet for a year. I knew mine was never "quite right" even though to most people it would have looked fine. How are these split carpets doing after 1, 2 or 3 years?
Bottom line is(although I don't always agree with all the things Ms. Fautin has written) the foremost anemone biologist in the U.S. says that carpets do not have the proper healing mechanisms to be propagated by cutting. From what I have seen and read, almost all attempts to propagate these anemones by cutting have completely or in part(only one half lives) failed. For me that is enough keep me from cutting any more carpet anemones.
If anyone can figure out how to do it, more power to them, but I would hate to see how many anemones you would have to destroy to find the proper method. The difference is that most propagation techniques were done by accident first (damn I broke of a piece of my coral, I wonder if it will grow anyway), it happened in the tank by itself (wow, my BTA just tore itself in half) or it was already know to happen in the wild. None of those things are true for carpets. At best I am pretty sure from my observations(although some anemone biologists disagree with me) that carpets will form buds that eventually grow into new anemones, but they take half a year or more to develop fully if they develop fully at all.
Maybe you could stimulate this budding to take place by nicking(making a small partial cut) the anemone on the column or under the oral disk, but even then it might take over a year before you see a new anemone out of it.
No progress is ever made without taking chances, but you need to be careful that you are not just banging your head against a brick wall (and killing perfectly good anemones).
Sorry, that was a much longer post than I set out to write.
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shabreeson
New member
I'm not sure what I could have done differently. (Obviously I wouldn't have pumped the one half full of tiny air bubbles.) It was in a tank where it had doubled its size in 3 years. It just never healed properly. Was it because of something I did or didn't do? I don't know.
The original post on my thread was 5 1/2 years ago. Since that time there are a lot of people out there cutting up their BTAs and making a fair amount of money. If they could cut up their red, blue or bright green haddonis, they would be doing that too. There are plenty of healthy brown haddonis that can be had for pretty cheap to practice on, yet you don't hear of anyone selling clones. Its not because people haven't tried, its because it doesn't work very well. Carpets are just not built like BTAs or Mags. They don't "complete their circle" quickly like BTAs and Mags. Just because a mushroom polyp can grow back from a tiny piece of foot left on the rock, doesn't mean a carpet can do the same thing.
I am not on RC as much as I used to be. You say that there have been situations where both halves have survived. I will have to take your word for it. It could just boil down to luck. It could be that they were premature in their declaration of success. One of my halves lived for over a year. A lot of people have a tough time keeping any carpet for a year. I knew mine was never "quite right" even though to most people it would have looked fine. How are these split carpets doing after 1, 2 or 3 years?
Bottom line is(although I don't always agree with all the things Ms. Fautin has written) the foremost anemone biologist in the U.S. says that carpets do not have the proper healing mechanisms to be propagated by cutting. From what I have seen and read, almost all attempts to propagate these anemones by cutting have completely or in part(only one half lives) failed. For me that is enough keep me from cutting any more carpet anemones.
If anyone can figure out how to do it, more power to them, but I would hate to see how many anemones you would have to destroy to find the proper method. The difference is that most propagation techniques were done by accident first (damn I broke of a piece of my coral, I wonder if it will grow anyway), it happened in the tank by itself (wow, my BTA just tore itself in half) or it was already know to happen in the wild. None of those things are true for carpets. At best I am pretty sure from my observations(although some anemone biologists disagree with me) that carpets will form buds that eventually grow into new anemones, but they take half a year or more to develop fully if they develop fully at all.
Maybe you could stimulate this budding to take place by nicking(making a small partial cut) the anemone on the column or under the oral disk, but even then it might take over a year before you see a new anemone out of it.
No progress is ever made without taking chances, but you need to be careful that you are not just banging your head against a brick wall (and killing perfectly good anemones).
Sorry, that was a much longer post than I set out to write.
well said regardless
miniwhinny
New member
Yes, maxi's can easily be fragged. First ting I do when I get a new one is cut it in half or quarters (depending on it's size) before I put it in the tank. They are very hardy and within a month you'd never know they'd been fragged.
Do you mind sharing what your process for doing this is?
miniwhinny
New member
Sure,
carefully pat them dry with a paper towel - makes it easier to keep them in place when they're not too slimy. Take a new, clean razor blade or sharp knife and make a clean cut right through...as if you're cutting a pizza into 2 halves. Make absolutely sure that each half has part of the mouth...they must have a part of the mouth to survive. If you have one that's large enough you can repeat and cut it into quarters.
I just took these pics to show you my maxi's after fragging.
The first picture shows one that was cut into half just 3 weeks ago...now there are two perfect clones. The second picture shows one that was cut in half 4 weeks ago and then one of those halves cut in half again (at the same time. There are now 3 perfect mini carpet nems. The blue one next to it was cut (it's other half is on another rock) 2 weeks ago.
Sorry the colors aren't very good. I run LED's and my camera skills aren't good enough to know how to balance the color better.
