Tube anemone - without tube

[dendro982]

Wow! Thank you! Can you add illustrations, sizes (maximal dimensions inflated) and speed of growth?

If I understand right, the purple are different species, colder water ones.
Do you know name and from where they come? A lot of info on the web, but without differentiating species, available for aquarist.

How the warmer and colder water versions could be recognized - color only (there is also the small, white, thin-tentacled tube anemone - anything good or bad about it?), or anything else?

Is the thickness of tentacles age- or species-related?

I'm also thinking about setting a separate tank for tube anemone - if anything else could be put there (another tube anemones, for example). Hexagon tank - like the flow pattern there, only looks like in 35g will fit only this big pink anemone, 11" diameter.

How do you plan to place 3 anemones in one tank, without them touching each other? Even 40g breeder - long and wide, but after 8" sand bed, not much place will be left.

About everything else mentioned:

- mine catches, but releases small clumps of several mysis or bigger pink Pacific plankton, seems not interested in Cyclop-eeze (long tentacles are not drawn to the short tentacles), but gladly takes quarter of defrozen cube, small krill or cross-section of the grocery shrimp.

- I had seen tube anemones in LFS, that has tubes, keeping shape - standing from the sand, and once had seen not buried one - it was partially curved tube, may be 3.5 cm (>1") in diameter, and ~6" (15) cm) long. The grape-colored with neon green center - slightly smaller, than mine, but having thin tentacles.

- hammer and baby tubastrea started to recover from sting.

 

[silverplanet]

ok here are some answers to your questions:

If I understand right, the purple are different species, colder water ones.
Do you know name and from where they come? A lot of info on the web, but without differentiating species, available for aquarist.

as far as i know the purple ones are a colder water species, trying to find a name for the tube anemones is basically impossible. they have all been grouped into the same genus, probably from lack of study and you need to dissect them to actually tell one species from another. there are only a couple in the trade anyways. i have 3 different purple ones. one is a dark purple, other has light purple tentacles, almost whitish and i have a purple one with the neon green center. good luck if you can find any info on names.

How the warmer and colder water versions could be recognized - color only (there is also the small, white, thin-tentacled tube anemone - anything good or bad about it?), or anything else?

as far as trying to find this out. i believe the pink and orange ones are the warmer water species. i have only seen about 6 different color variations in the trade. there is a white tube anemone that is cold water and grows to a huge size, not sure if that is one your talking about.

I'm also thinking about setting a separate tank for tube anemone - if anything else could be put there (another tube anemones, for example). Hexagon tank - like the flow pattern there, only looks like in 35g will fit only this big pink anemone, 11" diameter.

as long as they are the same species then there should be no problem. my dark purple and light purple ones touch tentacles all the time and have no ill effects. but i have heard that if it was a purple and a orange/pink then there would be a problem.

How do you plan to place 3 anemones in one tank, without them touching each other? Even 40g breeder - long and wide, but after 8" sand bed, not much place will be left.

it is a 40g hex and is 21" high so no problems here.

- mine catches, but releases small clumps of several mysis or bigger pink Pacific plankton, seems not interested in Cyclop-eeze (long tentacles are not drawn to the short tentacles), but gladly takes quarter of defrozen cube, small krill or cross-section of the grocery shrimp.


could be to strong current, or is still stressed if just bought from the lfs. it should take it more in time or try giving it right to the small inner tentacles with a turkey baster. i also douse with dt's 2 times a week.

I had seen tube anemones in LFS, that has tubes, keeping shape - standing from the sand, and once had seen not buried one - it was partially curved tube, may be 3.5 cm (>1") in diameter, and ~6" (15) cm) long. The grape-colored with neon green center - slightly smaller, than mine, but having thin tentacles.

sometimes after feeding mine perk up and stick about 4 or 5 inches of there tube out of the sand, usually they are about 2 or 3 inches out. sometimes lfs will plant them in the sand if they have the right kind or they will lay them on top. the tube anemone can bury itself by wiggling around but they are usually very stressed from the trip.

glad to here your fish are recovering. here is a couple pics of mine.

light purple tube anemone in its tube under actinic.

deep purple tube anemone

light purple tube anemone

my small purple with neon center.

here is a picture i just took at night.

if you have any more questions let me know.

Jason

 

[happyface888]

I've had a orange green center one for sometime and I was wondering how do they reproduce? Yeah the sting isnt that bad, when a fish does get stung they just jolt around for a sec and return to normal no harm done.

 

[dendro982]

silverplanet:
- Your opinion on difference between light purple, dark purple and with neon-green center - care, grown size, anything particular?
- How do you plan position the anemones, heaters and sources of flow in 40g hex?
- how long do you keep these anemones, did they grow noticeably?
- Just curious, what are these PVC tubes on photos, their size (to estimate size of anemones)?

Thanks for the info on incompatibility between pink and purple ones.
Already tried search, came empty.
The white one in LFS is even whiter, then yours, and small.

happyface: my valentini puffer had visible white lines and dots on the face in the morning, after adding anemone in the tank. But he is or scaleless, or has very small scales. No problem with other fish, lion rests under anemone.

 

[silverplanet]

Your opinion on difference between light purple, dark purple and with neon-green center - care, grown size, anything particular?

there really is no noticeable difference besides color for tube anemones and size., mine have grown quite a bit since i got them. probably about 2 inches in the last 3 months. mostly the stock is more noticeable then the tentacles.

How do you plan position the anemones, heaters and sources of flow in 40g hex?

well i try to keep them away from the heater by putting it horizontal closer to the top of the tank. i will have one power head in the tank close to the top directed at the water coming in from the hob filter i have made into a fuge so it breaks up the direct downward flow. i am going to try and give them as much space as possible with the 2 big ones on one side each and the little one in the middle. but they do move in the sand if they like to or if there not comfortable where they are. i just let them go where they like.

how long do you keep these anemones, did they grow noticeably?

see above answer

Just curious, what are these PVC tubes on photos, their size (to estimate size of anemones)?

these are the drains for the tank. i have a 20 g tall that is above this tank and flows into the tube anemone tank which flows into a sump below the tube anemone tank. the pipe is 1" schedule 40.

 

[silverplanet]

happyface888

I've had a orange green center one for sometime and I was wondering how do they reproduce? Yeah the sting isn't that bad, when a fish does get stung they just jolt around for a sec and return to normal no harm done.

they reproduce like most corals do, one sends out sperm and the other eggs. the little ones become part of the phyto column. eat other stuff in it and once they get bigger settle down in the sand. to date they can not be breed in captivity. there is also some talk of some of them being hermaphrodites.

Jason

 

[dendro982]

Thanks again, a little more questions:
- What gph will be HOB refugium and the powerhead? Will be it pointed flow powerhead, as Maxi-Jet, or a soft flow, as Seio or Korallia?
- What filtration and/or skimming do you plan to have? Or DSB with refugium only? What kind of light - actinics?

 

[silverplanet]

What gph will be HOB refugium and the powerhead? Will be it pointed flow powerhead, as Maxi-Jet, or a soft flow, as Seio or Korallia?

my fuge is the biggest aqua clear filter with the surface skimmer so that really slows down the flow a lot. if you can find out what the gph for the filter is then cut it in half. the power head is the smallest seio.

What filtration and/or skimming do you plan to have? Or DSB with refugium only? What kind of light - actinics?

the only skimming is the aqua clear which will have cheato in it on a reverse light cycle with a 6500k compact florescent. the tank light is a 18" 18000k t8 and i might add some actinics later.

Jason

 

[dendro982]

Thank you! It's good to have the first-hands information from a keeper.