anemone question

yossaria

yossaria

Member
Hi all,
I purchased what was sold as a bubble tip anemone (BTA) from SWF.com well over a year ago. Its tentacles have always been elongated and far from bubbled in appearance, which I understand is normal for some BTAs. The problem that I am having is with growth. Since its introduction into my tank, it has roughly grown 10 times in size (currently it has a 20 inch diameter) which is now becoming a problem as I only have a 40 gallon aquarium. It currently occupies the center of my aquarium and takes up over half of my aquarium's space. My two clownfish love this monster, but now that it has gotten this large, my other corals are in tentacle strike range and are getting stung on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the anemone's foot is in my largest piece of live rock which is on the bottom of my rock pile. Will this thing ever split? I was hoping it would, but I see no signs of this occurring. Is it likely that my only recourse will be to give this guy away along with a giant chunk of rock?
Thanks for your input
,
Yoss
 
perfectdark

perfectdark

Active Member
WOW 20" diameter, I would think for a BTA that is a record, I have heard of 14-15" but 20

Do you have a picture? You could try to force a split, feed it every day a piece of food no larger than its mouth. This is shown to force a split in anywhere from a few days to 2 weeks. This method can be stressful to them which is what makes them split but its one of the least invasive ways of getting the job done, other than naturally splitting that is.
 
fox1135

fox1135

Member
yeah i definetly want to see this bad boy. thats crazy 20'' thats more carpet style
please post pic if your able
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Originally Posted by PerfectDark
http:///forum/post/2757367
WOW 20" diameter, I would think for a BTA that is a record, I have heard of 14-15" but 20

Do you have a picture? You could try to force a split, feed it every day a piece of food no larger than its mouth. This is shown to force a split in anywhere from a few days to 2 weeks. This method can be stressful to them which is what makes them split but its one of the least invasive ways of getting the job done, other than naturally splitting that is.
PD isn't something done with lighting in conjunction with the feeding also? I seem to remember reading about this somewhere. Or maybe it had something to do with water changes. I will try to look for it.
 
shaggyblz

shaggyblz

Member
Originally Posted by Yossaria
http:///forum/post/2757331
Hi all,
I purchased what was sold as a bubble tip anemone (BTA) from SWF.com well over a year ago. Its tentacles have always been elongated and far from bubbled in appearance, which I understand is normal for some BTAs. The problem that I am having is with growth. Since its introduction into my tank, it has roughly grown 10 times in size (currently it has a 20 inch diameter) which is now becoming a problem as I only have a 40 gallon aquarium. It currently occupies the center of my aquarium and takes up over half of my aquarium's space. My two clownfish love this monster, but now that it has gotten this large, my other corals are in tentacle strike range and are getting stung on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the anemone's foot is in my largest piece of live rock which is on the bottom of my rock pile. Will this thing ever split? I was hoping it would, but I see no signs of this occurring. Is it likely that my only recourse will be to give this guy away along with a giant chunk of rock?
Thanks for your input
,
Yoss
Definetly like to see a pic. Would you be interested in selling?
 
perfectdark

perfectdark

Active Member
Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/2757795
PD isn't something done with lighting in conjunction with the feeding also? I seem to remember reading about this somewhere. Or maybe it had something to do with water changes. I will try to look for it.
Yes they can spawn se..xually as well as ase.xually. Im not sure how an anemones cycle works. I believe that corals spawn on or near the full moon. If you can simulate the lunar cycle it is possible to replicate that scenario. If anemones are on the same cycle its possible for them to spawn too. I have never heard of any of them spawning se.xually in captivity though, not saying it hasent happened I just have never read about it.
 
yossaria

yossaria

Member
I will try to get a picture of it posted today. One of my colleagues has an iPhone and I think its camera will take a suitable picture. My aquarium is in my laboratory's office so if I can't get a good picture with the iPhone, I will have to bring a camera in from home.
I have tried feeding it shrimp pieces daily for five days but it just seemed to make it bigger! I have not continued the feeding longer than that. Most of the time I don't feed it anything (a piece of shrimp once every two weeks) and it still continues to grow. Maybe since its main food source comes from photosynthesis it is adopting a tentacle extended configuration to enhance light harvesting?

Cheers,
Yoss
 
perfectdark

perfectdark

Active Member
Originally Posted by Yossaria
http:///forum/post/2758248
I will try to get a picture of it posted today. One of my colleagues has an iPhone and I think its camera will take a suitable picture. My aquarium is in my laboratory's office so if I can't get a good picture with the iPhone, I will have to bring a camera in from home.
I have tried feeding it shrimp pieces daily for five days but it just seemed to make it bigger! I have not continued the feeding longer than that. Most of the time I don't feed it anything (a piece of shrimp once every two weeks) and it still continues to grow. Maybe since its main food source comes from photosynthesis it is adopting a tentacle extended configuration to enhance light harvesting?

Cheers,
Yoss

Anemones will get most of what they need from proper water chemistry and the correct lighting. Supplemental feeding is beneficial but not needed routinely.
 
yossaria

yossaria

Member
I am not sure exactly how to attach images so I hope this works. This is the anemone one hour after the lights came on.
Yoss

 
1journeyman

1journeyman

Active Member
Wow..
We often suggest to not place an anemone is a smaller tank as the water parameters and roaming nature of an anemone don't typically suit a small tank.
In this case, well done.
That said, nothing you can do except get a larger tank or remove the anemone.
 
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