How to split an anemone

integral9

integral9

Member
I got a huge beautiful Purple LTA and I would like it to split if possible. Any ideas on how to "help" this along? I've been feeding it twice a week (1 whole Silver Side) for about a month and it just keeps getting bigger. I don't want to overfeed anymore than I am so I'm reluctant to feed more. The anemone is about 12" fully expanded now and is really just about too big for my tank.
Thanks in advance.
 
renogaw

renogaw

Active Member
other than being in a very dark place and stressing it out, i havent read of any other way they split. when it doesn't want to grow anymore, it will split i guess. i've been wondering the same thing. my GBTA is about 9" diameter, and the foot is probably 2" thick and 6" long. no one seems to know a safe way to split them, or is unwilling to respond.
 
T

thomas712

Guest
Usually a bad idea in my opinion to TRY to force any anemone to split. Bubble tips should do it on their own if properly fed and everything else is good.
In the case of the long tip I have heard where you can make a deep cut at the mouth along the oral disk or perhaps even down to the pedal disk, but I have not looked such things up in a long time.
More often than not I have read where the anemone was killed trying to force it with string or rubber bands or even cutting. Imagin how many such events never get talked about.
My advice is never try to force it to happen.
Thomas
 
integral9

integral9

Member
Thanks for the info guys. I'm definitely opposed to cutting anything. cjml, That's what I've been hoping for. Oh well. I guess I'll just end up with a huge LTA at the least.
On another note, anyone ever have a Black Perc host a purple LTA? I've heard it's rare, I just wanted to know if it's ever happened to anyone here. I've got 2 that are apparently becoming a pair. Every now and then they will swim down to my LTA and look it over, but swim away. They are still young so I don't expect them to start hosting right away, but I hope they will eventually.
Anyways, here's a pic of my anemone. It's not a good pic, but it's the only one I have at the moment. Thanks again.
 
C

clownnut

Guest
just make sure your anemone been in your tank over 2 months(4 months will be even better) eat well and healthy.
use a big/new razor blade, cut it in half through the mouth. i cut my RBTAs all the time. i havent lose any yet.
 
integral9

integral9

Member
Originally Posted by ClownNut
use a big/new razor blade, cut it in half through the mouth. i cut my RBTAs all the time. i havent lose any yet.
Yikes! I don't think I can do that. I'd at the very least like to watch someone do it before I even attempt anything like that. Plus, doesn't it shrink up into itself as soon as you touch it w/ the blade? How do you cut it once it's all wrapped up into itself?
She's been in the tank about 4 months now.
Funny story, one day she just jumped out of the sand bed (no reason I can think of) and ended up in the intake of my PH. Fortunately she didn't hit the impeller, so she was ok. But I thought for sure she was going to split after that. Never did or hit the 'cancel' button before it was complete.
 
T

thomas712

Guest
Your carpet will not split.
Typical Reproduction of anemones.
Sexes are generally separate in sea anemones. The typical reproductive pattern is one where both sexes spawn into the sea where fertilization occurs. Within a few days of fertilization, a swimming motile larva called a planula is formed. Depending on the species, the larva may or may not feed. Eventually the larvae will metamorphose into a small sea anemone and take up existence in the benthic environment. Asexual reproduction is common in some anemones, including the bulb tipped anemone, Enatacmaea quadricolor, which may reproduce by splitting into two or more clonal descendants. Such cloning is absent or very rare in other host sea anemones.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top