Beautiful Reef
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
LED Reef lights - Amazon
This was the best buy for my reef tank. I am very happy with the output and on my 120 gallon reef tank I use three of these. 90 degree 3 watt 55LEDs.... My corals stood right up and my Acan coral is already spreading with an additional 4 heads.... Awesome!
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Do not touch this Fuzzy Caterpillar! Tis the Season Folks!
Puss Caterpillar or Asp
The puss caterpillar is the larva of an insect in the order Lepidoptera.
This hairy caterpillar is found in the southern states, ranging west through most of Texas and north to Maryland and Missouri. It feeds on shade trees such as elm, oak, and sycamore. Puss caterpillars vary in size from 1.2 in. (32 mm) to 1.4 in. (36 mm).
ASP Sting Treatment: Pain and First Aid after ASP Sting
Asp Sting Treatment
- The most important and immediate treatment of an asp sting is the relief of pain and the prevention of anaphylaxis.
- The pain from an asp sting usually subsides after an hour but an hour of pain is not something anyone should experience.
- Treatments for asp sting vary from home remedies to over the counter remedies, to prescription medication depending on the severity of the symptoms.
Asp Sting Symptoms
- Intense and throbbing pain that can spread towards the armpit or axillary region.
- Erythematous spots over the affected site.
- Headache
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Intense abdominal pain or discomfort
- Lymphadenopathy
- Lymphadenitis
- Shock
- Respiratory distress
Asp Sting Pain
- The pain from an asp sting has been described as an intense, throbbing, burning type of pain.
- The pain usually subsides within an hour without treatment.
- The severity of the pain depends on the dose of the venom or the number of hairs embedded on the skin.
Asp Sting First Aid
- Apply ice pack over the affected site.
- Administer oral antihistamines to relieve burning and itching sensations.
- Apply tape over the affected site and pull to remove the hair or stingers.
- See a physician immediately for allergic reactions, severe pain, or eye injuries.
- Severe pain from an asp sting may be treated with morphine, codeine, and meperidine, all of which are regulated drugs. Standard pain relievers have no effect on severe asp sting pain.
More specifically, it is a flannel moth (so-called because the adult moth is clothed in short fine hairs that resemble flannel in texture) in the family Megalopygidae: from the Greek root μεγας (MEG-as) = great, vast, large + the Greek root πυγη (PIDGE-ee) = rump, tail + the Greek patronymic suffix -ιδες (eye-DEES) commonly used in zoological taxonomy to indicate a family name, in reference to a family of moths typically having an exaggerated tail, honoring the fact that these caterpillars often–but not always–trail a conspicuous tail of hairs; this family is presently represented by 23 recognized genera that are found in North America and in the New World Tropics; in North America as many as 44 species — generally described as that group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring — have been described, some of which may be synonyms, but all of which are known, while in the larval (caterpillar) stage, to produce extremely painful stings in humans who come into contact with them.
The species cited most often is Megalopyge opercularis, but a number of other species present a similar outer guise, are equipped with near-identical envenomating structures, and produce a similar sting on contact with human skin.
Most are now considered to be members of the genus Megalopyge , but the crinkled flannel moth–also known as the black-waved flannel moth–is classified by some authorities as a member of the genus Lagoa (Lagoa crispata), and by others as Megalopyge crispata.
In the material that follows, because the gross features of most, if not all of these moths are essentially identical, no attempt will be made to distinguish between them.
Puss Caterpillar on Twig
Puss Caterpillar on Yaupon Leaf
Puss Caterpillar Sting on Right Bicep
Puss Caterpillar Sting Under Arm
The pain usually radiates rapidly to the lymph nodes in the armpit or groin, and then to the chest.
Though only rarely representing a true medical emergency, these symptoms have the feel of a genuine, serious, life-threatening event.
As a result, it is common for victims of puss caterpillar stings to seek medical assistance at hospital emergency rooms, where they hope that the E.R. staff will be able to apply appropriate medical interventions.
Sometimes Emergency Room physicians, nurses, and EMTs recognize the puss caterpillar’s distinctive sting wound immediately, but — surprisingly often — these personnel have no knowledge of the puss caterpillar or its sting, much less of the most effective medical interventions the sting calls for. Individuals who go to emergency rooms for treatment of puss caterpillar stings may be misdiagnosed by inexperienced medical personnel as suffering from a wide range of acute and generally serious medical conditions.
Healthy Puss Caterpillar Ventral Surface
The skin remains reddened but otherwise unmarked for minutes or hours. As the local redness subsides, a pattern of darker, raised, nodular lesions forms, usually within 24 hours after the sting. These darker lesions are arranged in a characteristic pattern. The sting pattern varies based on which portion of the caterpillar touches the body.
The puss caterpillar’s underside is shown in the photo above. This portion of the caterpillar contacts the surface of the caterpillar’s track as the caterpillar crawls along. Note the way the hairs along the edges of the body emerge from swollen “warts” or verrucae (raised tubercular ridges, arranged along the median of each body segment).
Though the soft hairs themselves are harmless, these same swellings also sport a multitude of sharp, venomous spines capable of injecting the caterpillar’s venom into the skin of a sting victim. If the underside is pressed against the body, the visible sting pattern (that shows up later) will follow this shape; if one side of the caterpillar is involved, the sting pattern is usually that of a crosshatched triangle, with each of the verrucae involved in the sting showing in the pattern. If the upper surface is pressed against the skin, the sting pattern is that of a crosshatched oval.
The sting pattern usually begins to show within 24 hours, but the full pattern may not be expressed for hours or days after the sting occurs.
The photos below show puss caterpillar stings on a right foot foot (L) and forearm (R). The lateral (side) surface of a caterpillar had been crushed against the foot, while the stings on the forearm were caused when the upper bodies of two caterpillars were crushed by pressing the arm against a railing where the caterpillars were crawling. Note the regular pattern of dark red spots in the photos; these spots correspond to the verrucae in the body of the caterpillar, showing where the concentrations of fragile, venomous spines penetrated the sting victim’s skin. In the majority of cases, these spines break off during penetration and slowly release their store of venom as long as they remain embedded. Each spine, as described by Nathan C. Foot in his 1921 paper on the subject, is one-third to one millimeter long, and 15-45 microns in diameter. Such microscopic structures cannot be seen with the naked eye. However, because human flesh tends to push embedded foreign objects outward, even spines that have penetrated deeply will move toward the surface of the skin–where they may be extracted manually–within a relatively short time. This fact figures prominently in the treatment options that should be considered when dealing with a puss caterpillar sting.
Puss Caterpillar Sting on Side of Foot
Puss Caterpillar Sting Under forearm
Tampa Bay FL has a website you can view that gives information on many types of caterpillars:
http://www.poisoncentertampa.org/venomous-critters/caterpillars.aspx
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Taxonomy:
- Kingdom Animalia (ahn-uh-MAYHL-yuh) — first described in 1758 by the Swedish taxonomist Carolus Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), using the Latin word animal = “a living being,” from the Latin word anima = “vital breath”, to refer to multicellular, eukaryotic organisms whose body plans become fixed during development, some of which undergo additional processes of metamorphosis later in their lives; most of which are motile, and thus exhibit spontaneous and independent movements; and all of whom are heterotrophs that feed by ingesting other organisms or their products;
- Phylum Arthropoda (ahr-THROPP-uh-duh) — first described in 1829 by the French zoologist Pierre André Latreille [November 20, 1762 – February 6, 1833], using the two Greek roots αρθρον (AR-thrawn) = jointed + ποδ (pawd) = foot, in an obvious reference to animals with jointed feet, but in the more narrow context of the invertebrates, which have segmented bodies as well as jointed appendages;
- Class Insecta (ehn-SEK-tuh) — first described in 1758 by the Swedish taxonomist Carolus Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), using the Latin word insectum, a calque of the Greek word ἔντομον ( EN-toh-mawn) = “(that which is) cut into sections”; comprised of arthropods with chitinous external (exo-) skeletons, a three part body composed of a distinct head, thorax, and abdomen, the midmost part having three pairs of jointed legs, and the foremost part having a pair of compound eyes and antennae;
- Subclass Pterygota (tare-ee-GOH-tah) — first described in 1888 by Lang, using the Greek roots πτερυξ (TARE-oos) = wing, to refer to insects with wings, or that had wings but in the process of evolution have since lost them;
- Infraclass Neoptera (nee-OPP-tur-uh) — first described in 1890 by the Dutch entomologist Frederick Maurits van der Wulp (1818-1899) using the Greek roots νεος (NEE-ose) = youthful, new + πτερυ (TARE-ohn) = wing, to refer to winged insects that are capable of folding their wings over their abdomens, in contrast to more primitive winged insects that are unable to flex their wings in this manner (e.g., the dragonflies, in the infraclass Paleoptera);
- Superorder Endopterygota (ehn-doh-tare-ee-GOH-tah) — first described by the English physician and entomologist David Sharp (1840-1922) using the Greek root ενδον (ENN-dohn) = within + the established expression pterygota (see above) to refer to insects within the latter subclass that undergo complete metamorphosis, i.e., larval, pupal, and adult stages;
- Order Lepidoptera (lep-uh-DOPP-tur-uh) — first formally described in 1758 (though he coined the expression in 1735, informally) by the Swedish taxonomist Carolus Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), using the Greek roots λεπιδωτος (lepp-eh-DOH-tose) = scaly + πτερυ (TARE-ohn) = wing, to refer to insects with scales covering their wings, i.e., the moths and butterflies;
- Family Megalopygidae (megg-uh-low-PIDGE-uh-dee) — from the Greek root μεγας (MEG-as) = great, vast, large + the Greek root πυγη (PIDGE-ee) = rump, tail + the Greek patronymic suffix -ιδες (eye-DEES) commonly used in zoological taxonomy to indicate a family name, in reference to a family of moths typically having an exaggerated tail, honoring the fact that these caterpillars often–but not always–trail a conspicuous tail of hairs; this family is presently represented by 23 recognized genera that are found in North America and in the New World Tropics; in North America as many as 44 species have been described, some of which may be synonyms, but all of which are known, while in the larval (caterpillar) stage, to produce extremely painful stings in humans who come into contact with them;
REFERENCES:
- Avilán, Luisana, et al. 2010. Description of envenomation by the “gusano-pollo” caterpillar (Megalopyge opercularis) in Venezuela. Invest Clin 51(1): 127 – 132.
- Bennett, Gary W. 2010. Truman’s Scientific Guide to Pest Management Operations 7th Edition
. Purdue University.
- Borror, Donald J., and Richard E. White. 1970. A Field Guide to Insects: America North of Mexico
. Houghton Mifflin Company
- Bradley, Fern Marshall, et al. 2010. The
Organic Gardener’s Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control: A
Complete Guide to Maintaining a Healthy Garden and Yard the
Earth-Friendly Way (Rodale Organic Gardening Books)
. Rodale Inc.
- Eagleman, David M. 2007. Envenomation by the asp caterpillar (Megalopyge opercularis). Clinical Toxicology (2007) iFirst, 1–5.
- Epstein, Marc E. 1995. Evolution of locomotion in slug caterpillars (Lepidoptera: Zygaenoidea: Limacodid group). J. Res. Lepidoptera 34:1-13.
- Foot, Nathan Chandler. 1922. Pathology of the Dermatitis caused by Megalopyge opercularis, a Texan caterpillar. JEM 35(5): 1 May 1922.
- Khalaf, Kamel T. 1974. Nonasceptic Wheat Germ Diet for Megalopyge opercularis (Lepidoptera: Megalopygidae). The Florida Entomologist 57(4):377-381.
- Klotz, John H. et al. 2009. Animal Bites and Stings with Anaphylactic Potential. J. Emerg. Med. 36(2):148-156.
- Lifton, Bernice. 2005. Bug Busters: Poison-Free Pest Controls for Your House and Garden
. Square One Publishers.
- Mallis, Arnold, Stoy Hedges (Ed.) et al. 2011. The Mallis Handbook of Pest Control, 10th Edition
. The Mallis Handbook Company.
- Neck, Raymond W. 1976. Lepidopteran Foodplant Records from Texas. J. Res. Lepidoptera 15(2):75-82.
- Steen. Christopher J. et al. Arthropods in dermatology. J. Am. Dermatol. 50(6):819-842.
- Stewart, Amy. 2011. Wicked Bugs: The Louse That Conquered Napoleon’s Army & Other Diabolical Insects
. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Sea Anemones - A Great Guide for Beginners
This post is great for beginners on Sea Anemones. It is here to help those new to the hobby in choosing the best corals and sea anemones for your reef tank.
Sea anemones, like corals, are animals of the sea that are without backbone and are often refer to as invertebrates. Sea Anemones are from the same family of colorful and fascinating animals like corals that is called Cnidaria. Species from these groups comes in various colors, shapes and sizes but all of them have similar features i.e. they all have a simple stomach and is equipped with a single mouth opening that is normally surrounded by venom-filled tentacles called cnidoblasts. What is unique about these invertebrates is the symbiotic relationship between them and the single-celled plants called zooxanthellae.
Cnidarians are host to these microscopic algae called zooxanthellae by providing them with protection, exposure to sunlight, gas and nutrients in exchange for oxygen and sugar from the byproducts of the algae's photosynthesis process. This microscopic algae also gives the sea anemones its unique beautiful color. Sea anemones get most of their food from the zooxanthellae but they have the ability to catch their own food such as small fish, plankton or other food particles which pass close enough to their stinging tentacles.
Sea anemones are different from corals as each of the anemones is actually a single or individual animal whereas corals are a group of many tiny coral polyps that have formed together to create the coral structures or reef that we can see in the ocean. Sea anemones are fleshy predatory animals and their size range from about half an inch (1.25 cm) to as big as 6 feet (1.8 m) across. They have soft round, cylinder-shaped body without skeleton and a broad oral disc at its base as their foot. Sea anemone has a basal disc at its bottom part, which function like some kind of a sticky foot. They use this to anchor themselves on the ocean floor or other structures. They do not have calcified shell or skeleton and have to rely on their stinging tentacles for defense and are solitary animals. Although sea anemones can move, they tend to stay in the same spot until the surrounding environment become unbearable or when harassed by other predators. When this happen, they will release themselves from the substrate and use flexing motions to move to a more suitable place. They move at a very slow pace, about a few inches an hour.
Sea anemones are much more difficult to maintain in the saltwater reef aquarium compare to corals. They need better water quality that is free of organic wastes and less variation in the water chemistry and higher tank temperature. Sea anemones also need to be feed daily with plankton or other small meaty sea food for their long term survival in captivity. In the saltwater reef aquarium, their lifespan is generally about a few years only although they are known to have the ability to live forever in the ocean if not eaten or killed by toxins in their environments. Before buying sea anemones for your saltwater reef aquarium, you need to ensure that your tank condition have been set-up according to the need of these invertebrates. You need to get more information and tips about sea anemones requirements and needs so that you can successfully keep them in your saltwater reef tank. Note: Sea Anemones have stinging cells that are poisonous and can be dangerous to the touch as such exercise extra care when handling.
Some anemones are as individual as you or I, and one can tolerate high water flow, another of same will not - it's just the way they are. So this is not an exact science.
Remember that you are taking an animal, which in general opinion is hard to keep, out of the wild, out of the ocean. If you desire to keep one of these you find out as much as you can about them. Part of how I acquired my information was researching the animal or thing in question to death. If you find you just can't keep these creatures - STOP. They are not an inexhaustible commodity; they are ancient animals which may live for hundreds of years in the wild, sustaining many generations of clownfish families. That is until a keen reef keeper comes along, and kills it within a matter of weeks!!
There is no shame in not being able to keep anemones - some, even keepers who can maintain the most exotic of SPS corals, cannot keep anemones. I myself have had terrible luck with keeping SPS corals. I get them in and they look beautiful for months then all the sudden they begin to fade and slowly die off. Its about this point where I am target feeding them and fearfully watching them slowly die off. I have it in my mind that it was my lighting. It certainly wasn't because I kept a super clean tank. I am a big advocate of adding zooplankton to my tank on the regular.
Before you buy an anemone, do as much research as you can on the animal in general, and the species you want to keep. Most aquarist use the "12 month rule" when considering if their tank is matured enough to keep anemones.
This 12 month rule allows:
a ) the tank to mature and become less susceptible to condition swings, &
b ) the aquarist to gather enough knowledge on water conditions, parameters and correction techniques, so that they will be able to give anemone keeping their best shot.
BUYING
First and foremost when purchasing an anemone remember that they have been pulled form the reef and bagged, flown half way across the earth to get to your tanks - they are tired and shocked.
Reputable importers will house the anemone for at least 1 week before passing them to retailers. This 1 week period is important as it gives the anemone time to adjust and relax. Similarly when the animal arrives at the retailer, it should be given a period to rest. This rest time is very important to the anemone and should be observed, so when purchasing ask your LFS to hold it for you (offer a deposit) - this gives you the opportunity to rest the anemone and should there be a problem, it will happen in your LFS tank and not yours (not very nice, but once you're out that door the anemone becomes your responsibility, so those extra few days will help you distinguish between a healthy animal or the opposite). This is a great policy to have. Allowing for that additional time is a big step in the right direction to proper reefkeeping. It is best to always start your tank out on the right foot and that is with healthy inhabitants.
Your anemone should be healthy by this time but look out for the following before making a final purchase; a couple of signs of a sick anemone are:-
When you are happy that the specimen in question is healthy, and you want to purchase it, do so. Conscientious LFS will house their anemones in a tank with either a Velcro like substrate, or a very course gravel, thus making it a lot easier and safer to collect the animal from the tank. If they are housed in a tank with rocks, and the anemone has a hold on one, offer to buy the rock.
If it is not practicable to purchase the rock, the LFS must remove it manually. This should be done by gently shocking the animal to deflate (watch for the shock - a good sign) and easing it from the rock gently. This should be done with the thumb in a massaging motion, no objects other than that should be used. If done properly, and with an anemone with a good hold is being purchased, the process could take an hour or upwards to complete. Tearing the pedal disc (foot) at this point would be disastrous - a certain invite to bacteria followed by death (not good).
Once in the bag, get home as soon as possible. When in a bag, an anemone continues to expel used water, which may be loaded with waste matter, also discharged nematocysts (stinging cells). Oxygen also continues to be used. Combined, this makes the water foul - not a nice place to be!
AT HOME
When at home open the bag immediately to allow oxygen exchange. Acclimate to the temperature in your tank for about half to one hour by floating the bag. Now start to add a little water bit by bit (say 10% every 15 minutes) to allow for adjustment to your tank parameters.
After around 2 - 3 hours you should be able to release the anemone to the tank.
ANEMONE PLACEMENT
Reading up on your preferred anemone will give you an idea of where they would ideally like to live in your tank, but here is a very short, general guide.
Exceptions to this is if the anemone is in danger; then you should intervene to make is safe. Another is if it has lost its zooxanthellae (see below); you should start to feed as soon as it will take the food.
An important general rule here - disturb the anemone as little as possible from day one. Don't shock, don't move it, don't force into anything it doesn't want - LEAVE IT ALONE. An anemone that is constantly bothered will turn face up and die.
A common trait for newly introduced anemones (especially BTAs) is to wander about trying to find the perfect spot. It must be able to satisfy the following conditions for it to settle down - light, food, and flow. make sure you have all three right within the tank, or the anemone may wander forever and stress out, leading to death.
After the first week or so, if you believe it is settled, feed a little. Almost any meaty fare can be used, and you will know if your anemone doesn't like anything - it will spit it out!! You can use mussel, squid, gamma fish, brine shrimp and whole cockle. Feel free to try any sea faring meaty food.
When feeding, allow the food to drop or drift into the tentacles, at most little press into the tentacles using a planting stick - wobble it a little to elicit a feeding reaction. Food should never be forced into the mouth of the anemone - you will do untold amounts of damage to the mouth and actinopharynx (posh word for the multi-purpose sac inside which can be a stomach, digestive cavity, bowel and even a reproductive sac)
PROVIDING THE RIGHT CONDITIONS
LIGHTING
There has been many surveys and tests that have shown that many successful anemone keepers light their tank at a level of 4 watts per gallon. This is not really a reliable way to tell if you have enough light for your anemone. Metal Halide lighting is preferred and in my opinion essential for anemone health. It has been heard of an anemone kept in a tank with a number balanced tubes and over-indulgent feeding. However, there is no reason to subject an animal that is used to bright illumination in the tropics, to anything else.
For example, Heteractis Magnifica loves light, and serious anemone keepers will not even consider keeping this animal in less than 400 watt metal halide lighting!
Bubble Tip Anemones (E Quad or commonly know as BTA) on the other hand, can do very well under strong T5 lighting. Read up on your preferred anemone and find out what lighting it needs.
(LEDs are now made to be equivelant if not better than MH or T5s.. I have some posts coming up from soup to nuts on LED lighting and how they are better all around in the next few weeks!)
You may notice a colour change (usually a darkening or increase in intensity of existing colour) under bright lighting and this is a sign of zooxanthellae production. (zooxanthellae is a primitive algae that live within the tissue of a number or corals, clams anemones etc. It utilises waste products from inside the animal (ammonia wastes) and converts them into food, releasing an amount of glycerol and organic acids which the anemone shares.)
On the flip side, if lighting is not adequate, a loss of zooxanthellae will occur and the anemone will "bleach" or lose it's colour. This is a bad thing, and if this happens you should look to rectify this immediately.
If an anemone wanders looking up-stretched or seeks the highest point in the tank - it may need extra lighting. (In the case of Heteractis Magnifica it will normally seek the highest point in the tank an may not need more lighting)
On the other hand, the anemone may go into hiding, away from the light - this may be it's way to deal with the shock of bright light again, but they should come back out in a position they like. If, however your anemone has not re-appeared after a week or so, (which happens) suspect the worse and set about finding it. This behaviour is often displayed in sick anemones. You may wish to turn it's rock, or delicately move the rock to another area of the tank.
SG
SG need not be adjusted from the normal level maintained for tank mates, however it has been noted that higher success has been achieved using full strength sea water at around 1.024 - 1.026
TRACE ELEMENTS/SUPPLEMENTS, ETC
Should be ample if performing water changes at the correct level per week/month. People have theorised that the following are essential for anemone health - zinc, selenium, iodide iron, even copper. Interestingly enough, a survey from Joyce Wilkerson states that people who used normal tap water to make up they're tank water had higher success in keeping anemones alive for more that 24 months. This is not advised by myself, as tap water can contain harmful substances that may cause death or pollution in a reef tank. ( am one of those who uses tap water. I have been fortunate to have a well and have no additives and so far so good my reef has been thriving for many years now... I do have the RO/DI unit I bought a while back but it currently is collecting dust on a shelf in the basement.. maybe one day I will actually use it..)
TEMPERATURE
Nothing out of the ordinary here. Anything within a rang of say 75 degrees to 79 degrees - a steady temperature is more important than an exact level.
CURRENT
Very important in anemone health - without one they will wander round the tank forever. Current is used in the wild to enable the anemone to catch prey swept through it's tentacles. It also helps to rid the anemone of waste products and mucus, helping to repel bacteria. A moderate to brisk flow is generally appreciated, but it does vary between anemones. You will find that the anemone will choose where suits it best. Heteractis Magnifica appreciate very strong flow indeed. Don't blast them round the tank, but be sure to provide a flow suitable to their needs.
VERY IMPORTANT - Powerheads suck, literally and figuratively sometimes, and it is not advised to keep anemones with them. With their tendency to roam the tank looking for the best sunbathing spot there is the danger of it being sucked into the impeller and damaged. Find an alternative way of water movement such as a closed loop system.
TANK PARAMETERS
Should be at a level suitable for most reef tanks, with efforts to keep them optimal. By aiming for the best water conditions possible, you will give your anemone the best chance of long term survival in your tank.
Optimum water parameters are generally accepted as:
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - <10mg/l, preferably 0
PH - 8.1 to 8.3
Calcium - 400 to 475 mg/l
Alkalinity - 7 to 10dKH
FEEDING
This is a very individual choice which should be made together with your anemone. Offer food once a week to start with - this will condition the anemone. After that, well, you could continue to feed, or reduce to occasionally.
With adequate lighting, anemones do not need such gross feeding as once a day or once a week even. You have to find a balance between feeding, pollution and anemone health.
If an anemone is healthy it will grow. This can be a good indicator if it is receiving enough food. Some grow by utilising tank lighting only. If you have an anemone that grows without food then reduce you feeding to only monthly, or bi-monthly - to ensure that it receives all elements that cannot be obtained from the light (like fats and proteins)
If an anemone shrinks, then it is not receiving enough food (and or light).
PLEASE make an informed decision about your feeding regime though. Just because near starvation works for some, does not mean it will for you. You must watch your anemone carefully. If you feel you have a nice healthy specimen, decrease direct feeding, if however this causes your anemone to shrink, step up feeding again.
It is very tricky to get this right so if you're not sure, feed little an often. Your anemone will tell you when it's full by not accepting the food.
Feed a varied diet, as you would your fish. Variety can be the spice of life!!
CLOWN FRIENDS
If you want to keep clowns make sure that your anemone is around three time bigger than your fish – clownfish can be very boisterous, and mean to anemones, and as said earlier a bothered anemone will just turn face up and die.
Some clowns will only take up residence in a specific anemone. Here is a short list of which clowns take up residence, in which anemone, in nature:
Entacmaea Quaricolor (Bubble tips)
Heteractis Malu (Sebae Anemone)
Heteractis Crispa/Malu
A decomposing anemone will quickly pollute your tank like you wouldn't believe. Once on deaths door it will turn white turning into slime - REMOVE it immediately unless you want a massive ammonia/nitrite surge not to mention stench. You will have no issues in knowing whether your animal is dying or if just stressed. A dying anemone will REEK.
Cnidarians are host to these microscopic algae called zooxanthellae by providing them with protection, exposure to sunlight, gas and nutrients in exchange for oxygen and sugar from the byproducts of the algae's photosynthesis process. This microscopic algae also gives the sea anemones its unique beautiful color. Sea anemones get most of their food from the zooxanthellae but they have the ability to catch their own food such as small fish, plankton or other food particles which pass close enough to their stinging tentacles.
Sea anemones are different from corals as each of the anemones is actually a single or individual animal whereas corals are a group of many tiny coral polyps that have formed together to create the coral structures or reef that we can see in the ocean. Sea anemones are fleshy predatory animals and their size range from about half an inch (1.25 cm) to as big as 6 feet (1.8 m) across. They have soft round, cylinder-shaped body without skeleton and a broad oral disc at its base as their foot. Sea anemone has a basal disc at its bottom part, which function like some kind of a sticky foot. They use this to anchor themselves on the ocean floor or other structures. They do not have calcified shell or skeleton and have to rely on their stinging tentacles for defense and are solitary animals. Although sea anemones can move, they tend to stay in the same spot until the surrounding environment become unbearable or when harassed by other predators. When this happen, they will release themselves from the substrate and use flexing motions to move to a more suitable place. They move at a very slow pace, about a few inches an hour.
Sea anemones are much more difficult to maintain in the saltwater reef aquarium compare to corals. They need better water quality that is free of organic wastes and less variation in the water chemistry and higher tank temperature. Sea anemones also need to be feed daily with plankton or other small meaty sea food for their long term survival in captivity. In the saltwater reef aquarium, their lifespan is generally about a few years only although they are known to have the ability to live forever in the ocean if not eaten or killed by toxins in their environments. Before buying sea anemones for your saltwater reef aquarium, you need to ensure that your tank condition have been set-up according to the need of these invertebrates. You need to get more information and tips about sea anemones requirements and needs so that you can successfully keep them in your saltwater reef tank. Note: Sea Anemones have stinging cells that are poisonous and can be dangerous to the touch as such exercise extra care when handling.
Some anemones are as individual as you or I, and one can tolerate high water flow, another of same will not - it's just the way they are. So this is not an exact science.
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| Bubble tip Anemone |
Remember that you are taking an animal, which in general opinion is hard to keep, out of the wild, out of the ocean. If you desire to keep one of these you find out as much as you can about them. Part of how I acquired my information was researching the animal or thing in question to death. If you find you just can't keep these creatures - STOP. They are not an inexhaustible commodity; they are ancient animals which may live for hundreds of years in the wild, sustaining many generations of clownfish families. That is until a keen reef keeper comes along, and kills it within a matter of weeks!!
There is no shame in not being able to keep anemones - some, even keepers who can maintain the most exotic of SPS corals, cannot keep anemones. I myself have had terrible luck with keeping SPS corals. I get them in and they look beautiful for months then all the sudden they begin to fade and slowly die off. Its about this point where I am target feeding them and fearfully watching them slowly die off. I have it in my mind that it was my lighting. It certainly wasn't because I kept a super clean tank. I am a big advocate of adding zooplankton to my tank on the regular.
Before you buy an anemone, do as much research as you can on the animal in general, and the species you want to keep. Most aquarist use the "12 month rule" when considering if their tank is matured enough to keep anemones.
This 12 month rule allows:
a ) the tank to mature and become less susceptible to condition swings, &
b ) the aquarist to gather enough knowledge on water conditions, parameters and correction techniques, so that they will be able to give anemone keeping their best shot.
BUYING
First and foremost when purchasing an anemone remember that they have been pulled form the reef and bagged, flown half way across the earth to get to your tanks - they are tired and shocked.
Reputable importers will house the anemone for at least 1 week before passing them to retailers. This 1 week period is important as it gives the anemone time to adjust and relax. Similarly when the animal arrives at the retailer, it should be given a period to rest. This rest time is very important to the anemone and should be observed, so when purchasing ask your LFS to hold it for you (offer a deposit) - this gives you the opportunity to rest the anemone and should there be a problem, it will happen in your LFS tank and not yours (not very nice, but once you're out that door the anemone becomes your responsibility, so those extra few days will help you distinguish between a healthy animal or the opposite). This is a great policy to have. Allowing for that additional time is a big step in the right direction to proper reefkeeping. It is best to always start your tank out on the right foot and that is with healthy inhabitants.
Your anemone should be healthy by this time but look out for the following before making a final purchase; a couple of signs of a sick anemone are:-
- Open, gapping mouth - An open mouth can be classic sign of a dying anemone, a final gasp of life!
- Foot or body tears - invite bacterial infection and almost never heal
- Pale colour - lost or expelled zooxanthellae?
- Rolling around unattached - pedal disc (foot) damage?
- An anemone that doesn't react to stimulus - generally not a good sign.
When you are happy that the specimen in question is healthy, and you want to purchase it, do so. Conscientious LFS will house their anemones in a tank with either a Velcro like substrate, or a very course gravel, thus making it a lot easier and safer to collect the animal from the tank. If they are housed in a tank with rocks, and the anemone has a hold on one, offer to buy the rock.
If it is not practicable to purchase the rock, the LFS must remove it manually. This should be done by gently shocking the animal to deflate (watch for the shock - a good sign) and easing it from the rock gently. This should be done with the thumb in a massaging motion, no objects other than that should be used. If done properly, and with an anemone with a good hold is being purchased, the process could take an hour or upwards to complete. Tearing the pedal disc (foot) at this point would be disastrous - a certain invite to bacteria followed by death (not good).
Once in the bag, get home as soon as possible. When in a bag, an anemone continues to expel used water, which may be loaded with waste matter, also discharged nematocysts (stinging cells). Oxygen also continues to be used. Combined, this makes the water foul - not a nice place to be!
AT HOME
When at home open the bag immediately to allow oxygen exchange. Acclimate to the temperature in your tank for about half to one hour by floating the bag. Now start to add a little water bit by bit (say 10% every 15 minutes) to allow for adjustment to your tank parameters.
After around 2 - 3 hours you should be able to release the anemone to the tank.
ANEMONE PLACEMENT
Reading up on your preferred anemone will give you an idea of where they would ideally like to live in your tank, but here is a very short, general guide.
- Bubble Tips have particularly soft columns so liked to feel surrounded. A favourite thing for them to do is to squeeze into a crack of the living rock and only show they're oral disc to the world. You can encourage a bubble tip to stay in once place by allowing it to feel safe. It may find its own cavity, all well and good. If not try placing it to a structure which has an underhang, then it can peep out from underneath, or create a suitable hole in the rockwork for it to squeeze into.
- Stichodactyla Sp (carpet anemones) seems to like to having their foot wedged between the substrate and a rock on the tank floor. This again facilitates retraction to a safe place if needed. The speed at which this anemone can retract and deflate is astonishing!! An exception to the foot in the substrate is the Gigantic carpet anemone (S Gigantea), which can also favour rockwork. This is a rarely imported anemone however.
- Macrodactyla Doreensis commonly known as the long tentacle or curlique, likes it foot an column buried deep in the aquarium substrate.
- Heteractis Magnifica's or Ritteri Anemone like being high in the tank, often on top of the highest rock, or on the tank wall with its oral disc directly beneath the tank lighting.
- Heteractis Malu/Crispa or Sebae Anemone (My favorite!) seems to like being on the tank floor, with its foot buried in the sand, or under a base rock (or both).
Exceptions to this is if the anemone is in danger; then you should intervene to make is safe. Another is if it has lost its zooxanthellae (see below); you should start to feed as soon as it will take the food.
An important general rule here - disturb the anemone as little as possible from day one. Don't shock, don't move it, don't force into anything it doesn't want - LEAVE IT ALONE. An anemone that is constantly bothered will turn face up and die.
A common trait for newly introduced anemones (especially BTAs) is to wander about trying to find the perfect spot. It must be able to satisfy the following conditions for it to settle down - light, food, and flow. make sure you have all three right within the tank, or the anemone may wander forever and stress out, leading to death.
After the first week or so, if you believe it is settled, feed a little. Almost any meaty fare can be used, and you will know if your anemone doesn't like anything - it will spit it out!! You can use mussel, squid, gamma fish, brine shrimp and whole cockle. Feel free to try any sea faring meaty food.
When feeding, allow the food to drop or drift into the tentacles, at most little press into the tentacles using a planting stick - wobble it a little to elicit a feeding reaction. Food should never be forced into the mouth of the anemone - you will do untold amounts of damage to the mouth and actinopharynx (posh word for the multi-purpose sac inside which can be a stomach, digestive cavity, bowel and even a reproductive sac)
PROVIDING THE RIGHT CONDITIONS
LIGHTING
There has been many surveys and tests that have shown that many successful anemone keepers light their tank at a level of 4 watts per gallon. This is not really a reliable way to tell if you have enough light for your anemone. Metal Halide lighting is preferred and in my opinion essential for anemone health. It has been heard of an anemone kept in a tank with a number balanced tubes and over-indulgent feeding. However, there is no reason to subject an animal that is used to bright illumination in the tropics, to anything else.
For example, Heteractis Magnifica loves light, and serious anemone keepers will not even consider keeping this animal in less than 400 watt metal halide lighting!
Bubble Tip Anemones (E Quad or commonly know as BTA) on the other hand, can do very well under strong T5 lighting. Read up on your preferred anemone and find out what lighting it needs.
(LEDs are now made to be equivelant if not better than MH or T5s.. I have some posts coming up from soup to nuts on LED lighting and how they are better all around in the next few weeks!)
You may notice a colour change (usually a darkening or increase in intensity of existing colour) under bright lighting and this is a sign of zooxanthellae production. (zooxanthellae is a primitive algae that live within the tissue of a number or corals, clams anemones etc. It utilises waste products from inside the animal (ammonia wastes) and converts them into food, releasing an amount of glycerol and organic acids which the anemone shares.)
On the flip side, if lighting is not adequate, a loss of zooxanthellae will occur and the anemone will "bleach" or lose it's colour. This is a bad thing, and if this happens you should look to rectify this immediately.
If an anemone wanders looking up-stretched or seeks the highest point in the tank - it may need extra lighting. (In the case of Heteractis Magnifica it will normally seek the highest point in the tank an may not need more lighting)
On the other hand, the anemone may go into hiding, away from the light - this may be it's way to deal with the shock of bright light again, but they should come back out in a position they like. If, however your anemone has not re-appeared after a week or so, (which happens) suspect the worse and set about finding it. This behaviour is often displayed in sick anemones. You may wish to turn it's rock, or delicately move the rock to another area of the tank.
SG
SG need not be adjusted from the normal level maintained for tank mates, however it has been noted that higher success has been achieved using full strength sea water at around 1.024 - 1.026
TRACE ELEMENTS/SUPPLEMENTS, ETC
Should be ample if performing water changes at the correct level per week/month. People have theorised that the following are essential for anemone health - zinc, selenium, iodide iron, even copper. Interestingly enough, a survey from Joyce Wilkerson states that people who used normal tap water to make up they're tank water had higher success in keeping anemones alive for more that 24 months. This is not advised by myself, as tap water can contain harmful substances that may cause death or pollution in a reef tank. ( am one of those who uses tap water. I have been fortunate to have a well and have no additives and so far so good my reef has been thriving for many years now... I do have the RO/DI unit I bought a while back but it currently is collecting dust on a shelf in the basement.. maybe one day I will actually use it..)
TEMPERATURE
Nothing out of the ordinary here. Anything within a rang of say 75 degrees to 79 degrees - a steady temperature is more important than an exact level.
CURRENT
Very important in anemone health - without one they will wander round the tank forever. Current is used in the wild to enable the anemone to catch prey swept through it's tentacles. It also helps to rid the anemone of waste products and mucus, helping to repel bacteria. A moderate to brisk flow is generally appreciated, but it does vary between anemones. You will find that the anemone will choose where suits it best. Heteractis Magnifica appreciate very strong flow indeed. Don't blast them round the tank, but be sure to provide a flow suitable to their needs.
VERY IMPORTANT - Powerheads suck, literally and figuratively sometimes, and it is not advised to keep anemones with them. With their tendency to roam the tank looking for the best sunbathing spot there is the danger of it being sucked into the impeller and damaged. Find an alternative way of water movement such as a closed loop system.
TANK PARAMETERS
Should be at a level suitable for most reef tanks, with efforts to keep them optimal. By aiming for the best water conditions possible, you will give your anemone the best chance of long term survival in your tank.
Optimum water parameters are generally accepted as:
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - <10mg/l, preferably 0
PH - 8.1 to 8.3
Calcium - 400 to 475 mg/l
Alkalinity - 7 to 10dKH
FEEDING
This is a very individual choice which should be made together with your anemone. Offer food once a week to start with - this will condition the anemone. After that, well, you could continue to feed, or reduce to occasionally.
With adequate lighting, anemones do not need such gross feeding as once a day or once a week even. You have to find a balance between feeding, pollution and anemone health.
If an anemone is healthy it will grow. This can be a good indicator if it is receiving enough food. Some grow by utilising tank lighting only. If you have an anemone that grows without food then reduce you feeding to only monthly, or bi-monthly - to ensure that it receives all elements that cannot be obtained from the light (like fats and proteins)
If an anemone shrinks, then it is not receiving enough food (and or light).
PLEASE make an informed decision about your feeding regime though. Just because near starvation works for some, does not mean it will for you. You must watch your anemone carefully. If you feel you have a nice healthy specimen, decrease direct feeding, if however this causes your anemone to shrink, step up feeding again.
It is very tricky to get this right so if you're not sure, feed little an often. Your anemone will tell you when it's full by not accepting the food.
Feed a varied diet, as you would your fish. Variety can be the spice of life!!
CLOWN FRIENDS
If you want to keep clowns make sure that your anemone is around three time bigger than your fish – clownfish can be very boisterous, and mean to anemones, and as said earlier a bothered anemone will just turn face up and die.
Some clowns will only take up residence in a specific anemone. Here is a short list of which clowns take up residence, in which anemone, in nature:
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| Sebae Anemone |
Entacmaea Quaricolor (Bubble tips)
- A Bicinctus
- A Clarkii
- A Ephippium
- A Frenatus
- A Melanopus
- A Tricintus
- A Bicinctus
- A Clarkii
- A Occelaris
- A Percular
- A Perideraion
- A Sandaracinos
- A Sebae
- A Tricinctus
- A Clarkii
- A Perideraion
- A Polymnus
- A Akallopisos
- A Bicinctus
- A Clarkii
- A Melanopus
- A Nigripes
- A Occelaris
- A Percular
- A Perideraion
Heteractis Malu (Sebae Anemone)
- A Clarkii
Heteractis Crispa/Malu
- A Bicinctus
- A Clarkii
- A Ephippium
- A Melanopus
- A Percular
- A Perideraion
- A Polymnus
- A Sandaracinos
- A Tricinctus
A decomposing anemone will quickly pollute your tank like you wouldn't believe. Once on deaths door it will turn white turning into slime - REMOVE it immediately unless you want a massive ammonia/nitrite surge not to mention stench. You will have no issues in knowing whether your animal is dying or if just stressed. A dying anemone will REEK.
| Ritteri Anemone |
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