SEA ANEMONE

[Sea hare]

Now here's a weird one. Have two sea anemone in my tank. One is a BT and the clown really enjoy him.. The other one is white with blue tips ( so don't know the name) and is always on the floor.

I got the second one some 4 plus weeks back and ever since fish and shrimps have been disappearing. At first did not think much if it and put it down to infection, mantis, worms etc. ( laud traps but got not a single shrimp or worm). Today I noticed some 4 fish disappeared. One chromis was right next to this anemone and the anemone had actually moved position ( he normally is in one corner). The fish seemed to be in his tentacles and in some 5 minutes he had actually enveloped the fish.

Two questions. Are anemone predatory? Or do they just feast on dead fish? Also after his introduction all my fish hide in rocks and are more ICH prone ( shows more stress). Is my prognosis correct. If yes would any of you wnat this Johnny. (Free of course). Have attached his photo. Apologies for poor quality.

[xiggie]

Hi ..

Firstly the white anemone with blue tip is a Heteractis malu or saebae anemone.

Secondly yes they are sand anemone and would be at home on the sandbed

Thirdly yes all anemone are predatory will eat anything the can get their tantacle on. Including snails,urchin, in fact anything that moves.

No matter how much u feed him .. He will still eat anything he catch , I have lost up to date 1 powder tang almost 3inch, urchins ,snails, and countless small hermitcrabs to my pet carpet anemone .

My Heteractis malu anemone has been an angel till now , only eating the shrimps I've been feeding it. Maybe due to the clown that's hosting it ,shooing any fish that comes near..

[Sea hare]

Hey xiggie Thanks a ton.. Voracious eater then!!!! He has eaten some 20 shrimps, 30 odd fish in under two months.. But what the heck he hasn't grown big.. Have made my first mistake with dabbling with something I did not know about.. Also can he be stressing the fish? Also do anemone STING as my goby now looks stung. Also why and how come he is going after only fresh life stock while the old fish are doing great? Finally you want him? FREE of course.

[xiggie]

They don't go after fish , it's the fish that swam into them , The old fish knows how to avoid it I guess and I don't have space for another anemone .. Haha thank for the offer maybe some others will want it .. And 20 shrimp and 30 fish is aLoT of live stock!!!!!!!!!

[Sea hare]

What to do... Pls c my other posts... Lost a lot of them and frankly no one could help as I thought anemone are innocuous and harmless. Learnt the hard way... Have a bubble tip which I will retain

[Sea hare]

Once again thanks.

[Sea hare]

Last q. Can the presence of this anemone stress my older fish? They developed ICH and though they lose it, it returns.

[xiggie]

Ick are parasites and will always be in the tank once they are introduced into it. They have their own life cycle and maybe u could read up on it if u haven't.

Yes ,stressed and especially new fish wil be easily infected by ick but old fish too will be infected and it depends on their overall health to survive the attack.

Anemone has got nothing to do with ick ,but whether they do or do not induce stress to the fish removing them does not guarantee the fish will not get ick in the future coz the ick are already there.. And when the cycle for them to find a host fish comes , the will appear and infect a fish..