[FishPharmD]

Hi...

I have had a sebae anemone for about 3 weeks now. I got it along with a Clarkii clownfish. I have seen it do some strange things and I was hoping someone knew lots about anemones and could explain these behaviors....
Sometimes it spreads out really flat, along the bottom, and extends almost to the size of a dessert plate.
Sometimes (not too often) it closes up and brings all the edges and tentacles in close.
Sometimes its tentacles are long and thick
Other times, the tentacles are short and/or extremely thin. Usually, there are both thick and thin tentacles distributed throughout the anemone

What is this thing doing?
Also, I've never seen the clown feed it. In fact, I squirted some brine shrimp into it with a turkey baster, and the shrimp stuck to the tentacles. But the clown got them before it could do anything about it.

Someone on this site told me to feed anemones meaty foods. I went to the supermarket and got a "seafood combo" package, with pieces of squid, octopus, small shrimp, imitation crab, and mussels. I have tried on 2 different occasions to feed it a small peice of shrimp and squid (about the size of the last segment of my little finger, from the first knuckle up), but it moved the piece off of it and the food layed on the bottom and rotted (at least, it was covered with a slimy film stuff a couple days later.

Thanks!!!

[zhenya]

Originally Posted by FishPharmD

Hi...

I have had a sebae anemone for about 3 weeks now. I got it along with a Clarkii clownfish. I have seen it do some strange things and I was hoping someone knew lots about anemones and could explain these behaviors....
Sometimes it spreads out really flat, along the bottom, and extends almost to the size of a dessert plate.
Sometimes (not too often) it closes up and brings all the edges and tentacles in close.
Sometimes its tentacles are long and thick
Other times, the tentacles are short and/or extremely thin. Usually, there are both thick and thin tentacles distributed throughout the anemone

What is this thing doing?
Also, I've never seen the clown feed it. In fact, I squirted some brine shrimp into it with a turkey baster, and the shrimp stuck to the tentacles. But the clown got them before it could do anything about it.

Someone on this site told me to feed anemones meaty foods. I went to the supermarket and got a "seafood combo" package, with pieces of squid, octopus, small shrimp, imitation crab, and mussels. I have tried on 2 different occasions to feed it a small peice of shrimp and squid (about the size of the last segment of my little finger, from the first knuckle up), but it moved the piece off of it and the food layed on the bottom and rotted (at least, it was covered with a slimy film stuff a couple days later.

Thanks!!!

Hi Casey,

I certainly can't say that I know a lot about anemones but I do know one thing is that usually their diets are pretty hardwired into them genetically.
The point I'm trying to make is that you will have to experiment with different types of food and find one that anemone will accept.I too have a H.crispa(sebae)anemone and after trying various types of seafood I was successful with the silversides and other fish flesh. Don't expect your clownfish to feed your anemone, I personally think it is a myth and nothing more then fish trying to hide some food in the anemone.
Sometimes anemones "bunch up" (or retract) during the day when they defecate and this is normal. Regarding different size tentacles present, I think it is also normal,however, if your animal retracts and shrink its tentacles excessively I think it could be stressed for some reason or other.
Does it have enough light, flow...food? Might want to check your water parameters as well.
Stretching along the sand is a normal behaviour for this type anemone, they like to attach to the rock at the sand level and stretch out along the sand with their tentacles extending, waiting for food item to float along...
Mine, for instance, is attached under a rock and most of its foot is under the sand as well, all you see is the oral disk and tentacles and rarely I get a glimpse of the foot.