Anemones are large-sized coral polyps, which, unlike other corals, have a soft body. Anemones belong to a separate class of coral polyps, they are also related to jellyfish. They are also called sea anemones because they have such a beautiful appearance that they look like flowers.
Features of the appearance of sea anemones
The body consists of a cylindrical leg and a bundle of tentacles. The leg consists of their annular and longitudinal muscles, thanks to which the sea anemone can stretch, shorten and bend. At the bottom of the foot there is a sole or pedal disc.
Mucus is released from the anemone's leg, which hardens, and the anemone sticks to the substrate. Other sea anemones have wide legs, with their help they cling like an anchor to loose soil, and the sole with a bubble acts as a fin. These types of sea anemones swim upside down.
At the upper end of the body is the oral disc, which surrounds a row or several rows of tentacles. In one row, the tentacles are the same, but in different rows they may differ in color and size. The tentacles are equipped with stinging cells, from which thin poisonous threads fly out. The mouth opening may be oval or rounded.
Sea anemones are fairly primitive creatures that do not have complex sensory organs. The unequal anemone system consists of a group of sensitive cells located on the sole, base of the tentacles and around the mouth opening. These nerve cells respond to various stimuli, for example, cells near the mouth are able to distinguish substances, but do not respond to mechanical stimulus, and cells on the sole do not respond to chemical stimuli, but are sensitive to mechanical ones.
Most sea anemones have a bare body, while sea anemones have a chitinous cover, their legs look like a tube, which is why they were called "tubular". The bodies of some anemones are covered with grains of sand and various building materials, which make the cover more durable.
The color is so diverse that even among representatives of the same species, the shade may vary. Anemones come in all colors of the rainbow: pink, red, green, orange, white, and more. Often the edges of the tentacles have a contrasting color. Anemone body sizes fluctuate over a wide range.
The body height of the smallest gonactinia is 2-3 mm, the largest is the carpet anemone, up to 1.5 meters in diameter, and the height of the metridium anemone reaches 1 meter.
Range and habitats of sea anemones
Anemones live in any oceans and seas. Most of these animals are concentrated in the subtropical and tropical zones, but they are also found in the polar regions. For example, in the seas of the Arctic Ocean lives a sea carnation or senile metridium.
Habitats are quite diverse: from the depths of the ocean to the surf zone. At a depth of more than 1000 meters, few sea anemones live. Although most sea anemones are marine animals, certain species can live in fresh water. 4 species of sea anemones live in the Black Sea, one species lives in the Sea of Azov.
Anemone lifestyle
Anemones that live in shallow water often have microscopic algae in their tentacles, giving them a green tint and supplying them with nutrients. These sea anemones live in lighted places, they are active mainly during the day, as they depend on the photosynthesis of algae. And certain species do not tolerate light at all. Anemones that live in the tidal zone have a clear daily regime, which is associated with the time of drainage and flooding of the territory.
All sea anemones can be divided into 3 types according to their lifestyle: floating, sessile and burrowing. Most of the sea anemones are sessile, the genera Haloclava, Edwardsia and Peachia belong to the burrowing ones, and only the Minyas genus belongs to the swimming ones.
Anemones are attached to the bottom with the help of the so-called "sole". Sedentary sea anemones, contrary to the name, are able to move slowly. As a rule, they begin to move if something does not suit them, for example, light or lack of food. Anemones move in several ways. Some species arch the body and attach to the ground with a mouth disk, then tear off the leg and transfer it to a new place. Sedentary jellyfish move in a similar way. Other species move their soles, tearing off sections of it alternately from the ground. And the third way - anemones lie on their side and crawl like worms, while different parts of the leg are reduced.
In fact, burrowing sea anemones don't burrow that often. They sit for most of their lives, and they are called burrowers because they can dig into the ground, and only the tentacle corolla remains visible from the outside. In order to dig a hole, anemone acts in a rather interesting way: it draws water into the oral cavity, and alternately pumps it to one end of the body, and then to the other, so it goes deep, like a worm, into the ground.
Sedentary small gonactinia is sometimes able to swim, while swimming it rhythmically moves its tentacles, its movements are similar to dome contraction. Floating species stay on the water passively with the help of pneumocysts, and move with the help of the current.
The relationship of sea anemones with other marine inhabitants
Anemones lead a solitary lifestyle, but if conditions are favorable, then these polyps unite in colonies, forming beautiful flowering gardens. Basically, anemones do not show interest in relatives, but some of them have a quarrelsome disposition. These anemones, when touched by a relative, attack him with stinging cells, which cause tissue necrosis.
But with other types of animals, sea anemones often get along well. The most striking example of symbiosis is the life of sea anemones and clown fish. The fish take care of the polyps, cleaning them of food debris and various debris, and the sea anemones eat up the remains of the prey of clown fish. And shrimp often find shelter from enemies and food in the tentacles of anemones.
Anemones are useful organisms. They live in tropical and subtropical waters. Relations between anemones adamsia and hermit crabs are even better established. Only young adamsia live on their own, and then hermit crabs find them and attach them to their shells. At the same time, the sea anemone is attached with its mouth disk forward, thanks to which it gets food particles from the soil stirred up by cancer. And actinia protects cancer from enemies. Moreover, when the crayfish changes its home, it transfers the anemone to a new shell. If the cancer has not found its anemone, it tries to take it away from its fellow.
Anemone nutrition
Some anemones send everything that touches their tentacles, even pebbles and other inedible objects, into the oral cavity, while others spit out what cannot be eaten.
Polyps feed on various animal foods. Some species filter the water and extract organic debris from it, while others prey on larger prey - fish. For the most part, sea anemones feed on algae.
anemone breeding
Reproduction in anemones can occur sexually and asexually. Asexual reproduction occurs due to longitudinal division, in this case two individuals are obtained from one individual. This method of reproduction is found in the most primitive anemones gonactinia. In the middle of the legs, these anemones form a mouth, after which the animal breaks up into two independent organisms. Since anemones are capable of asexual reproduction, they have a high ability to regenerate tissues: in anemones, lost body parts are quickly restored.
Most anemones are dioecious. But there are no differences between male and female anemones. In certain species of anemones, both female and male germ cells can form simultaneously.
The process of fertilization in sea anemones can occur in the gastric cavity or in the external environment.
In the first week of life, anemone larvae move freely in the water, due to which they are carried by the current over long distances. In some species, the larvae develop in special pockets that are found on the bodies of the mothers.
Any anemone is extraordinarily beautiful. Therefore, anemones are often called sea anemones. This, which has already become the official name, they received for their resemblance to the flowers of plants. Indeed, underwater landscapes, decorated with anemones sitting on them, can be compared with an exotic flower bed.
- They do not have an axial skeleton and are therefore invertebrates.
- These beauties belong to the type of coelenterates and are the closest relatives of corals.
And although sea anemones always live alone, and corals always form colonies, both these groups of animals have many similarities in structure.
Dear guests of the ecological park, amazing video meetings with unusual animals await you today!
How is the polyp of intestinal animals arranged?
Anemone - metridium senile (Sea of Japan)
Metridium senile - sea anemone, the photo of which you see on this page, demonstrates the structure of a single polyp. A polyp is called a single form of this animal. Therefore, one sea anemone is one polyp. And the coral is a lot of polyps that form a colony.
But the internal structure and principle of life activity are the same for them. A separate polyp resembles a two-layer sac with one hole open at one end, inside of which there is an “intestinal” cavity.
In this cavity, food is digested, and the hole acts as a mouth. And through the same hole, undigested food remains are ejected from the body of the polyp. The mouth is surrounded by a ring of tentacles.
Watch a fragment of a hand-drawn cartoon about how sea anemones eat.
Video, sea anemone:
So, you were attentive and saw that at first the sea anemone put the caught fish into its mouth, and then threw out their skeletons from there. Amazing, isn't it?
Imagine - sea anemones are very similar in structure!
If the jellyfish is turned dome down, then we will see all the features of polypactinia:
- After all, the hole in the jellyfish is also the same - it serves as a mouth and a place for throwing out waste.
- The jellyfish has tentacles with which it catches food, and the sea anemone also has them.
- If you extend the dome of the jellyfish, you get an elongated body of an anemone.
You can even try to make such a transformation of a jellyfish into an anemone on a plasticine model.
Blind a jellyfish from plasticine, and then pull its dome down in the form of a tube and move the tentacles closer. Attach the lower part of the straw to something strong - there you have an anemone!
What are the types of anemones?
In nature, there are a variety of types of anemones. In total, there are about 1,500 species of these animals that live only in the sea. Freshwater anemones, unlike jellyfish, do not exist in nature. The sizes of anemones vary in a very wide range:
- body anemone diameter from a few millimeters to 1.5 m;
- height can reach 1 m;
Most sea anemones have a tall columnar body, in the upper part of which there is a mouth surrounded by numerous long tentacles carrying stinging cells with poison. The lower part of them is attached to the underwater substrate.
But among the sea anemones there is one amazing family. See what these sea anemones look like in an aquarium.
Video, sea anemone:
With the help of this video, you got to know the sea anemone, which is called Amplexidiscus fenestrafer or Great Elephant Ear from the Discosoma family. Isn't it a very successful and telling name?
Representatives of the discos family (Discosomatidae) are the most amazing sea anemones!
The body of the discosoma is in the form of a flexible disk, which is covered with cone-shaped tentacles from the inside. At the bottom of the disk there is a sole for attaching the animal to the substrate. In the upper central part of the disk there is a rather large mouth - a mouth opening.
They are painted in almost all colors of the rainbow: green, yellow, lilac, purple and others. Disc diameter - up to 40 cm
Symbiosis in the life of anemones
Sea anemones and hermit crab are the most common example of symbiosis (mutually beneficial cooperation) among sea anemones. Cancer - a hermit for sea anemones - is a means of transportation, since sea anemones move very slowly on their own. The anemone, whose tentacles have stinging cells, provides protection to the hermit crab.
sea anemones, or sea anemones, refer to class of coral polyps. This is the largest group of coelenterates, numbering more than 6,000 thousand species. Most of the members of the group are colonial corals, which are described on the following pages. But the most famous are sea anemones. They are larger and most often live as single individuals rather than colonies. They live in the shallows along the coasts, usually attached to rocks, plants, shells or other surfaces. However, anemones are capable of slow movement, crawling or sliding on their soles. If they are "in a hurry" they can do somersaults. Few can swim - using the contraction of the tentacles or the bends of the whole body. But usually we see only the swaying movements of anemones, which they make in the process of obtaining food. sea anemones- this is, but they do not have a medusoid stage in their life and live all their lives in the form of polyps. Outwardly, they resemble, but are larger and much more complicated, in addition, most often they do not unite in colonies, but live alone. The sole of the sea anemone is thicker, and the tentacles around the mouth opening are thicker and stronger. In addition, most sea anemones are colored in bright reds, yellows, pinks, browns and blues. This coloration is a warning to other animals that anemones are not edible and can sting with their tentacles.
Most anemones feed by catching small fish, shrimp and other animals with their tentacles. The stinging cells of the tentacles kill or paralyze prey. Sea anemones do not have eyes, but they react to touch and fire venomous stingers. Moreover, they are able to detect the substances emitted by the bodies of their victims. Thanks to this, more and more new ones are connected to the retention and killing of prey. The poison of most ordinary anemones is not strong enough to harm a person.
The mouth opening of anemones, located in the middle of the tentacles, stretches so wide that the animal is able to swallow prey much larger than itself! Food enters and is slowly digested in the gastric cavity located in the body of the animal. Undigested remains are excreted from the body of anemones through the same opening through which food enters. Anemones reproduce in the same way as hydras - by growing young individuals on the surface of their bodies. In addition, they produce eggs and sperm like most animals.
Anemones do not look aggressive. But in the process of fighting for the best place on the rocks, they slowly push each other, trying to push the opponent from the rocks into the mud and sand.
The short tentacles of the Dahlia anemone are covered with cones, to which pieces of gravel, shells and blades of grass are glued. With the onset of low tide, the sea anemone retracts its tentacles and becomes like a piece of gravel.
The orange anemone has powerful strong tentacles around the mouth opening.
Some sea anemones live longer than humans. They can reach over seventy years of age in sheltered and food-rich large marine lagoons or clear water areas.
Usually anemone tentacles are arranged in circles, the number of tentacles is a multiple of 6 or 8.
The Pseudocorynactis anemone has bright, rounded yellow-orange tips on wide-spread, pale blue tentacles.
The largest sea anemone is the discoma. It can reach 60 cm in diameter. Lives between corals on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
One of the most common multi-colored anemones is the horse anemone. It lives on rocks in the tidal zone. It is most often red, but can be brown, orange, or green.
coral polyps:
- About 6,000 species of marine life
- A stalked body attached by the sole to the substrate, bearing tentacles at the apex (polypoid stage only)
- Rounded body with tentacles, genitals and other organs, the number of which is a multiple of 6 or 8
Before buying sea anemones, just like other sea creatures, you need to make sure that you have a good idea of how to properly care for them. Their requirements may surprise you. Here are some recommendations based on my own experience.
Water quality
Generally speaking, sea anemones require the same water parameters as SPS corals (small polyp stony corals). Specifically: high dissolved oxygen, SG 1.024 to 1.026, stable pH 8.1 to 8.3, temperature 76 to 78 F, calcium 400 to 450, dKH 8.0 to 12.0, magnesium 1250 and 1350 ppm, nitrate levels of 2 ppm or less (the closer to zero the better), a stable phosphate level of around 0.002 ppm or less (closer to zero is better), and finally zero levels of ammonia and nitrite. The key to a healthy and prosperous existence of sea anemones, as well as all representatives of the underwater world living in captivity, is to maintain stable water parameters in the aquarium at a given level or close to it.
Aquarium conditions/parameters
A) The maturity of the aquarium. When keeping anemones, this aspect is more important for beginners than for hardened veterans (to be clear - I do not consider myself to be the latter). The bottom line is that aquariums younger than 6 months old can be subject to fluctuations in water parameters, and not all anemones can withstand such changes.B) The flow and circulation of water. Sea anemones need at least a slight current. They breathe by absorbing oxygen directly from the water. In their natural habitat, anemones also need a current that brings food and carries away waste. In essence, sea anemones require medium to low current. One of the most common causes of malaise in sea anemones is abnormal flow. As a result, they begin to move around the aquarium, in order to find the most favorable place. Different anemones have different attitudes towards the flow and circulation of water in an aquarium.
C) lighting requirements. Sea anemones require the same good light as SPS corals (small polyp stony corals) to thrive. Through photosynthesis, anemones obtain a large amount of essential nutrients. Anemone tissues contain zooxatenella algae, which allow them to use light. Traditionally, metal halide lamps or T5 HO lamps have been considered to be best suited for actinium. The high quality of the LEDs also contributes to the good lighting that sea anemones need. When I have kept bubble and carpet anemones, I have used T5HO bulbs and high quality LEDs with great success. As a general rule, if your lighting is a little less than ideal, you can always make up for it with regular feedings.
There are many different opinions about what should be the optimal lighting. I developed my own rule: 4 watts per gallon of water (14,000 K lamp). Such lighting will be optimal for aquariums with a height of about 20 centimeters. Once again, this rule is based on personal positive experience of keeping sea anemones.
D) The level of oxygen content. For sea anemones, as well as for other representatives of the underwater world, the most favorable is the high level of oxygen content. Achieving optimal oxygen levels is not difficult, especially if you ensure good water circulation in the aquarium and use a skimmer.
Feeding sea anemones
There are several opinions about feeding sea anemones. Some do not feed them at all, and anemones remain healthy and grow in the aquarium for many years, provided there is sufficient light levels. Personally, I fed anemones two to three times a month, which contributed to their rapid growth and healthy existence. If you want to speed up the growth of sea anemones, you can even feed them 3 times a week. I fed my anemones every week, as a result of which they quickly grew, multiplied and looked quite contented with life.
High-protein animal foods such as shellfish, scallops, shrimp, mussels, and shrimp larvae are great for sea anemones. There are other types of anemone food, but I haven't tried them.
Before feeding the sea anemone, make sure the food is small enough for him to swallow easily. Place the food as close to the sea anemone as possible (I use long tweezers for this). As soon as food comes into contact with an anemone, it should react immediately. It can take up to 2-3 minutes for anemones to pick up food and swallow it. If an anemone is under stress, it may take longer. And be sure to keep an eye on other animals and fish in the tank, as they will usually try to take food from the sea anemone while it tries to eat it.
clown fish
Do anemones need clown fish?... The answer is no. Anemones can do just fine without them. However, such an alliance is mutually beneficial and has a number of advantages for both parties: clown fish protect the sea anemone from other fish and even from some animals that inhabit the aquarium, in addition, clowns leave uneaten food on the sea anemone (that is, they actually feed it), and, finally, Clownfish hide in sea anemones to protect themselves from other fish. At the same time, sea anemones and clownfish can perfectly exist and remain healthy and happy separately from each other.
If you are going to get a pair of clownfish for your sea anemone, make sure you choose the right species and that they will actually bond with your sea anemone in the future, as usually certain types of clownfish nest in certain types of sea anemones.
On the other hand, anemones can become dangerous to other inhabitants of the aquarium, because they are not particularly picky about food. Representatives of some species catch and eat almost all slowly moving small fish or paralyze those who swim too close to their tentacles. My carpet anemone ate a large number of snails (and then spit out the shell), pygmy wrasse (a species of orange-backwrasse), and all the cleaner shrimp, while the bladder anemone did not touch any of them.
.Movement of sea anemones
The movement of anemones around the aquarium may indicate a change in water quality or other conditions, which negatively affects their existence. If your sea anemone has started to move and you haven't changed the lighting or the current, the problem may be related to a change in water parameters. Some anemones are more prone to movement than others. For example, I had a blister anemone that split and one of the detached parts began to move around until it found a suitable place away from the rest of the anemones. However, my carpet anemones have been in the same place for several years.
Addition of sea anemones to the aquarium
If, after reading all the requirements and recommendations, you decide to purchase an anemone and place it in your aquarium, I suggest following these steps:A) First of all, as soon as you lower the anemone into the aquarium, turn off the current for 24 hours. This will help him get used to his new home.
B) First you need to ensure the “maturity” of the aquarium environment and make sure that the water parameters correspond to the required level and remain stable.
C) Then you need to choose a suitable place in the aquarium. Some sea anemones prefer to attach their feet to rocks, while others like to stick to the bottom of the aquarium. Some sea anemones attach themselves to a substrate that can be placed in an aquarium (3 to 6 inches). Therefore, you should first consider all possible options and choose the best place for your sea anemone. In addition, you need to think about lighting and water circulation.
D) Now you are ready to buy sea anemones. It is important to choose a healthy individual, so in the store, pay attention to the color of the sea anemone (the color should not be pale) and the mouth (it should be closed).
E) After the purchase, you must carefully bring the sea anemone home and help him adapt to new living conditions.
E) In addition to acclimatizing sea anemones to water parameters, attention should be paid to adaptation to aquarium lighting. One of the best ways is to use a translucent plastic screen for shading. Place three of these screens at the top of the tank and remove one about every 3 days. This will allow the sea anemones to gradually get used to the new lighting.
G) From several days to a week, the anemone will be in a stressful state until it gets used to the new conditions of existence. For a day or two, an anemone may hide in rocks or keep its mouth wide open. This reaction can be repeated several times.
H) Until your anemone settles in its new home, it is better to turn off the current at night. From my own experience, sea anemones start to move after you turn off the lights. And when moving, they can easily penetrate the pump.
If you notice one or more of the following signs of stress within a week of placing your anemone in the aquarium, or if you notice them after a long stay in the aquarium, this is an indication that your anemone is having difficulty adjusting or is in a dysfunctional state.
A) Sea anemones secrete a lot of viscous brown liquid. This may signal that the water parameters are not suitable for your anemone, as a result of which it is losing zooxatenella. This can become a serious problem.
B) The sea anemone shrinks or swells too much. This usually happens when the anemone is cleared of waste by changing the water that is inside. However, if this happens constantly (say every day or more), or the anemone remains compressed for a long time, this is a sure sign of a stressful condition.
C) The anemone's mouth is open even when it is not eating or excreting waste.
D) Anemone moves in stones and disappears from view (for stone anemones this is the norm).
E) Actinia turned pale or almost colorless, this effect is also called “whitening”. In general, this is another symptom of the loss of zooxatenell, or the result of insufficient preparation of anemones for new aquarium lighting.
E) The anemone's mouth remains open or dilated even when the anemone is not eating. In extreme cases of stress, the mouth will turn inside out.
G) Sea anemones are not fixed anywhere in your aquarium.
Anemone bleaching
If your sea anemone suddenly becomes discolored (or loses most of its color) during an extended stay in a tank, this is an indication of lighting or water quality problems. Listed below are the most common causes of anemone bleaching.
A) Too much light
B) Insufficient lighting
C) Too high nutrient levels in the water
D) Too low nutrient levels in the water
Below I have given recommendations based on my own experience for the maintenance of carpet and bubble anemones. Today, there are many other types of sea anemones suitable for keeping in an aquarium, but I have not come across them from personal experience.
bubble anemones
Currently, this species is one of the most common in the aquarium trade. From my own experience, I can say that bubble anemones are one of the most unpretentious and probably the most hardy species for aquarium keeping. As a rule, in order to gain a foothold and protect their foot, bubble anemones choose cracks in the stones. The most favorable conditions for them are moderate water flows and an average level of illumination.
Red and green bubble anemones are the most common, but blue and orange anemones can be found. They are easy to distinguish due to their very long tentacles (1-2 inches long) with bubbles at the ends. The size and shape of the bubbles, depending on the type of anemone, can vary from very large to almost invisible. Bubble anemones can be up to one meter in diameter, so I suggest using an aquarium of at least 30 gallons.
Usually bubble anemones penetrate with their foot into the crevice of the stone, where they are further fixed. They prefer moderate water currents and medium light levels. Bubble anemones are the most active in the aquarium. Any change, even a small one that is difficult to determine, can set these anemones in motion.
Ideal conditions for keeping bubble anemones contribute to rapid reproduction, which occurs in two ways - sexually (spawning) and asexually (dividing). In just one year, living in my aquarium, the bubble anemone has grown into five full-fledged anemones. It works like this: when an anemone reaches its maximum size, it divides and one part begins to move around the aquarium until it finds a suitable place.
If you want to add clownfish to your aquarium, check out the list below for species that prefer to live in bubble anemones. I found this list in a marine aquarium magazine.
Amphiprion clarkii
Amphiprion ocellaris
Amphiprion akindynos(reef clown)
Amphiprion bicinctus(two stripe clown)
(orange-finned clownfish)
Amphiprion ephippium(fire clown)
Amphiprion frenatus(tomato clown)
Amphiprion latezonatus(broadband clown)
Amphiprion mccullochi(McCulloch's Clown)
Amphiprion melanopus(black clown)
Amphiprion rubrocinctus(Australian clown)
Amphiprion tricinctus(three stripe clown)
The photo below is of my blister anemone three weeks after dividing. After I took the photo after one or two weeks, the left anemone began to move around the aquarium.
Carpet anemones
This type of sea anemone is one of the most difficult to keep in an aquarium. The most common carpet anemones are Stichodactyla gigantea and Stichodactyla haddoni. In appearance, they are very similar, so it is quite difficult to distinguish them from each other. However, due to slight differences in the needs of these anemones, which may affect their further development, one should learn to distinguish between them.
Carpet anemones Stichodactyla gigantea
These anemones are the most difficult to care for. I have spent a lot of time studying these sea anemones, so I can tell exactly what the difference is between gigantea and haddoni. in diameter gigantea (Stichodactyla gigantea) reaches over 1.5 meters, and often weighs around 2 pounds when kept in ideal conditions. In their natural habitat, the diameter of these sea anemones can reach up to three meters. Their tentacles are the longest among the carpet anemones, but much shorter than those of the bubble anemones. The tentacles are ¼ to ¾ inches long. In appearance, these sea anemones are similar to a shaggy carpet of the 60s. As a rule, they have a brown or sandy color, less common are green, blue, yellow, purple and pink anemones. The rarest colors are red and dark blue. There are no known cases of breeding in the home aquarium.
For content S. gigantea Many recommend using a species tank of at least 40 gallons, but I would recommend a tank of at least 75 gallons. In addition, it is necessary to ensure a moderate (or slightly above average) circulation of water in the aquarium. I have seen such an anemone nestled right in the flow of the return pump. sea anemones S. gigantea are the most demanding on lighting conditions, therefore, compared to the rest, they need more light. They like to bury their foot 3-6 inches into the substrate and attach themselves to the bottom of the aquarium. Thus, when they feel threatened, they are completely drawn into the substrate.
In this photo you can see anemones S. gigantea rare colors.
I took this photo at a local aquarium store.
Below is my blue carpet anemone.
Carpet anemones Stichodactyla haddoni
sea anemones haddoni (Stichodactyla haddoni) can reach the same large sizes as giant sea anemones, about 2 meters in diameter. Although they are difficult to keep, these difficulties are nothing compared to the difficulties that arise when keeping giant anemones. S. haddoni have very short tentacles that look more like colored bumps. They look a bit like commercial carpets to me. Their tentacles are about half the length of giant anemone tentacles. As a rule, they are brown or sandy in color, green, blue and purple are less common, red and pink are the most rare.
S. haddoni increase in size very quickly. My sea anemone grew from 4 inches to 12 inches in 18 months. Many recommend a 40 gallon or larger aquarium for the primary setting, but I recommend 75 gallons or more. They are usually placed in the sand, burying their foot 3-6 inches into the substrate, and attach themselves to the bottom of the aquarium. As soon as they feel danger, they are completely drawn into the substrate. Although haddoni and gigantea have similar light requirements, haddoni prefer less water circulation than gigantea (below average).
sea anemones S. haddoni quite aggressive with their victims: as soon as they get too close to their tentacles, haddoni immediately grab and eat them. Due to the highly adhesive tentacles, they are quite difficult to deal with. My sea anemone ate a lot of snails (and then spit out shells), shrimp and a few fish.
Clown fish mostly prefer to settle in carpet anemones. [ Note. ed.: Dubious assertion] If you want to add clownfish to your aquarium, check out the following list to help you determine which clownfish species are best for carpet anemones.
Amphiprion ocellaris(anemone clown (all kinds of colors))
Amphiprion akindynos(reef clown)
Amphiprion chrysogaster(Muritic clown)
Amphiprion chrysopterus(orange-finned clownfish)
Amphiprion clarkii(Clark the Clown)
Amphiprion polymnus(saddle clown)
Amphiprion sebae(Seba the clown)
Amphiprion chrysopterus Blueline(orange-finned clownfish)
Amphiprion ephippium(fire clown)
Amphiprion frenatus(tomato clown)
Below is my red carpet anemone haddoni. This photo was taken immediately after being placed in the aquarium, which was then about 4 inches in size. In the following photos you can see haddoni in normal size - about 14 inches.
Anemones are large coral polyps that, unlike most other corals, have a soft body. Anemones are isolated in a separate order in the class of Coral polyps, in addition to corals, anemones are related to other intestinal animals - jellyfish. They got their second name, sea anemones, for their extraordinary beauty and resemblance to flowers.
Colony of solar anemones (Tubastrea coccinea)
The body of anemones consists of a cylindrical leg and a corolla of tentacles. The leg is formed by longitudinal and ring muscles, which allow the body of anemones to bend, shorten and stretch. The leg may have a thickening at the lower end - a pedal disc or a sole. In some anemones, the ectoderm (skin) of the legs secretes a hardening mucus, with which they stick to a solid substrate, in others it is wide and swollen, such species anchor in loose soil with the help of the sole. Even more amazing is the structure of the leg of the anemones of the genus Minyas: their sole has a bubble - a pneumocyst, which plays the role of a float. These sea anemones swim upside down in the water. The leg tissue consists of individual muscle fibers immersed in a mass of intercellular substance - mesoglea. The mesoglea can have a very thick, cartilage-like consistency, so the anemone's foot is firm to the touch.
Solitary solar anemone with translucent tentacles
At the upper end of the body, anemones have a mouth disk surrounded by one or more rows of tentacles. All tentacles of one row are the same, but in different rows they can vary greatly in length, structure and color.
Deep sea anemone (Urticina felina)
In general, the body of anemones is radially symmetrical, in most cases it can be divided into 6 parts, according to this feature they are even referred to as a subclass of Six-pointed corals. The tentacles are armed with stinging cells that can fire thin venomous filaments. The mouth opening of anemones can be round or oval. It leads to the pharynx, which opens into a blindly closed gastric cavity (a kind of stomach).
Often at the ends of the tentacles one can see swellings formed by clusters of stinging cells.
Anemones are rather primitive animals; they do not have complex sense organs. Their nervous system is represented by groups of sensitive cells located at vital points - around the oral disc, at the base of the tentacles and on the sole. Nerve cells specialize in different types of external influences. So, the nerve cells on the sole of the sea anemone are sensitive to mechanical influences, but do not respond to chemical ones, and the nerve cells near the oral disc, on the contrary, distinguish substances, but do not respond to mechanical stimuli.
Vesicle-shaped thickenings at the ends of the tentacles of the four-colored entacme (Entacmaea quadricolor)
The body of most anemones is naked, but tubular sea anemones have a chitinous outer covering, so their leg looks like a tall, hard tube. In addition, some species may include grains of sand and other building material in their ectoderm that strengthens their integuments. The color of anemones is very diverse, even representatives of the same species can have a different shade. These animals are characterized by all the colors of the rainbow - red, pink, yellow, orange, green, brown, white. Often the tips of the tentacles have a contrasting coloration, which makes them colorful. The sizes of anemones fluctuate over a very wide range. The smallest anemone gonactinia (Gonactinia prolifera) has a height of only 2-3 mm, and the diameter of the oral disc is 1-2 mm. The largest carpet anemone can reach a diameter of 1.5 m, and the sausage metridium anemone (Metridium farcimen) reaches a height of 1 m!
The carpet anemone (Stoichactis haddoni) has tiny wart-like tentacles but can be up to 1.5 m in diameter.
Anemones are common in all seas and oceans of our planet. The largest number of species is concentrated in the tropical and subtropical zones, but these animals can also be found in the polar regions. For example, anemone metridium senile, or sea carnation, is found in all seas of the Arctic Ocean basin.
Cold-water sea anemone metridium senile, or sea carnation (Metridium senile)
Anemone habitats cover all depths: from the surf zone, where during low tide anemones can literally be on land, and to the very depths of the ocean. Of course, few species live at a depth of more than 1000 m, but they have adapted to such an unfavorable environment. Despite the fact that anemones are purely marine animals, some species tolerate a little desalination. So, 4 species are known in the Black Sea, and one is found even in the Sea of Azov.
Deep sea anemones (Pachycerianthus fimbriatus)
Anemones that live in shallow water often contain microscopic algae in their tentacles, which give them a greenish tint and somewhat supply their hosts with nutrients. Such sea anemones live only in illuminated places and are active mainly during the day, since they depend on the intensity of photosynthesis of green algae. Other species, on the contrary, do not like light. Anemones living in the tidal zone have a clear daily rhythm associated with periodic flooding and drainage of the territory.
Anthopleura anemones (Anthopleura xanthogrammica) live in symbiosis with green algae
In general, all types of sea anemones can be divided into three groups according to their lifestyle: sessile, swimming (pelagic) and burrowing. The vast majority of species belong to the first group, only sea anemones of the genus Minyas are swimming, and only sea anemones of the genera Edwardsia, Haloclava, Peachia have a burrowing lifestyle.
This green sea anemone lives in the Philippines
Sedentary sea anemones, despite their name, are able to move slowly. Usually anemones move when something does not suit them in the old place (in search of food, due to insufficient or excessive lighting, etc.). To do this, they use several methods. Some sea anemones bend their body and attach themselves to the ground with their mouth disk, after which they tear off the leg and rearrange it to a new place. This head-to-foot tumbling is similar to the way sedentary jellyfish move. Other anemones move only the sole, alternately tearing off its different parts from the ground. Finally, Aiptasia anemones fall on their side and crawl like worms, alternately contracting different parts of the leg.
Single pipe anemone
This mode of movement is also close to burrowing species. Burrowing anemones don't actually dig that much, most of the time they sit in one place, and they are called burrowers for their ability to burrow deep into the ground, so that only the corolla of tentacles sticks out from the outside. To dig a mink, the sea anemone resorts to a trick: it draws water into the gastric cavity and closes the mouth opening. Then, alternately pumping water from one end of the body to the other, it, like a worm, deepens into the ground.
The highest sea anemone is Metridium sausage (Metridium farcimen)
Small sessile gonactinia can sometimes swim by rhythmically moving its tentacles (such movements are similar to the contractions of the dome of a jellyfish). Floating sea anemones rely more on the strength of currents and are held passively on the surface of the water by pneumocysts.
Lush colony of sea carnations (metridiums)
Anemones are solitary polyps, but in favorable conditions they can form large clusters similar to flowering gardens. Most anemones are indifferent to their fellows, but some have a quarrelsome "character". Such species, upon contact with a neighbor, use stinging cells; upon contact with the enemy's body, they cause necrosis of his tissues. But sea anemones are often "friends" with other animal species. The most striking example is the symbiosis (cohabitation) of sea anemones and amphiprions, or clown fish. Clownfish take care of the sea anemone, cleaning it of unnecessary debris and food debris, sometimes picking up the remains of its prey; the anemone, in turn, eats up what is left of the amphiprion prey. Also, tiny shrimp often act as cleaners and freeloaders, which find shelter from enemies in the tentacles of anemones.
Shrimp in the tentacles of a giant sea anemone (Condylactis gigantea)
The cooperation of hermit crabs with anemones adamsias has gone even further. Adamsia generally live on their own only at a young age, and then they are picked up by hermit crabs and attached to the shells that serve them as a house. Crayfish attach the sea anemone not only as if, but precisely with the mouth disk forward, thanks to this, the sea anemone is always provided with food particles that fall to it from the sand stirred up by the cancer. In turn, the hermit crab receives reliable protection from its enemies in the face of anemones. Moreover, every time he transfers the sea anemone from one shell to another when he changes his house. If the crayfish does not have sea anemones, he tries to find it in any way, and more often to take it away from a happier fellow.
Anemones perceive their prey differently. Some species swallow everything that only touches their hunting tentacles (pebbles, paper, etc.), others spit out inedible objects. These polyps feed on a variety of animal food: some species play the role of filter feeders, extracting the smallest food particles and organic debris from the water, others kill larger prey - small fish that inadvertently approached the tentacles. Anemones, living in symbiosis with algae, feed mostly on their green "friends". During the hunt, the sea anemone keeps its tentacles straightened, and when it is sated, it hides them in a tight lump, hiding behind the edges of the body. Sea anemones shrink into a ball and in case of danger or when drying on the shore (during low tide), well-fed individuals can be in this state for many hours.
A colony of sun anemones hiding their tentacles
Sea anemones can reproduce asexually and sexually. Asexual reproduction is carried out through longitudinal division, when the body of an anemone is divided into two individuals. Only the most primitive gonactinia has a transverse division, when a mouth grows in the middle of the leg, and then it breaks up into two independent organisms. In some anemones, a kind of budding can be observed, when several young organisms are separated from the sole at once. The ability to asexual reproduction determines the high ability to regenerate tissues: sea anemones easily restore cut off parts of the body.
The same solar anemones, but with extended tentacles
Most sea anemones have separate sexes, although outwardly males do not differ from females. Only in some species can both male and female germ cells be formed at the same time. Spermatozoa and eggs are formed in the mesoglea of sea anemones, but fertilization can occur both in the external environment and in the gastric cavity. Anemone larvae (planula) move freely in the water column for the first week of life and during this time they are carried by currents over long distances. In some sea anemones, planulae develop in special pockets on the mother's body.
Touching the tentacles of large sea anemones can cause painful stinging cell burns, but deaths are unknown. Some types of anemones (carpet, horse or strawberry, etc.) are kept in aquariums.
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