Is this An anemone of some type Should I worry

[Anonymous]

That is a Caribbean curlycue anemone,Bartholomea annulata. They are closely related to aiptasia. However,they are not a menace like aiptasia anemones. They can grow quite large and pack a powerful sting. It is a good hardy anemone as long as it is given proper space away from tankmates it may sting.

 

[freedom75]

I have 3 of these guys growing on my Rock and I was wondering what they might be and If I need to worry. My peppermints have not touched them So I thought they must not be aptsia. An Idea's??


John Wray
[email protected]

[ March 23, 2002: Message edited by: freedom75 ]

[ March 23, 2002: Message edited by: freedom75 ]</p>

 

[jamesw]

Nope, that is a carribean hard coral (Can't remember Genus name atm). Nothing to worry about, in fact, you're lucky. That's a nice coral!

Cheers
James

 

[jamesw]

No, I'm pretty sure it's not an anemone. You can even see the coral's skeleton. I went to Tampa Bay Saltwater's webpage to find the genus name of the coral for you. It is:

Phyllangia sp. cup coral

It is common on LR from the carribean or aquacultured rock from the Gulf and Keys suppliers.

I have seen Carribean "curlycue" anemone's in the wild and they have little bumps on the tentacles.


Here's a picture I took of a curlycue anemone (complete w/ pistol shrimp) for comparison purposes:

HTH
James Wiseman

 

[danmhippo]

Is it possible to give us a picture showing the base of the critter in question? We just need to further identify if it is a hard coral or the curly-cue anemone.

 

[Downdeep]

Jameso is right, its a caribbean coral. If you blow a little extra current on it, it should retract its tentacles and you'll be able to see its stony skeleton. It does not require high lighting and likes to be fed small pieces of meaty foods, ie. shrimp, fish etc.. It most likely made its way to your tank from Florida aquacultured liverock. its a nice coral to have and multiplies quite well.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes it is Phyllangia americana. Extremely hardy when fed (usually survives just fine by catching food from when you feed your fish, but target feed if necessary).


Very similar to the Corynactis corals. In fact I'd kill for some C. californicus for our coldwater tank.

 

[Anonymous]

Good eye James.

 

[THEFishHead]

Hi Tom,

Yes that is Phyllangia. I want to point out that Corynactis, though similar looking, is not a coral. It is a corallimorph- has no skeleton.

By the way, there are tropical Corynactis spp., though most are cryptic, unlike the multi-colored temperate species. I'm a fan of Corynactis and Pseudocorynactis spp. I keep several of them in the sump of one of my reef tanks.

Cheers,

Julian

 

[Saltwater Novice]

Freedom:

I have a few of those creatures on LR I purchased from Tampa Bay Saltwater.

They are very hardy and very cool.

I feed mine directly. Give yours some minced shrimp. They will literally come out of their hole and engulf it.

Brian

 

[jamesw]

Hi Julian,

So do you have any pictures of the rare and elusive "Orange ball anemone" from the carribean - which often appears in macro shots from night dives? The one that is clear with orange ball-shaped tips? It's a corynactis right?

Why don't more of these appear in the hobby? Just hard to collect?

Cheers
James Wiseman