How to remove an anemone?

[franems]

I am a "newbie" to reefkeeping<actually, this is my first post! I started my aquarium (24g nano) in April. I cycled with LR and LS. I moved slowly on adding inhabitants<cycled 1 month, then clean up crew<1month then,a cleaner shrimp...anyway, i made a dumb purchase of an anemone<learned that after reading many posts! So, how do i get this sucker out of my tank? He moved once(right after i got him) and is now permanantly on a big piece of live rock.Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

 

[Len]

Franems,
:welcome:

What type of anemone is it? If it's foot is planted deep in a rock, they're very difficult to remove. If the foot/base is exposed, you can usually gently (and I emphasize gently) peel it off the rocks.

 

[franems]

I feel so stupid<I have tried to identify it and can't find an identical picture!Dummy me...I listened to the LFS, brought it home and plopped it in (after acclimation) with my cleanup crew and cleaner shrimp...no fish or corals then. The LFS told me it was a Sebae anenome...but, to me (in my identification attempt)< it looks more like a Curly Que (Tip) anenome<in it's coloration >brown with small light colored rings on its' tentacles. No access to a camera!

 

[Len]

You're probably right and it probably is a Curly Que. Both Sebaes and Curly Ques can have brown coloration with colored tips, but sebaes rarely prefer rock over sandy substrates. Curly Ques are Atlantic anemones and are not natural hosts to clownfish.

Do you have any access to the foot of the anemone, or is it completely entrenched? You might be forced to remove the whole rock unless you can chisel the base rock away.

 

[Anonymous]

franems

Hi!

I'm also new to the hobby. I was wondering why you wanted it gone?

Anne

 

[franems]

Len...he's in "trough" in a large piece of LR. Someone suggested using a credit card to get between the anemone and the <i'll have to cut the credit card to fit in the 1" wide trough. I think i should wait til nitetime when he's small.i'll let you know what happens.Won't try til next week tho' <going away for the weekend. thanks so much for your welcome, your prompt responses and your advice.

I'llflyaway...from what i've read in different forms (with Bob Fenner being the most emphatic,)there are a number of problems with anemones...
1) ..they don't live long...particularly in a small aquarium<mine's a 24g nano cube
2)..when they die, they can cause huge problems in the tank
3)..they wander and can/will sting anything in their way (corals.)
4)..they are not coral friendly<and I am!
5)..he has gotten huge...i've had him for about 3 months and he's taking up a quarter of the tank!
6)..and finally...after seeing the many corals out there..anemones (mine) just don't stack up to the corals.
If you want to verify this...go to www.wetwebmedia.com or to any of the reef forums<nobody seems to like them.
Don't you find this so confusing sometimes?So many opinions on what coral where etc. The general consenus seems to be that Anthony Calfo's books are a great resource...so I'm not doing anything more til i read his books. I now have one fish(a Dottyback)<he's a terror with other fish...i was going to return him because he was bugging a 6 line wrasse(<Iloved him) and while i was changing the H20, the wrasse (must have) committed suicide..because he was there before the h2o change and gone after wards...couldn't find him anywhere...not in the back nor on the carpet! Illflyaway...i'm going to continue in another reply>this is too long!

 

[franems]

So...now i have one fish, 1cleaner shrimp,1 toadstool coral,1 brown polyp,the cleanup crew and i plate coral<another mistake but, i love it!Have been up and running since march <i moved very slowly..i'd buy something and wait 3-4 weeks before adding anything else. So, where are you in your reef?

 

[Anonymous]

Ahhh...I knew it had to be a bad reason!!

I had no idea they could be so troublesome!!

I have a Florida Pink tip, and it is all over the tank!! I'm only interested in invertabrates, so I think I'm safe for now!!!

I have pictures of mine posted on the Nano board, I'd love to see some of yours!

Anne

 

[franems]

So...now i have one fish, 1cleaner shrimp,1 toadstool coral,1 brown polyp,the cleanup crew and i plate coral<another mistake but, i love it!Have been up and running since march <i moved very slowly..i'd buy something and wait 3-4 weeks before adding anything else. So, where are you in your reef?

 

[Len]

Anemones are actually really long-lived if properly cared for. I know anemones that have been in captivity for decades (mine thrived for 10 years before I removed it). The thing about anemones is they are what most consider a more advanced organism to husband. And it's not the greatest idea for small tanks because some (not all) have a habit of moving around and stinging what is in their path. When an anemone suddenly dies, it does release a lot of nutrients back into the tank, fouling the water quickly.

Make sure to read many authors and ask personal opinions. Trusting one author's word isn't prudent

 

[SnowManSnow]

Yea im with Len. Anemonies can really be fun to keep, but they are a challenge for the most part. They require the proper lighting that most neophytes in the hobby aren't willing to fork out the cash for. There's nothing wrong with keeping them if you have the resources to keep them alive! I've seen some REALLY pretty carpet and LTA anemones, but also like Len said, they don't lend themselves to small size tanks.

B.

 

[Anonymous]

Another idea might be to trade someone (or back to the LFS) the anemone attached to the rock (unless the rock is too huge/critical to your setup).

You can sometimes "encourage" an anemone to move by changing around the current in the tank to where it is irritating to them.