What You May Not Know About the Long Tentacle Anemone
The long tentacle anemone is a great choice if you are thinking of starting an anemone tank. This type of anemone is easy, even for those who are beginners. The keys to keeping an anemone successfully, is first to know and understand what an anemone is, and what it takes to keep one.
One type of anemone is known as the Pacific Long Tentacle Anemone; this anemone is a member of the actiniidae family and is commonly found in the Indo Pacific, normally in the shallow area of reefs.
When keeping this anemone in an aquarium it is necessary to make sure that you provide adequate metal halide lighting to ensure long-term health of the anemone. The lighting is important to the zooxanthellae that is found in the tissue of the long tentacle anemone due to the fact that the zooxanthellae provides essentials food and nutrients to the anemone and the anemone also provide the zooxanthellae cells a food source known as ammonium.
The long tentacle anemone will have either white or creamed colored tentacles, or they may also have tentacles that are multicolored. For the anemone you will need to have an aquarium that has a deep sand base, with small grains of sand. The anemone will dig into the sand so this is important. When placing the anemone in the tank you will want to ensure that you place it in the sand and not on the surfaces of rocks, as it will not stay there; instead it will move in search of sand. This could ultimately lead to injury.
The size of the long tentacle anemones is actually fairly large, up to approximately 12 inches in diameter. When choosing the size of tank for the anemone you should always take into consideration how large the anemone will grow. With this species you will likely need a tank that is at least 75 gallons, or larger.
The long tentacle anemone has nematocysts that can deliver a potent sting, for this reason you will want to take some precautions to protect the other inhabitants in your tank. The sting of this anemone can cause injury or death to other livestock that you have in your aquarium.
Most of the feeding of the anemone will be provided by its host zooxanthellae, but you can include extra food sources on a weekly basis. Some of the foods that the anemone will digest include squid and clam. Care should be taken that you do not add too much food for the anemone, as this will affect the quality of the water.
When you go to purchase your anemone, pay attention to its size. Although it is normal for them to change size slightly at any given time, an anemone that is small could indicate that it is unhealthy. It is best to choose one that is large and looks to be healthy. Choosing a hardy anemone will ensure you don’t have any unpleasant surprises after you have introduced it to your tank.
Although it isn’t difficult to keep a long tentacle anemone in an aquarium setting, you will have to take care with the power heads in your tank. These anemones can get tangle in the inflow from power heads; when this happens there is little hope of removing the anemone without causing injury or death.
If you can successfully keep a long tentacle anemone, you will find it to be a fantastic addition to your salt-water tank. Clown fish love to swim around the tentacles, and the scene is definitely tranquil. For those who want to take the time to pick out an anemone that is healthy and introduce it to their tanks, keeping these animals is easy and fun.
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