"Trimming an Anenome"

[Brucey]

Hi guys .... and hello to all my friends from RAG then are over here now. Sorry it's been so long in me joining you guys here but it has mainly been done to constraints at work (Barring certain websites etc) and a mad social life to boot. It's not just RSanctuary that i've been ignoring, I haven't been on RAG since all the turmoil last year (Got a bit dissalusioned with it all for a while) If TankGirl is around I've got some breaking news for you my friend .... your advice last year was well headed and it's true, you can make a difference even though your on the other side of the atlantic. Update to follow if your around

Anyway, I've posted this on RAG but would appreciate your input as well ................

OK, OK, I don't want you guys taking a shot at me here. I know it sounds harsh, I haven't done it yet, but wondered if anyone has tried this before or the detrimental effects it could have.

Basically I have a 7ft long tank, full of SPS's and LPS's, with a growing 2ft long Ritteri Anenome sat in the middle. He never moves, is as happy as I've ever seen an anenome, eats lancefish, shrimp, mussle etc .... Anything I give him. He has a pair of very defensive percula's hosting in it and all is well ........... APART from it's size. It has grown from 6" to 2ft in little over a year. It's so big that it is encrouching on my corals and has killed off my Montipora .... my prized Acro's are getting within it's reach. Last year the Anenmoe had an excursion via a PH which took half it's side off but survived and thrived again. So my question is, has anyone ever tried trimming the tentacles .... does it hurt / what do you think of the moral implications are etc. The only other option is to take him back to the LFS and I'm worried he will go to a tank too small and end up worst off than he already is.

Brucey

[blue_eyes53813]

wow that does sound harsh. I dont think you should trim it.Find a nice home for it.I think it will probably bother it to much and not recover.

[mnreefman]

unfortunetly i think youd do more damage than good...

[mwrager]

Wow, 2 feet, well I can say I have never trimmed any of my anemones. I don’t even know if you should. I would think it would only be a temporary fix because it would grow back just as fast. If you like him, you may want to feed him less to slow down his growth or just move him or the things around him.

[Brucey]

I know, I know. I love him too and I don't think I could bring myself to do it anyway ...... but someone else said "OH yeah, I do it all the time", I might feel different. It's so so sad, but the only other options is the LFS ..... He really is huge and my Montiopora that he killed was over 6" square ..... really gorgeous and worth a lot of money. I can't risk that with my acros's and his tenticles will reach them soon

[tankgirl]

Brucey!!! Dang, it's good to see you!! Whoa - sounds like some interesting things are happening with you!

I honestly don't have a clue about the anemone. I wonder if you can encourage an anemone to split? You could keep half and sell the other half.

I look forward to hearing your news.

[Montanareefer]

I would trade for a smaller one and start over and see how that one does.

[mwrager]

Brucey, You can encourage an anemone to split, I have done this by directing a PH at the middle of mine, that may work or make hime move. But mine was a BTA.

[BoomerD]

There are reports of people cutting their anemones in half with a sharp knife, and propagating them that way. I know it is supposed to work with the BTA's. I tend to shy away from that type of thing, I'd rather let mine split by themselves, but I suppose it works for some. I don't know if it would work for a carpet, since they're not the usual cloning variety of anemones. I'll go along with trading it in for a smaller one.

[Brucey]

TG ..... PM on it's way
Brucey

[mnreefman]

i thinkk the magnificants regenerate by spawning not splitting...

Ritteris grow and grow. You can't trim them but you can hack off a few tentacles here and there. The problem is this won't stop them from growing. They will continue to grow. I think they get in the range of 3' captive.

Another sad bit of info: if you trade it in, chances are it will die in the new home. The larger they get the harder it is to acclimate them (IME) or more likely someone will buy it on a whim; someone who has little experience, especially with this extremely difficult species, and it will die.

The anemone might survive if you slashed a chunk of it off. Biologically speaking, it will heal and regrow. But there are so many other factors that come into play (bacterial infections, etc.) and even if you did chop it up and it survived, you would still have to deal with it growing again in a few months.

You need to find an anemone tank; a friend or aquarium club member, perhaps.

Anemones host clowns, clowns don't host in anemones.

[Craig Manoukian]

Wholy smokes! 2 feet, that's aweome!

I'm with jupiter on this one. How about moving this guy and his Percula to a 36" 55 gallon anenome tank. You can get a little LR and sand, seed sand from your tank, and use a little water as well to acclimate it over to the new digs where it won't kill anything.

I've got two tanks and it's twice the fun!

[Witfull]

I'm with Craig, set up a species tank for him, a few chunks of LR and the rock he's on, Bare bottom tank and water from the main tank and your pretty much set. heck you could even plumb the 2 tanks together and save on some filtering $$. i would hate to see him go off to waters unknown and an unsure fate.

[mwrager]

Thanks jupiter, i did not think it would split, but I have never had one so I did not know. I did know that they could get bigger and the larger they get the harder they are to move and then keep alive. Again thanks