cutting an anenome

[TonyGee29]

Is that possible?
Teacher at school has a HUGE anenome that we are thinking bout cutting in half...
but we would need to know how to do it.
has anyone done this before or known someone who has?
thanks for the help
Tony

[onecrzyboi4u]

cuttin a anemone is not a good idea.. you will kill the poor creature. it will split in time.. if u want it to split sooner there is other alternatives you can do.

[rsxs1212]

go buffalo sabres!!!!

[ClownReef®]

meh, there's a theory that apparently works..(didnt Calfo do it?)..I personally would never ever do something to hurt an animal..and cutting an anemone is pretty brutal.. Its like me cutting your arm in hopes you might grow another..its just dumb.

[phender]

Not all anemones split on their own. We would have to know what type of anemone your teacher has to give the chances that you would be successful.

[Sk8r]

When an anemone's integrity is breached, it can no longer process food or maintain its---what do you call it---hydrostatic balance, and it dies. Mushrooms are different in this regard.

[55semireef]

Don't cut it!!!

[bnlimit10]

let me put it in laymans terms, cutting and anemone is like wondering why you can no longer keep water inside a broken cup. This has to be one of the dumbest ideas I have ever heard in hopes of getting another anemone.

[dantodd]

Hi Tony,

As Phil said, let us know what type of anemone it is. A picture is worth a thousand words.

Some anemones have been successfully and regularly cut to propogate. Some have never been successfully cut. Others have been sometimes successfuly cut or theorized to be cut.

Thanks for coming to ask first, it may be possible what it won't be particularly easy.

[rsxs1212]

i agree a picture would be best then we can identify what kind it is unless you know already of course. then we can all go from there

[SEAFLOWERS]

I don't think the idea of propagating anemones is "dumb" at all. The science of this hobby is changing all the time and at the rate that these animals are being taken out of the ocean and their slow re-colonization, hobbyists eventually will only be able to get a propagated nem.IMHO

[TonyGee29]

Thanks for all the advice
i will get a picture tommorow in school
i mean this thing is BIG
so you really think is a bad idea?

[allen00se]

Wow I would have expected some more educated responses in a clown/anemone forum. I am fairly new to this hobby and I have seen multiple postings where an anemone has been cut in half successfully to propogate. I would agree that much research should be done first, and the proper amount of care should be taken. If the procedure is done correctly on a healthy anemone the success rate is extremely high.
Furthermore, if one does not know the correct answer to someone else's post they should say "Im not sure but maybe someone else can help", instead of "this is one of the dumbest ideas I have ever heard."
Get your pics posted up Tony, along with some history of the specimen, such as how long its been in the aquarium, what type of lighting its under, and what level of care you will be able to give it during its recovery. I think its a great idea if done properly, and plan to do the same with my own when the time is right.
Thanks,
Krys

[rsxs1212]

i didnt say it was a dumb idea, i agree it can be done but i just wanted to see pics of the anemone. it can be done but i cant give success rates......i hope it works out because i myself have never done this so heres for you

sorry i cant help but im sure someone else can

[Snprhed]

Right on Krys, I wanted to go further but you really articulated my thoughts exactly

[Snprhed]

By the way Limit how many frags have been put in your 240?

[rsxs1212]

snpr not to get off subject but is that your gto/??? if it is that thing is tight....if it isnt...its still tight

i have always liked those things...a shame GM is going to stop making them. for some reason the sale rate wasnt high. anyway getting back to the anemone..

[allen00se]

RSXS 1212, I was not referring to your post, it was the one made by BNLIMIT10 where his exact words were "that is one of the dumbest ideas that I have ever heard", or other ones where it was compared to the cutting off of ones own arm.
It just irritates me that if no one knowledgeable had seen this thread, the poster would go on believing that not only was his idea not possible, but he would feel dumb for posting it. As for long term effects he could have announced to his class what he found out from a forum, and shared with all of them how dumb and impossible an idea it was to propogate the anemone.
Sorry to get on a soap box, but I hate to see the spread of such ignorance about our hobby, if you dont know the facts then dont answer the question. If you have a certain belief then say, "In my opinion its a bad idea".
Ill stop now so we can try and keep this forum on track.
sorry for the hijack,
Krys

[rsxs1212]

haha allright

[TonyGee29]

allenn00se--thanks alot you kinda took the words out of my mouth about feeling stupid ahha

The lighting it is under is a 10,000k halide it is a 40 gallon tank with xenia, 1 clam,a few kenya trees, A BUNCH of mushrooms. it has 2 clarkiis 1 hosting the anenome and 1 green chromis, a bunch of snails and hermits. i dno how much live rock probably around 50 - 70 ish

I will be able to tend to it monday through friday around 12 and possibly the weekend if i bring it and put it in my tank or something.

But pictures will be coming tommorow i cant sneak into the school and get them

[Snprhed]

I just recently witnessed (kinda) the cutting of one. I didn't see the actual cut but I saw the anemone a couple of hours later. It was cut into 3 pieces and 2 of the 3 did very well. The 3rd one would have made it but it was small and kept falling through the eggcrate. By the way it was an RBTA.

[Snprhed]

On the above side note that GTO is not mine. I have a blue one. Just thought it was a cool picture, and it didn't eat up my tires!

[Snprhed]

Krys, you echoed my thoughts again. Where are you at in OK?

[allen00se]

My main concern with your situation would be that at least for the first 24 hours I would want to be around to keep an eye on it, not that there would be a whole lot that you could do but thats just my preference. Also, you would not want to take it home to your aquarium because you wouldnt want to change its environment immediately before performing the procedure. From what reading I have done the anemone needs to be in a stable environment and very healthy for a minimum of a month for the best possible chances of success. Any change in the anemones environment would put unneeded stress on it.
As pointed out before we would need a proper ID to make sure that it is one that has been successfully propgated before. After that it would be a matter of having a seperate container to do the cutting in, transferring the anemone with water from the tank into the container. Make a cut all the way through the anemone across the disc and directly through the mouth with a very sharp sterile utensil (scalpel or razor). Then you must wait a few minutes because it will secrete mucus that would harm your reef, rinse in another container of tank water, wait a few then place it back into your tank. A few precautions would need to be taken such as decreasing the circulation and making sure the clowns dont pester the anemone. Both sides should wrap themselves to where the freshly cut edges press up against each other and you should end up with two smaller anemone's.
This is just a general description of the procedure from what I have seen, not experienced. I would definitely reccomend that you read alot on this subject and get as much advise as you can from those who have actually done it.

[allen00se]

SNPRHED, I am actually from BA, but am currently living in Tahlequah. I just got engaged and my fiancee and I will be buying a house and moving back some time before Nov. (hopefully a house with about 6ft of empty wall in the living room, if you know what I mean)

[Snprhed]

I know exactly what you mean. I Moved in Nov and am just now getting a bigger tank set up.

[Snprhed]

Krys, do you frequent the local stores here in Tulsa?

[allen00se]

The only one that I usually go to is Premier Aquatics at 61st and Sheridan, but there is another decent one on 71st and memorial called Reef something. How bout you.

[Snprhed]

Reef Revolution. Thats my hangout for the most part.

[allen00se]

Never heard of it, where is it located?

[TonyGee29]

So has anyone Acutally done this?

And i might be able to be there for the first like 6 or 7 hours
BUt im a student so its a little hard but i will bring in a shot of it close up and full tank shot
any other ones?

[dantodd]

You can google "propogating anemone" or "fragging anemone" and find lots of stuff on it.

I don't believe it will matter much if you are there in front of the tank for the first 3 hours or the first 24. You will not want to remove the "new" anemone from the tank for atleast a week probably best to wait until you can verify it is eating before pulling it.

Get those pics.

[rsxs1212]

yeah i wouldnt fuss with it after the procedure is done either. If something happens theres really not much you can do so i agree doesnt really matter how long you are actually there. Anyway cant wait to see what it looks like

[TonyGee29]

Yeah pictures are coming!!!

yeah i tried googling it and NOTHING came up

Thank god for this site

[rsxs1212]

i agree...reef central and all of its members have helped me in my reef experience in so many ways

[dantodd]

Here's one article with some info: WetWebMedia (http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemonereprofaqs.htm)

[TonyGee29]

that article is crazy

[dantodd]

Anthony Calfo is the guru on propagation of anemones. He has written a number of books and articles. He is now ensconced at the marinedepot.com forums. Here is a good thread about the talk he gave at IMAC regarding propagating anemones..

Calfo on Anemone fragging (http://forum.marinedepot.com/Topic33966-13-1.aspx)

[TonyGee29]

that makes more sense ahha

[TonyGee29]

I got two of them and i couldnt upload them directly to this but i put the on webshots so

http://community.webshots.com/user/Tonygee91

Check 'em out!

[dantodd]

Looks a lot like a BTA to me. I'm sure that some of the guys with more experience will chime in and give you a better ID.

[TonyGee29]

IF it is a BTA is it able to be cut?

also (this is a stupid question but) should it be cut in or out of water

[dantodd]

Yes, a BTA is probably one of hte species you are most likely to have success cutting.

Read the articles, they will give you the best procedure.

[Thurge]

I haven't done it yet but this is Calfo's procedure.
Only do this to the most healthy anemonys
place the anemony in a shallow dish
using a sterile, very sharp blade, make a clean cut across the animal, all the way through the foot, and across the mouth
seperate the two halfs and wait about 15 or so minutes.
Rince the halfs in clean tank water (I would take that as out of the tank and not New Salt Water) as the trauma will cause the halfs to produce coptious ammounts of slime and you don't want taht in the tank. This is also why you wait about 15 minutes.
Replace in the same general spot that the mother came from.

I have been researching this because I have a huge RBTA that seems happiest in one piece. Unfortunately most everythign around it would be happier if it wasn't so big. I can't get it out to completly cut it in half, so i am running through the gamet of tricks before I cut it as completly as I can.

[Snprhed]

CUT IT! CUT IT! CUT IT! CUT IT!........................

[TonyGee29]

haha i think we are going to cut it soon it is is huge and as Thurge was saying the stuff around it would be happier too

I will let you guys know when the date is of the cut and will include pictures of it

thanks for all the help guys!

[VSpeck]

i didnt know this was sutch a big deal i heard from a fellow reefer it worked so i took my condy and bta out of the water cut them and put them back in the tank. it worked for me but read up i was told cut them so both sides have half a mouth and they reformed within days and ate like normal. im with the people that say cut it just watch cause they will slime up and the rest of the tank doesnt get overly excited when that happens

[TonyGee29]

how did you go about cutting yours?

[Biggie]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7429661#post7429661 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TonyGee29
Thanks for all the advice
i will get a picture tommorow in school
i mean this thing is BIG
so you really think is a bad idea? Ive done it worked great ! check out my gallery it shows pics not the greatest. ANyone who says not too is afraid too. Its easy and Im living proof. I had a BTA.

[TonyGee29]

how are they doing now? also did you have something hosting it before?

[VSpeck]

i took it out layed it on a table and used a razor blade and cut it down the center. i had a clown hosting my gbta and still does i sold it to a friend one of my other friends had the other half that wasnt being hosted

[Biggie]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7443830#post7443830 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TonyGee29
how are they doing now? also did you have something hosting it before? They are both huge again. I have a percula Clown hosting mother. But he takes turns hosting the clone when he gets the mood he will host eithier. I thing I cant believe is how fast they recovered. i had thought for sure they would die they got tussled around in the flow landed in the sand a few times turned a dark color. I shut the lights down for the night after lodging them into crevises to keep them off the sand bed afraid my hermits would make a meal out of the halfs but next day they were completely full and flowing in the breeze attached themselves to rock and today they are both as big or bigger than the orig. Host BTA. Just a work of caution and Calfo says the same, get a half mouth on each. use a sterile Xacto scalpal blade and get them back into the water ASAP. Dont mess around too much. Even better do it in a pyrex dish with under water if you can. kinda hard they are slippery. I went to the extreme fearing the worse and used latex gloves but not necessary. They will take food in 2 days if you did it correctly. Also get your tank ready meaning your water is good shape and you wont be doing any in tank maintance or water changes for a few days after the cut so they can not be disturbed. I wanted to do the cut and not mess with them for a week but after day2 they seemed so healthy I moved them to where I wanted them in my display and they havent wandered to far since just to get in the flow where they liked it alittle better but other than that I highly recommend anyone who want to split an anemone give this a shot its alot of fun and satisfaction.

[TonyGee29]

so just use a razor blade and cut em? sounds really simple

[VSpeck]

Thats why I didnt know it was such a big deal. :lol: it sounded so simple

[TonyGee29]

yeah it does sound really simple but what happenes when you get to the mouth?

[dantodd]

keep on going.

[TonyGee29]

like do you cut it in half or one lip on one side and another lip on the other?

[traveller7]

Looking top down at the anemone anemone mouth with the foot on a styrene cutting board; I start the cut at the mouth and work outwards to edge of the disk. Turn the board 180 degrees and repeat.

[VSpeck]

when i did it i cut strait from one side to the other through the mouth but like i said i didnt really know what i was doing

[TonyGee29]

but it worked didnt it?

[Biggie]

Traveler's got it. Easy, Easy! There gonna slime up on ya but dont let that scare you. They spilt in the wild when they are tramatized. After doing mine I got the impression they are hardier than people realize. They are like simple celled creatures they can survive alot of trama even being cut in half. Clowns even eat at their tenticles from time to time. No big deal.

[Spracklcat]

Yup--pull it out of the tank (gently without ripping obviously), put it down on a clean cutting board, use a razor/scalpel/very sharp filet knife and cut from the mouth outward, then do the same on the other side making two equal halves. I've done a bunch myself this way and seen more done by Mr. Calfo and others, and you'll be amazed at how quickly they recover. The important thing is to make a nice celan cut--jagged or crushed edges are asking for infection. Nice clean cuts heal well. Don't get scared--at first they look pretty icky, but within a day or so each half closes in on itself to form a new mouth. Friends in my club have been propagating BTA's this way regularly. Go for it!

[dantodd]

strangely enough, after this thread my BTA split in 3. two clones healed up, took food and showed mouths within 3 days. The third looks pretty bad but it's hanging on.

[HartfordWhalers]

ITS CUT!! i was there with tony he will be letting you knwo hwo it went in a little

[reefinnewb]

They have direction on how to do this in the newest CORAL issue. Congrats on your endeveur, glad it worked for you.

[Biggie]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7502033#post7502033 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by HartfordWhalers
ITS CUT!! i was there with tony he will be letting you knwo hwo it went in a little Lol. Nerves of steel.. Kinda hard to do but after the first couple days you cant believe it. Cool eh? Im ready to prop. my two to make four any day and off them to the LFS for some pay back long over due...

[TonyGee29]

hey guys just letting you know how it did it did AWESOME it split and they first day they were hiding around and now they are on opposite sides of the tank and BOTH are hosted by one of the Clarkii's

All i really did is cut it down the middle and it worked fine and it healed nicley!

Thanks for all the help!

[rsxs1212]

thats cool glad it worked out......and i cant believe carolina beat the sabres!!! i was so bummed

[TonyGee29]

i knowww AGH then they won last night TOO!

[rsxs1212]

yeah major upset....i figured they would win though i mean im suprised it came to the last game