Care on Sebae Anemone

[Tennyson]

Lately I have noticed how nice Sebae Anemonies were and wanted to buy one. But I heard that they are very hard to take care of. Why is that?

I have T-5 lighting for a 46 gal tank. I have a Bubble Tipped and two Haitin Reef Anemonies that cant move (I put them in conch shells, and they like it and stay put, but just for the Haitin Reefs).
And there are three clownfish that host the bubble tipped and I plan to get a Sand/Rock Anemone and Anemone Shrimps and Crabs.

[garygb]

In a 46 gallon, most anemone experts would say you should only keep one species. Allelopathy is a concern when keeping anemones--not to mention actual stinging of one another if they touch. But direct contact is definitely not necessary for problems between species of anemones.

Sebae (Heteractis crispa) is often bleached when they come into local fish shops because of the rigors of collection and transport from the IndoPacific, where they originate. Their overall health is comprimised and they need excellent water quality to rebound. H. crispa isn't considered the easiest host anemone, but it isn't considered to be the most difficult either.

[phender]

Originally posted by Tennyson
Lately I have noticed how nice Sebae Anemonies were and wanted to buy one. But I heard that they are very hard to take care of. Why is that?

Like Gary said, if you like the sebaes because they are a bright white with purple tips, then you like the ones that are usually on their way out. Sebae anemones should be tan with tentacles over an inch long. When they turn white they have lost their main source of energy (zooxanthellae) and they start to consume their own tissues which results in the shortening of their tentacles. The reason they are hard to take care of is because most of them are near death when you get them. If you can get them to eat, the bleached ones have a chance to recover. Unfortunately, during this process they also tend to loose their feeding response. They don't sting or don't extend their stomach for feeding. No symbiotic algae and no feeding response means that even if they are otherwise healthy(no infections) they will still slowly starve after a month or two.

That was probably more than you wanted to know, sorry. If you can find a tan specimen with long tentacles your chances of keeping them for a long time is much better as long as your tank conditions are adequate.