Pseudocorynactis

[Tennyson]

Hello everyone!
I seem to have found one of these in my tank, a very small piece.

Here's A picture of one of them
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/images/oct2002/Pseudocorynactisfiji.JPG

I was just looking for more information on these guys. I have done some research and can't seem to find a definite answer.
I was just wondering, what I could feed them, are they safe, how big this specific one will get. And how they reproduce, will they spread alot if fed and take over my tank?

Thanks!

[DallasNYC]

I had one that split a few times over the years. It didn't require light, so it hid behind the rocks and only opened at night. They are Very Sticky. I introduced a wrasse to the tank one day and it was having a tough time acclimating. I went to check on it that night and found it stuck to the ball anemone. It was too week to escape on its own. I got the wrasse loose, which eventually perked up.

I now have it in my sump and won't be putting it back in the display tank. Although it was fine for several yrs with all my other fish. I just don't want to take the chance again.

Mine gets to be about the size of a quarter before it splits. It leaves buds like twice a year. And they take a good 6 months to grow to full size. This is without any direct feeding. So, in my case, they are slow growers and not a threat to take over the tank. But again, I don't recommend them around the display fish.

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s253/DallasNYC/WhiteBall1.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s253/DallasNYC/WhiteBall2.jpg

[velvetelvis]

A LFS near where I live has one of these. According to the owner, it's a voracious predator that even eats nearby mushroom polyps(!) and hermit crabs. He keeps it in a nano by itself and feeds it several times a day. Beautiful, but according to him belongs only in a species tank.

[Seventy]

I wish I could could get my hands on a corynactis or pseudocorynactis, but they seem to be pretty hard to find. Do most people get them as hitch-hikers?

[Tennyson]

I think so, mine came in on my Toadstool coral.

Well I've been trying to feed it every now and then. My piece about the size of the tip of an eraser. They really have a huge appetite! Very sticky and strong for its size as well. But for some reason it has been retracted? I'll update more later

[velvetelvis]

I wish I could could get my hands on a corynactis or pseudocorynactis, but they seem to be pretty hard to find. Do most people get them as hitch-hikers?

Tidalgardens.com has an aquacultured Pseudocorynactis available. I've dealt with them before--they're nice guys and have beautiful corals.

http://www.tidalgardens.com/pages/coral/pseudocorynactis.html

[Seventy]

Cool, I had seen that, but had never heard of them before. If you have had a good experience with them then I may give it a try. All the others I found were priced in the $100's - $200's. :sad2:

I'll post a follow-up if I decide to go through with it.

[Chihuahua6]

I have about a dozen of them that I only recently discovered. I think they grew onto the small rock pieces that my frags were attached to. The only rocks that have them are the ones where these frags were.

A few tiny ones are actually growing on a couple of my soft corals! I believe they're the reason my once fast growing anthelia is now bleached with weird small polyps. The tiny anemones are growing between the anthelia stalks.

I just found a large Pseudocorynactis on a piece of rubble on the bottom of my tank. This one's tentacles extend out to about the size of a nickle and the column is as thick as my pinky and orange with a pink mouth like the rest. It was near the bottom where some food ends up landing. I think it was eating the leftovers which allowed it to grow bigger than the rest.

I'm thinking of killing them by injecting them with kalk or salt slurry. I already have twelve plus some tiny ones popping up. I don't like the idea of them possibly killing small fish in my tank and stinging my corals.

From what I read they have a potent sting and are voracious eaters. The tentacles are very sticky and can easily catch small fish and crustacians. I have to say the big one is quite pretty though.