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View Full Version : Tube anemone won't stay put?


Pylos
05/27/2011, 01:20 PM
--This has been posted in the General forum and was suggested I ask it in the anemone forum, hope you don't mind the repost. --

I recently purchased a gorgeous tube anemone after doing a lot of research and asking fellow hobbyists about their experiences with them. It came with no external tube, so the body or tube is very soft and delicate. This should regrow in about a month. In my research these guys do not move like traditional nems.

I got home and parted my sand in a low flow area and buried the soft tube about 4 inches down. The thing keeps slithering it's way right back out. At first I thought it was the flow that was pulling it out, but then after moving it twice to lower flow areas it still slithered it's way out again. My sand is roughly a #2-3 in grain size. From what I've read they will do live in captive systems in this size sand, but might prefer a mud or very fine sand. I'd like to get around putting it inside a large unsightly PVC tube filled with fine sand if I can get away with it.

Burried:
http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/9531/img2385za.jpg

Slithered out of the sand 6 hours later:
http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/7025/img2450ic.jpg

I even tried to stick it in a red cup in desperation, came right out again. I think it just has very little mass and is so soft without the tube that it might be buoyant. I'm uneasy sticking something heavy at the end of the cup to anchor it because I don't want to damage it as it regrows it's new tube:
http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/7969/img2497sp.jpg


Does anyone with direct experience with one of these critters, possibly that came without it's protective tube, have any advice?

bues0022
05/27/2011, 02:58 PM
What about using a PVC tube filled with fine sand/mud as a temporary "home" until it creates its own. At least it'd be white and not bright red :)

* I don't know anything about these nems, just a thought based on what you said above.

bradleym
05/27/2011, 06:23 PM
The only thing I can add here is that if there is enough flow to blow all the tentacles to one side, it won't be happy. I have mine in that kind of sand and they have never dug themselves up. But the flow should be so low that they open like a daisy, long tents around the edge like the petals.

Pylos
05/28/2011, 01:34 AM
The only thing I can add here is that if there is enough flow to blow all the tentacles to one side, it won't be happy. I have mine in that kind of sand and they have never dug themselves up. But the flow should be so low that they open like a daisy, long tents around the edge like the petals.

Good suggestion, I'll try to place it in a really minimal "even flow" area and see if that helps.