Macrodactyla Doreensis aka. (Long Tentacle Anemone, Corkscrew anemone)
Illumination: moderately high to very high.
Flow: prefers low flow ( just enough to make tentacles sway )
Water quality: high, with stable NSW parameters
Nutrients: tolerate low levels of elevated nitrates, I maintain up to 5 ppm nitrates for seagrass, anemone continues to expand and grow, with no noticeable ill effects.
Feeding requirements: Feed atleast three times per week with a food that it will accept and digest. Mine prefers silversides, but kryll, and fresh supermarket seafood may be an acceptable alternative.
Tank benefits: They are really cool!
Tank considerations: A full grown M. Doreensis can be up to 18 inches in diameter and requires a sand bed ( preferably fine ) of atleast 3 inches. Seems to be most comfortable with its foot buried in the sand wedged underneath a piece of LR.
Recommended resources: "Marine Invertebrates" by Ron Shimek, "Clownfishes" by Joyce D. Wilkerson
Comments: My experience leads me to believe that M. Doreenesis is a poor shipper, and either comes to the LFS with problems due to shipping stress, or is not being correctly cared for at most LFS's, and ends up coming to the inexperienced hobbyist as an animal which is already doomed to perish. Leading many hobbyists to believe that M. Doreensis is a difficult species to keep. When the opposite is true, M Doreensis if provided with a proper environment and regular feeding is an exceptionally hardy animal. Efforts to promote propagation are now underway, and hopefully one day M. Doreensis will be commonly available as such, and reduce pressure on wild specimens.
My
30 gal breeder tank with LTA and Clarkii clownfish
Closeup of clownfish hosting