Tropical Fish Forums

[fishfreak68]

I purchased a long tentacle anenomia about 1 month ago. He has not taken root in a specific spot. His color is still the same as when I purchased it, it expands and shrinks about twice a day, it just started to eat. Is this normal?
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A closed mouth gathers no Foot

[FloridaBoy]

The name "Long Tentacle" is often thrown around and misused in the industry; several species are sold under this name including Heteractis crispa and H. malu; unfortunately both can be very hard to keep alive for long in most setups. When they start to shrink and bleach out it makes identification even more difficult.

Generally speaking and in my experience; anemones that are moving around a lot are not happy. H. malu prefers to attach itself under the substrate and they are happiest when their column is actually buried under 4 or 5 inches of substrate. Do you have this type of substrate? Do you have the massive lighting (metal halide) required for the internal zooxanthellae algae which allow this species to survive? Even if you do, please be advised these are very difficult animals to maintain for long in most aquariums. Most are doomed to a slow death, in my opinion you would be better off with a captive-bred Bulb-tip (Entacmaea quadricolor) or none at all... if you do not have the correct environment, consider returning it to a more suitable environment quickly. Please see my notes on host anemones here:
http://www.aquahobby.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=17688
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Keepin' marines happy for 25 years

[fishfreak68]

my substrate is a mix of crushed coral and crushed shells. I am not sure what kind he is but the pet store did tell me and he is based from the pacific ocean becuase I wanted an anenomia that clownfish play with even though my clownfish hasn't even looked at it.
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A closed mouth gathers no Foot

[FloridaBoy]

Hmmm, well I have added to my reply above, please re-read and consider carefully if this is a wise choice for your system. It is important to research the requirements of your desired animals before purchasing; without the proper environment they WILL expire prematurely like millions of others before them in this industry. Your clownfish does not require this invertebrate, and some clowns will host in certain types of soft corals which are easier to keep. Please do some research on it. I say this not to rebuke you, but to educate and make you a wise aquarist so you can do the same for others. I do wish you the best of success, and thanks for your questions...
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Keepin' marines happy for 25 years