How Big Will My Sebae Anemone Grow? 12/04/07
Hey crew,
<Hello Cathy! Brenda here tonight!>
We have owned a Sebae Anemone for about 10 months now. It was bleached out and only about 2 inches across when we purchased him....not healthy now, as we know.
<Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for anemones to expel zooxanthellae from the stress of collection, handling, and shipping.>
But anyway, we had him in a 20 gal tank for about 8 months with a true Percula clown.
<A 20 gallon is much too small. More information here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/heteraccrispa.htm >
The two are inseparable but the anemone just keeps growing and growing and growing. It has also been a healthy brownish color for a very long time now.
<Congratulations on saving the anemone!>
We have moved it with the clown to a 40 gal breeder tank about a month and a half ago and added a second clown to pair.
<A 40 gallon is still a bit small for anemones. Do you also have a sump? Was the 40 gallon an established aquarium before the transfer?>
They both host the anemone now since the move. It seems even bigger; maybe 8 inches across...it is huge.
<What lighting do you have? If you are lacking on lighting, it may not actually be growing. It may just be stretching itself to reach as much light as possible.>
We generally feed it krill twice a week and then the tank get feedings of phytoplankton, brine, Marine Two, and Cyclops alternately every other day.
<Brine shrimp has very little nutritional value unless it is newly hatched brine shrimp.>
My question is how big do you think it will eventually get?
<This anemone can easily grow to 18 inches or more. Some have been known to reproduce asexually by splitting themselves in two. This is not as common as it is with the E. Quadricolor. Some experienced hobbyists have actually cut through the anemone creating a clone. However, I do not recommend this unless you are fully knowledgeable, have witnessed, and know the requirements and care required after the procedure. This is a choice that some have made when the anemone has outgrown its environment. This also saves another anemone from being removed from the ocean.>
Cathy
<Hope this helps! Brenda>

Sebae question! Reading!!!   10/21/07
I've had a Sebae now for a week, and when I first put the anemone into the tank, he was always totally open, looked fine.
<... define "fine"... A pic?>
After the clowns found him (2 days after I put him in), he still hasn't opened up totally yet.
<Might be being abused by the Clowns...>
He has moved to a spot he likes a lot, and none of his tentacles are shriveled up. Should I remove the clowns for a little while?
<... maybe>
And also, I'm not entirely sure, but I think that the tentacles that are closest to the light are turning into a golden brownish color. It is almost hardly noticeable, but is that a good sign? Could he be "recovering" so quickly without really taking any food? I try feeding him, but the clowns usually take the food out of his extremely sticky tentacles..
<Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/heteraccrispa.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Clown + Sebae... reading  10/16/07
Greetings and salutations once again from the Beer capitol of the world! (Milwaukee, WI)
<I salute you>
I have a 30g with two wild caught (supposedly) perculas, one neon goby, one skunk cleaner shrimp, and one striped brittle star black and purple striped).
All water parameters are fine, with the exception of salinity. It is at 1.023-1.024.
<Fixed easily enough... outside the system... through adjusted water changes over time>
My lighting is my weakest point. I have a dual PC lighting fixture, 96w x 2. Will be upgrading within the next month to MH. 
Any suggestions on manufacturer?
<Posted>
I have recently added a Sebae anemone, bleached, of course.
<...?>
It has been in the tank for almost two days now, and when I try to feed it, it will hang onto the food for awhile, but won't move the food towards its mouth. It is quite sticky, and has already VERY securely stuck itself onto a piece of LR. I put him there, because the top of the rock is only about 4 inches from the light, and he seems to like it. 
Anyways, could he still be acclimating? How long will it take until he is used to the water?
<... likely won't>
Also, he might not be eating, but it seems like he sure is going poo quite a bit. Brown, stringy stuff is coming out of his mouth. I hope it is poo..
But so far he seems to be ok. The clowns have taken up residence in him, and the male smaller one) is shaking quite vigorously while he is entangled in the tentacles. And, to speed up the process, the clowns are taking the "poop" and moving it out of the area of the anemone. Normal?
<At times>
Thank you guys very much in advance. I have learned so much since I started coming to this site. It truly is unbelievable the relationships, and the importance of the critters we have in our aquariums. I have grown such a respect for the ocean, and Lake Michigan for that matter.
Heck, I've been thinking about going back to school for marine biology!
<No need for that right now. But do read: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/heteraccrispa.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

April First (Fools) Day picture re above at right image, modified by Zo
Heya Doc...
The cool pic of your anemone and the freshwater Betta did indeed sucker quite a few normally sane folks... a few freshwater fish can be slowly acclimated to saltwater conditions, and they assumed that "Dr. Freeman" (biologist?) had done exactly that.  I almost convinced a couple folks that in fact, the
anemone had been acclimated to freshwater! (patently absurd) I put the composite together last night in preparation for today's "April 1, Special Edition" Daily Image. In another life (oh, 4 years ago or so) I was an art director for an advertising firm. The Photoshop work took about an hour. I had I.D.'d your anemone in my own photos as Heteractis crispa, though I'd never seen one so purple so I had my doubts (and it could well be a weird M. doreensis "Corkscrew", which is pretty common in that color) but I was later relieved to discover that Bob had also identified it as H. crispa, without he
and I discussing it! Macrodactyla doreensis has fewer, curlier tentacles, and a more obvious,
broader 'disc', flattish area around the mouth.  But the deep purple is very common in the corkscrew, and RARE in the H. crispa - so Brian may be right there too.  In any case, they are not the same animal! Attached are the source images for the composite. The anemone is my shot, the
Betta splendens is from Bob's archives. Cheerio! -Zo

Sebae Anemone   1/30/06
I recently purchased a small sebae...it is bright green with blue tips.  I have a 30 gallon tank and I
increased the lighting to 96 watts. <Not enough light for this species.> He stays open and
looks pretty but I tried to place him near the top but he wouldn't use his foot <pedal disc> to hold on and the
current eventually took him to the bottom of the tank. After 3 or 4 days he was still there at the bottom.
He was not attached with his foot, but still looked open and nice.  I tried again to move him towards the top, this time I used some bubble algae to hold him
there.  Any ideas on how to make his foot work? <Josh, you picked a difficult anemone to acclimate to aquarium life.  It requires strong lighting for starters and a variety of sandy and rocky locations where it can choose to anchor itself along with pristine water quality.  You cannot make/entice an anemone to anchor.  When they are in a location they like, they will then anchor.  I'd see if I could return this anemone and exchange for a bubble tip, something a little easier to keep.  James (Salty Dog)>

Lighting VHO vs. PC, anemone feeding, color, Clownfish eggs 12/13/05
Hello,
I have a 4x65 watt CoralLife power compact fixture on my 75 gallon aquarium. I am keeping some SPS's, including a 6 month old Acropora frag that is brown and fuzzy with purple tips. It is toward the top and doing ok, but obviously due to the lack of light it is growing slowly. I am building a canopy soon and I have the opportunity to upgrade to 440 watts of VHO for pretty cheap. Is this worth it? I hear that they don't put out as much light as pc's, even though there will be a big difference in wattage. <The PC's are brighter watt for watt, have a lower operating cost than other tubes and a much better bulb selection.> Also what if I put my pc bulbs and the VHO bulbs all into my canopy... can this be done...why have I never heard of this? <Because it isn't cost efficient.  Next to MH, PC's is the way to go.>
If I did end up going with the VHO's will I be able to keep any corals that I couldn't keep with the PCs? I have always liked the look of the light put off by VHO way better hopefully it will be a better choice for my corals too. <The best lighting for Acropora and most other SPS corals is MH or HQI but if a MH/HQI upgrade is not in your budget I would rather see you add another 4x65 fixture than the 440 watt VHO.>
Lastly, I have a sebae anemone that I have had for about 8 months. The base is a very bright fluorescent green, and it has pink tentacles with purple tips. I was curious and looked at as many photos of them as I could find. I found a few that slightly resembled mine, but none that have had color even half as vibrant. Is this a rare find? also what foods can be used to get the best color possible? Right now I use silversides and squid alternating once a week and frozen prime reef cubes about 3 times a week. <The Prime Reef cubes is what I'd stay with and you don't need to feed the anemone three times a week.  Once or twice is plenty. It is also being hosted by a black ocellaris and an orange percula is it possible for them to produce fertile eggs? <I guess it could be possible but unlikely.>
Thanks for any help that you could give me. <You're welcome and Happy Holidays to you. In future queries please do a spelling/grammar check.  It sure saves us plenty of time if we don't have to edit these.  James (Salty Dog)>

Shriveled Sebae  9/4/05
We just bought an Anenome yesterday. it is what and has purple tips.
<Sebae Anemone, Heteractis crispa. This particular individual has expelled its symbiotic zooxanthellae due to stress resultant from poor water conditions, shipping, too much handling, general bad, health, etc. This is known as being "bleached." A healthy sebae is usually a deep brown/beige color. As a general rule, no zooxanthellate cnidarian should ever possess white polyps (in this case, the anemone itself can be considered a polyp).>
I has already started to shrivel up. The pet store told us that it would do this
when it expels old water and takes in new water.
<Yes, this is a common occurrence with anemones. Sort of a "body column water change." If the shriveling is accompanied by a gaping mouth/expelled internals, however, it is a sign of severe stress.>
It has almost been a day and it hasn't blossomed back yet. Is there something wrong with it?
<Too soon to tell, really. Give it another 24 hours.>
could it
be dead already?
<Possibly, but I doubt it.>
and how long does the process of expelling water take?
<usually, the water change can be completed in around ~12 hours, but this is by no means a concrete rule.>
Please Help ASAP Please email me back
<It's funny you sent me this email at this time. A family member of mine recently purchased a bleached sebae, and it, too, shriveled up beyond recognition, was vomiting entrails, etc. on day 2. I just 5 minutes ago received an email from him with pics of the now-healthy anemone. I advised him to use a syringe (sans needle, you know, the ones you get with test kits) or pipette to force feed the anemone a mixture of Cyclops-eeze, liquid garlic, and Selcon by placing the tip of the syringe/pipette between the anemone's "lips" and squirting gently and slowly. He did this twice daily, and the anemone bounced back and is now a deep shade of brown after only 2 months. The anemone stopped requiring the force feeding after 2 weeks of it, at which point it was rather sticky and could accept whole krill soaked in Selcon twice daily. At any point where all hope seems lost, it's not. Trust me. Never give up, and best of luck! Mike G>

Sebae Anemone 8/3/05
I have tried to find books on the topic of anemones but they are hard to
find and I found your article on the web along with a few others but they
don't answer all of my questions or really even cover the behaviors of an
anemone.
<Anemone behavior? You mean, eat, deflate, inflate, grow, wander?>
I just bought an anemone on Saturday for the first time and I picked out a
Sebae anemone, however I think I made two major mistakes.  
<I'd say your first was picking out one of the harder species of anemones.>
First, mistake the anemone wasn't attached to anything in the tank, but it was puffed up
and looked healthy and beautiful, however I read afterwards that a creamy
colored anemone may have started the bleaching process already.  
<Indeed. To add to this, Sebaes are often sold bleached.>
I can still see a brown pigmentation on the body but the tentacles and foot a more of a
creamy color.  
<Could very well be bleaching, though it does not sound like a serious "case">
Second mistake, I didn't make the dealer feed the anemone at
the store.
<I never even considered that to be a part of buying a healthy anemone. I always look for coloration, fullness, a closed-tightly mouth, a full foot, etc.>
I acclimated my anemone for about 2 ½ hours and placed him in my tank, and
he just started to float around so, I didn't want him to get hurt floating
around in my tank, so I think I may have held him too long...a couple of
minutes.  
<Does not sound too great.>
Finally he attached in a cave in the rocks where he gets some
light but not too much.  He stayed attached for a little over one day,
however he didn't eat anything that I tried to feed him.  
<Could have simply been acclimating. When you picked him up, did he feel sticky? That is a sign of good health. Conversely, lack of stickiness is a sign of very poor health.>
I have tried to
feed him silversides, chopped up, and Mysid shrimp.  He started to eat some
of the shrimp the first day but then spit it back out.  About a day later he
flipped up side down on his mouth
<No good at all.>
so my husband and I moved a powerhead so
it was pointing in the anemone's direction to tip him back over, which
worked.  
<Unnecessary stress.>
Now another day and half later he won't attach to anything
<Very bad.>
since the previously mentioned, and he leaves his mouth open a lot
<Very, very bad.>
and he still won't eat.
<Quite bad indeed.>
I don't think his stinger cells are working either.  One of my
baby Chromis has come in contact with his tentacles and is still alive
swimming around in the tank, but food does stick to his tentacles when I try
to feed him.  
<Then, yes, his nematocysts are still in operation.>
I did see the anemone expelling some brown stuff the first day
and some creamy colored stringy balls from inside his mouth are mixed within
his tentacles.  
<Normal.>
His foot is not damaged and I haven't seen any rips or tears
on his body or tentacle.  I have T5 lights, 4 Blue actinic and 2 white
<Actinics have considerably less photosynthetically usable light than white bulbs. I would not go so far as to count them toward your wattage.>
and get a little over 4 watts per gallon in a 75 gallon tank. I am at a loss due
to good information on the Sebae anemone, Heteractis crispa.  Do you have
any suggestions?  
<Give it a place where it will get good lighting as well as be able to shade itself, decent flow, daily feedings... make sure it eats at least once a day, even if it means sacrificing 100 Mysis to feed one. When feeding, cut the circulation and stick the food nearest to the mouth as you can.>
Is my anemone dying?  
<It is unwell, but can recover.>
When do I know when to give up and
get him out of my tank before he becomes harmful to other specimens in my
tank?  
<When he dies.>
I don't want to throw out a live anemone...I would feel really bad
but I don't want to lose my other fish and coral that I have put time and
money into.
<Watch him closely. If he dies, remove him immediately. I recently brought a Ritteri anemone with extremely similar symptoms back to life: it is now a deep shade of brown-green. You can save it, even when death seems unavoidable. Best of luck, Mike G>

Anemone Conundrum, lack of knowledge
Hi Gang,
<Hello>
First, let me describe my setup. I've got a 125G SPS tank with about 9 watts per gallon of 20K MH and actinic PCs. I am collecting the rarest frags I can get, making it somewhat of a collector's tank.
<Okay>
The reason for the email is that a lady has stolen my heart, and she is a beautiful bright yellow sebae anemone.
<Mmm, she's a phony... a dyed animal>
They call her the 'flaming sun' sebae. I have heard conflicting reports of anemones stinging SPS corals, and LPS for that matter. On the other hand, I've seen lots of successful reefs with a mixture of SPS, LPS, and an anemone or two.
Thoughts on adding a sebae in particular, or is their a better choice?
Thanks,
Brandon Wilson
<Please see here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/coloredanemones.htm
and the other archived materials on Heteractis crispa/Sebae anemones... And don't perpetuate the practice by endorsing it (buying such doomed animals). Bob Fenner>

HELP!! Yellow <Dyed> Sebae Anemone
James,
Okay, I understand the feeding issue.  But I was wondering if there IS
a such thing as a yellow sebae? <I've heard of them> Like I said his foot is yellow too. <<No... this is a dyed specimen... RMF>>
 I put him in a 3 gallon bowl with bubbler, live rock (which he attached
to right away) and sand. <He will not be with you very long in a three gallon bowl.  They need much larger quarters and plenty of moving water and intense lighting to survive.> I put him in the sun in my daughters room and when we got home last night he looked a lot happier.  This morning her room was chilly and the water was 76, so we currently have him back in
the sun on the patio with a thermometer to watch the temp.  I noticed a clear slime that is coming out of his pursed little mouth (not gaping like yesterday)  I have a gallon of fresh salt water to swap out when he is done "sliming".  What is that? <Please do a google search on the Wet Web, keyword "sebae anemones".  You should know what their requirements are.>
Also, in an unrelated question, what else do spotted snake eels eat
besides ghost shrimp?  He will eat out of my hand, but does not like
Mysis or brine soaked in Zoë.  <Read here.  http://search.hp.netscape.com/hp/boomframe.jsp?query=Spotted+Snake+eel&page=1&offset=1&result_url=redir%3Fsrc%3Dwebsearch%26requestId%3D3ea67cb9c10fc109%26clickedItemRank%3D9%26userQuery%3DSpotted%2BSnake%2Beel%26clickedItemURN%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.wetwebmedia.com%252Fophichthidae.htm%26invocationType%3D-%26fromPage%3DNSISPTop%26amp%3BampTest%3D1&remove_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wetwebmedia.com%2Fophichthidae.htm >
Also, I tripped across a blurb about not having anemones with coral??  <It's not a good idea but people do it.>
I have a peppermint and 1 zoo, and 1 Ricordea mushroom (who will NOT
attached to anything to save its life!  Dumb Mush!)<Not unusual>
Thanks, <You're welcome.  James (Salty Dog)>
Carrie :)
PS;  Is indirect or direct sunlight better for the sebae?  And for how
long? <10-12 hours direct>

Yellow <Dyed> Sebae Anemone
Hi Bob, 
<James, today>
Boy am I mad at myself!!! But I don't have hours to search for answers! Now, for each of my new purchases, I do a crazy amount of reading to ensure my pet's survival. I knew I wanted an anemone and was told the bubble tip was my best first kind. Then many of the shops here in Vegas swear that the Sebae is just as hardy.  SOOOOOO.......After my gravity is 1.023 and parameters are good (78-80 degrees) alk approx 8 to 8.4 and ph 8.1, I purchase a Yellow Sebae (the foot was yellow as well) I put the little darling in my tank after acclimating it in the drip method and it attached right where I put it (I have 55 gallon sand/LR and 260w) I shot some Zoe (Kent) into it and it seemed to love it. 
The next day, 2/3 of the tentacles are "shriveled up", so I am buggin' out here! Yesterday morning, oddly enough, it was more like only 1/3 shriveled up. Some of the purple tips came back, but still some tentacles are shriveled and his bottom
part slightly curled up near those tentacles. I fed some brine soaked in Zoe (Kent) and it almost seemed to want it and after 30 seconds, let it go. 
Then it balled up and opened again to have the body of it full of water but most of the tentacles thin. I am SURE if I wanted to, the LFS I go to would take it back, they are pretty cool and generally informative. In fact they had a fluorescent-ish green sebae I almost got instead (at least the green would be better from what I read) Anyhow, I want this little guy to be happy. I was told to try some "silver backs" frozen fish chunks. What do you think? Is the Bubbletip better? Also, do they dye these as well? What color is better for a bubble tip? I have read a ton of articles on your site
about sebae, but my time is short this weekend and I need an answer before he/she dies! Thanks and have a great one! 
<I think the biggest problem you encountered was feeding the anemone too soon. Let it get adjusted and tacked down good and bloom out before feeding. I would not feed it anymore, at least for a week. Anemones do produce a lot of their own food providing your lighting is sufficient. James (Salty Dog)><<Not dyed ones... RMF>>

Sebae anemones turned tannish/brown
Hi I have a small 12 gallon tank with a small (was creamy white with purple dots on the end of each tentacle) sebae anemone. 
<Bleached>
I had two small clowns and a small blue tang.
<This system is too small...>
All my fish got ick, and were transferred to a hospital tank. The two clowns died after a week and half of treatment, but the tang lived. Finally the tang has been put back into the main tank. Well my problem is that when the fish got ick and were removed from the main tank the anemone turned from a creamy white with purple dots on the end of the tentacles to a tannish/light brown color.
<A step in the right direction>
When the anemone was first put into the tank, we placed it in a hole on one of our live rocks and it stayed and started spreading. Seemed happy, but since the fish were removed it's color changed. It still opens and shuts with the lights and retracts when the crabs touch it. Is it sick or is it ok.
<Ok>
I am planning on buying two more small clowns to replace the two that died.
<I would not... the stress from being crowded... likely was largely at play in your last ich episode. Save up and get a larger system. For what you have, want, at least forty gallons minimum>
I think that my first mistake was buying all three fish from three different places. But I want to make sure that the anemone is ok or if it needs treatment or what? Please help.
<Please read re Heteractis crispa (Sebae Anemones) on WWM. Bob Fenner>

-Sebae troubles-
Ok, I've poured over the site to find an answer to this question and found parts of the answer but I need to put my worrying mind to rest.
<Will do my best, you have Justin with you today.>
We got a Sebae anemone which was kind of white, more yellow (which I told my boyfriend to buy the more colored one and he got confused and got the whiter one)...
<Editor's note: the more brightly colored the Sebae, the stronger the DYE job - DON'T buy these colored anemones, not their natural color! Please see here, http://www.wetwebmedia.com/coloredanemones.htm found via Google bar on site.>
... but he's got purple tips and is sort of a pale pale yellow, a baby- about 3-5 inches across when opened. We have a 100g, 2 metal halide, 2 fluorescent., 2 tank-raised clown, 5 Blue Chromis, 1 cleaner shrimp, 2 peppermint shrimp, Fiji live rock and indo-live rock and various other "dead" rock mostly. 
The Sebae was doing great at first, liking the halides and the Zoo.... food we got him, opening with the lights, tips turning dark dark purple, and then going into conserve mode when the hall's are off, he insists on being on the bottom of the tank near the back in the substrate.
<I see the problem already. You are feeding a predatory animal food that it does not eat. This animal should be eating meaty foods like silversides or defrosted cube foods containing shrimp and other inverts (marine predator foods) Otherwise the Sebae will eat whatever it can even your fish.>
We initially set him on the live rock near the top and he bailed and went to the bottom. We haven't moved him since, but he moves between about 7 inches of the same place up next to a rock or back to the glass.
<This is normal, let the Sebae move as it likes and do not force it anywhere.> 
So the other morning one of the baby blue Chromis (real little about 15cm) disappeared. None of the water parameters have changed, he's nowhere to be found.. Did the Sebae eat him?
<Bet my bottom dollar on it.>
That was 2 days ago. and today the Sebae is all scrunched up like a button and took nearly an hour to open up with the halides on, we don't usually turn them on this early in the day but we were worried about him and he really
enjoys the light. 
<I would not alter the lighting cycle unless you absolutely have to. Use a flashlight or wait as the animals need a day night cycle.>
BTW, do the halides need a dimmer? They warm up but when you turn them off, they just go off- no dimmer action. -is that necessary?
<The dimmer? No. However, you might leave the room lights on after the halides go off to ease into darkness rather than a sudden drop.>
Anyhoo, I'm worried about the Sebae, what else can we do? We currently don't dose anything in the tank except food. Will things like Calcium, or Kalkwasser help? We saving up to buy a dosing pump. We recently added some Phosphate sponge to help the overgrowth of brown algae. Thanks so much, you're the best!
Most humbly, Kat
<Kat, feed that predator meaty foods. If its big pieces, they need to be minced very finely. Or if its cubed food, use a powerhead and stick the cube to the strainer inlet, and as it thaws it will be blown out. Have this point near the anemone but not directly pointing at it. Also a turkey baster works well for feeding it. If it is a silverside simply use a feeding stick and set the silverside on the tentacles and let it go. The anemone will eat at its own pace. Feed them every 3 days or week or so. The yellowing that you see is the anemones photosynthetic algae spreading some and that is a good thing. Between the algae and the meaty foods, it should be fine.>
<Justin (Jager)> 

My new sebae (anemone)
I know that there are many lighting questions already posted but I cannot be sure that I am going to do the right thing and I want to take good care of my animals. 
Tank details: 55 gallon, 80 pounds live sand, 80 lbs live rock, sand-sifting goby, sand sifting star, peppermint shrimp, coral-banded shrimp, 2 urchins, 8 hermit crabs, 12 snails, 2 domino damsels. The urchins, hermits, snails, and damsels are left over from the set-up stage and may be moved to other tanks soon. There are 2 Maxi-jet 600s and a Rio 600 (on timers), and a Remora C skimmer, run by a Rio 1200; plan to start sump this summer. Lighting is 1-96 watt True Actinic 03 and 1-96 watt 10,000KT Daylight Compact Fluorescent. My question regards lighting but feel free too comment on any other obvious issues. I gather from the FAQs that I need to have at least 220 watts. I am pretty sure the Sebae is going to settle near the bottom of the tank so I am thinking of adding an additional 96 watt power compact. Can you give me any advice about the lighting I should get?
<Posted on WWM>
I am limited at this point to something that will fit under my hood, although I may be able to switch to MH in about 6 months.
<Then I would wait on the additional light and go with this in half a year>
The question is, I saw that you suggested this Britelight to someone but I am thinking of adding a 50/50 bulb (half 10K and half actinic). Because of my set-up, my intention is to use Current USA Orbit Compact Fluorescent so I have other bulb choices - 460nm Actinic, 420nm Actinic, 10,000K, 6,700K, etc. So, what will be the best for me to love on my Sebae? 
<No need for actinic... go with the higher/est Kelvin "white" lamp>
Oh yeah, he is about 2 or 3 inches in diameter and yellow, with purple tips.
<... Heteractis crispa are not yellow... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/heteraccrispa.htm 
and here: 
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/coloredanemones.htm  Bob Fenner> 

Sebae Anemone won't eat 1/30/05
Morning, I've read here that when fed finely diced ocean meats anemone will sting and gather it into his mouth. My sebae won't. It will wrap around it but let's it go.
<no worries... just experiment with different sized meats (finer or more coarse) and different varieties. Also try some Cyclop-eeze. Cnidarians like your anemone are often very picky about exact prey and particle sizes and textures/types>
We also made the ignorant mistake of getting a yellow one (I know now).
<this is common my friend. I understand>
It has regained some brown.
<ooh, very good to read!>
This morning it was upside down after staying in one place for a week. It is the only anemone in the tank with some polyps and a coral beauty.70 lbs live rock and sand with lots of copepods.
<the latter will help this anemones indeed>
Nitrates are coming down as I slowly remove bio balls, other parameters are OK.
<all good... and no worries about a small amount of nitrates - this will feed the anemone a little bit>
It now is about 12 inches from the light which is 335 watts PC.  Is there anyway to help add beneficial zooxanthellae algae?
<persistence here mostly. And feeding at the same time every day is quite helpful for getting the creature into a feeding rhythm>
Any other care tips?
<adding a bit (a teaspoon) of thawed frozen pack juice (or tuna juice) to the water 15-30 minutes before feeding meats may help stimulate a better feeding response>
Thank you , this is a great help esp. to us rookies.
<it is our purpose for being here my friend. Kudos to you for your efforts to save this anemone. Best of luck! Anthony>

Sebae anemone - Thu, 20 Jan 2005 
We have a 75 gallon marine aquarium. It contains eight different fish. all still in their juvenile state. Two feather dusters and a small Sebae anemone. After researching a little bit on the Internet I found that many people say that if the anemone is white it is unhealthy. When we first bought the anemone it was about 4" in diameter and solid white with purple tips.. now it has dwindled down to about an inch in diameter and has turned a yellowish off white color. All of it's tentacles have shriveled up very small. Everything that lives in the tank has done extraordinarily well except this anemone. This is actually our third attempt at having an anemone. Everywhere we go someone tells us something different as far as the care for this animal.... can you please help us? <Yes, I can help you. Here is a link to a site that should interest you and answer your questions. James (Salty Dog)> http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm 

Appropriate lighting for H. crispa 12/31/04
Hi, I think that the Heteractis crispa hosts the percula clown, I was just wondering what sort of lightening does this anemone need and is it a reasonable easy anemone to keep????  Thanks
<If you have not done so already, please do see the info that Bob linked in his previous reply.  I currently keep A. ocellaris with an E. quadricolor (rose) anemone, and although the association is not natural, they will accept each other in captivity and A. percula is know to as well.  Occasionally, clowns that have been kept for a long time without an anemone are slow to accept an unnatural host or may not do so at all, but this is rare (Mine took about a month).  As for H. crispa, the are a natural host for A. percula, but not A. ocellaris.  They are often sold as the "Sebae anemone" and are often bleached white with pink tips.  Occasionally, they are also dyed bright yellow or pink.  Bleached or dyes specimens are almost always doomed to die.  If you find a healthy specimen (should be tan/brown with an occasional pinkish tone), they may be a good second choice to E. quadricolor for hardiness, although they are at least as demanding of light.  175w MH would be a minimum, with 250w recommended.  Best Regards.  AdamC.

Sebae Anemone 'spurting'
Bob and Crew:
<Ed>
Let me first thank you for the invaluable advice and direction that you have provided me over the past couple of years.  I've found your website to be extremely useful in providing the information needed by the modern aquarist.  Due to the excellent organization of your site, I haven't had the opportunity (or need) to contact you directly.  However, tonight something happened in my tank that has me baffled.  I've not seen anything posted regarding what I saw tonight.
I'll begin with a sincere 'thank you' regarding the advice provided by prior posts regarding our Sebae anemone.  My wife and I purchased it about 18 months ago.  It was small (about 3 to 4 inches across) and beautifully white.  I soon learned that it shouldn't be white.  With your advice, I slowly nurtured it back to excellent health by gingerly feeding it every two days and adding Combisan to the tank weekly.  The Sebae now measures about 14" across when fully spread out and is a dark, rich brown.
<Outstanding>
Yesterday, my wife called me at work and said that the aquarium was really cloudy.  I was baffled and nervous because I've never seen it cloudy except when I used AZNO3 about 9 months ago to eliminate my nitrates (which worked ).  When I got home from work, I was greeted with 'pea soup'.  I couldn't even see the back of the tank.  I figured it was some sort of bacterial bloom and added some carbon.  All the while, hoping for the best.
Tonight, the tank was looking fairly clear, but still a bit hazy.  Just before the lights go off (at midnight), I looked at the tank and noticed that the Sebae anemone was a bit more 'scrunched up' than normal.  As I watched, it suddenly began to discharge small round 'balls'...  somewhat like eggs.  The spurting continued for several minutes, until there were perhaps thousands of small, greenish "balls" suspended in the water column.  I'm attaching a photograph of the sebae's mouth during part of evolution.  (I can send a much higher resolution picture if it would be helpful)  I'm completely baffled now...  Sebaes reproduce by splitting, not 'eggs' right??  The tank immediately clouded up again.
<Mmm, actually can/do reproduce in a few ways... including sexually, but these are not eggs>
Is the clouding, or the "spurting" anything to worry about?  My wife and I love this tank, and we would like to avoid a crash if at all possible.
<They do worry me... am wondering... where they came from... likely something that was eaten. Do you, did you have Caulerpa in this system? Is this a Caulerpacean reproductive event?>
Ooops...  almost forgot:  My tank parameters are as follows:
Salinity:  35 ppt (refractometer...  about 1.025-6 SG)
Temp:  79 Deg. F.
pH:  8.2
Ammonia:  0
Nitrite:  0
Nitrate: 0
Phosphate:  0 (or so...  if you believe the test)
Alk:  10-11 dKH
I also measure Silicate, Iodide/Iodine and are ok
Equipment:  
75 g AllGlass
Rena Filstar Canister, 350 GPM
AquaC Remora Pro with Magdrive and skimmer box
Two other powerheads, 175 gph each
15 W UV (TMC Vecton) - which was running during the cloudiness
Stocking:  (fairly light)
Sebae Anemone - 14"
Yellow Tang - about 5-6"
Cinnamon Clown - 4-5"
Yellow tailed Blue Damsel - 2.5"  (for sale...  cheap )
9 Astrea snails
10 Blue Legged, small hermit crabs
About 15 Lb. of Live rock
Thanks in advance for your help, and please let it be known that your work is truly appreciated!
Regards,
Ed
<Something is missing here Ed... what sort of object could have caused the cloudiness? What algae do you have? Bob Fenner>

Re: Sebae Anemone 'spurting'
Bob,
<Ed>
Thank you for your prompt response.  I don't have any macroalgae in the system whatsoever.  I have a bit of film and hair algae, but it's fairly light.  I also have some really dark brown algae that grows on the substrate that persistently exists, but it is a relatively small amount.  It is somewhat filamentous and is difficult to siphon out because it merely 'clumps' when it enters the siphon.  Other than that, there's no algae other than coralline.
<Strange. Am at a loss to explain the green color, the balls...>
I currently feed the Sebae a homemade seafood mix about once a week.  I keep it frozen and whittle off a bit into a bit of tank water, then feed with a turkey baster.  It doesn't seem that I'm missing any livestock, and the Sebae doesn't eat anything that would seem to produce the small balls that I've described.  I feed the fish a varying combination of flake food and the homemade seafood mix on occasion.  Once in awhile, I enrich the food with either Selcon or VitaChem.
<Oh, does the homemade food have a vegetable/algal component?>
Two days have passed since the event, and the tank is now fairly clear.  It's not as clear as it was before the event, but close.  I cleaned the filters last night and they were almost entirely plugged with a slimy substance that was difficult to wash off.  I had just cleaned the filters about 1.5 weeks before the event, so the plugging was very unusual.  The skimmer has been acting strange, too.  It's been removing about 1/2 of it's normal amount, and what it removes right now is a nearly opaque, milky tan liquid instead of the medium tea to coffee colored liquid it normally removes.
The livestock, including the anemone seem unfazed by the event, which it probably a really good sign.
<Yes>
Another thought:  Could the clownfish have laid eggs directly into the anemone?  The clownfish is A. Melanopus and has been hosting in the anemone since shortly after introduction of the anemone.  I know it's a long shot, but I'm running out of ideas.
<Mmm, no... very often (in the wild) Clownfishes will lay their eggs on to the hard substrate under (by pecking at it) the foot of their host anemone... but not on.>
Thanks once again for your help!
Ed
<Lastly (the paranoid question)... is it possible someone placed/dumped something in your tank? Other than this, some sort of reproductive event (by ?) is about all the general possibilities that come to mind for the cloudiness, slime. Bob Fenner>

Re: Sebae Anemone 'spurting'
Thanks once again, Bob.
<Welcome Ed>
I don't currently use any algae/vegetable component in my seafood mix, so I guess that's likely ruled out.  Our clownfish has always dug holes around the anemone, all the way to the bottom glass; however I've never seen it attempt to nip at the anemone's foot in any way (or lay eggs for that matter).  I guess the possibility of the clownfish laying eggs is ruled out as well.  Also, no one has had the opportunity to dump anything into the tank, so I guess that's also ruled out.
<Yes>
I guess it shall remain a mystery.  The mysterious behaviors of marine life are exactly what attracted us to the hobby in the first place!  Imagine my surprise when late the other night I watched the anemone spurting out a constant stream of the small, greenish balls!  At least I captured several images of the event with my camera, otherwise I don't think anyone would believe me.
<... yes, strange>
The tank is now crystal clear once again, so I think that everything is getting back to normal.
I'll continue learning and growing in this fun and interesting hobby, and I truly appreciate the service that you and your crew provide.
Regards,
Ed
<Thank you, Bob Fenner>