Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Not Reef Tank Suitable
Not Suitable for Fish-Only Tank
These are bottom burrowing animals, in the Order Ceriantharia, are better maintained under low light with little water movement. Their tube is not built of sand, debris or slime as has been thought for a very long time. Instead, it's almost entirely made up of nematocysts of a special type called ptychocyst (Mariscal et al., 1977).
Little is know about their reproduction, yet fission of the body, budding, production of sperm and eggs resulting in planktonic larvae, and live birth have been documented in various species.
Since they are burrowing animals, they can be provided with an inert container in the aquarium filled with sand/gravel and sized to easily fit the length and width of their tube, or a deep sand bed with its depth sized to accommodate its length.
Some species are night animals and only expand their tentacles in the dark. Their outer longer tentacles are used to catch food and transfer it to the shorter inner tentacles, which then transfer the catch to the mouth.
Tube anemones should be fed very small pieces of fish, clam, mussel, and/or squid and frequency depends upon their species. Keep in mind they have the ability to capture and eat small fishes and shrimp, therefore, some thought must be given before placing them into a well-stocked reef aquarium. With most species, it's better kept in an aquarium dedicated to its needs.
