CSB care..

Marklugo23 · May 30, 2019

I just recently purchased a csb and expect in the mail soon. I was recently made aware that these guys don't fare well with other anemone specimens. I assume its because CSBs are aquacultured and most other nems are wild? was wondering if anyone can shed some light on this matter.

Also, what are the optimal conditions for them? I was hoping to house a Chicago SB with the CSB. based on my knowledge and some on the internet, they are both aquacultured specimen. What makes a nem aquacultured? The fact that it has been in captivity split after split? or does it mean the specimen was bred and engineered in captivity?

last but not least, I used to house quite afew nems (40) in a 40nuvo, black widow, rainbows, tricolors....I noticed most of my bounces kind of closed/shrinnked up a bit as soon as they were placed in the same tank.is there some sort of chemical warfare going on that may be adversely affecting the shrooms?? I don't run carbon(I know I should) and the nems all seem fine..as well as all the other corals. just wondering if anyone has had any similar event

philosophile · May 30, 2019

I have a CSB, and keep it with two other BTAs that are not CSBs. They're just a color morph and are not affected by being with other BTAs. people just need to find a reason for why their CSB melted, and instead of blaming their poor husbandry, they blame it on something else like another BTA in the tank.

As for care, it's nothing special. Feed it maybe a couple times a week, because it'll be small (I'm assuming). I feed mine all sorts of things from freshwater guppies enriched with spirulina, fresh sardine (I fish for them) shrimp, scallops, etc. Like all nems, it'll move when until it finds a good spot for itself. as it grows it might need to move again because it outgrew the hole it stuck its foot in. Actinics will make them really pop.

I have bounces in my tank, and never noticed any closing. I dont run carbon.

dylana407 · May 30, 2019

There is a sunburst anemone group on FB with a wealth of knowledge. From what I've heard, it has to do with chemical warfare. There are a few reports that CSB lost the war. Most don't dare to try.
Quadrilcolor anemones like the rose and rainbow have been aquaculture for longer than the CSB. Black widow is believed to the be the most aggressive.
IMO, don't try to mix the anemones until you have a split.

dylana407 · May 30, 2019

philosophile said:
I have a CSB, and keep it with two other BTAs that are not CSBs. They're just a color morph and are not affected by being with other BTAs. people just need to find a reason for why their CSB melted, and instead of blaming their poor husbandry, they blame it on something else like another BTA in the tank.

Totally agree. However, chemical warfare among anemones is real. It would be a good idea to run carbon. I run carbon and chemipure from a cannister filter.

wkd4b11 · May 30, 2019

To be honest I don't believe in the whole chemical warfare thing. I don't think nems are constantly releasing chemicals that tick each other off.

It makes more sense that it's possible other wild or aquacultured nems carry different bacteria or "diseases" that they've adapted and become immune to.
Because CSB's have been aquacultured for so long they are not adapted and are not immune to this foreign bacteria or disease that newer morphs carry which causes them to melt.

I personally think that makes more sense, but that's my opinion. I have no proof so please don't quote me on this.

philosophile · May 30, 2019

dylana407 said:
There is a sunburst anemone group on FB with a wealth of knowledge. From what I've heard, it has to do with chemical warfare. There are a few reports that CSB lost the war. Most don't dare to try.
Quadrilcolor anemones like the rose and rainbow have been aquaculture for longer than the CSB. Black widow is believed to the be the most aggressive.
IMO, don't try to mix the anemones until you have a split.

Yeah, I'm in the same FB group, and nobody seems to have a good answer when I challenge them on exactly what they think is happening, and the evidence they have for it. Yes, chemical warfare is a real thing, but explain how one BTA can kill another BTA of the same species, without killing themselves? It's either something else doing the chemical attacks, or its bad husbandry, that they're blaming on the "mixing" of BTAs. These BTAs cost a LOT obviously, so they just can't bring themselves to say that either they killed it themselves, or that shipping killed it.

I got a CSB last year, and its going strong, in a mixed BTA environment.

Try googling for "mixing" BTAs outside of the facebook group.... NOBODY talks about it being a problem.

D-Nak · May 30, 2019

I'm in the FB group as well. I tried to fight the fight as well, and gave up. Some don't know what allelopathy means. No one could define what "aquacultured" means. In captivity for X amount of time? The nem split X times?

Shrug shoulders.

Could there be several species of BTAs? We know that some are colonial and others are solitary. Could these be different species, different sexes, is there some sort of hierarchy, and therefore different levels of aggression? We really don't know, and most of what we have to go on is simply anecdotal.

To summarize, if you try different BTA morphs in a an average size tank (less than 100 gallons), run lots of carbon, be observant, and keep your fingers crossed. There's not much else that you can do.

dylana407 · May 30, 2019

Below is an anemone that I kept in as basket for a while. After releasing into the tank to be with my RBTAs, it deflated and start losing the color tips. The green became dark and dull. It never looked the same again. I recently moved it into my black widow tank. It is a lot happier now and the colors are coming back.

Both systems are under the same lighting. The RBTA tank is the DT and has more biological filtration and carbon. Whereas the black widow tank is a 10g with a hob filter, a few small rocks and small bag of carbon.

I can only conclude that this anemone is fine with the black widow and not the RBTA.

Would I put a CSB in with the black widow or RBTAs? Nope. Only if I have a split would I take the chance.