Fluorescing anemone ID?

Narideth · Dec 5, 2023

So I was using a UV flashlight on my tank after lights out for a brief sweep to see if I could spot any baby rock flowers, and I instead saw what looks to be a small fluorescing anemone, about the size of a dime including the tendrils which you can see extending from the circular ring base. The shots aren't great, but I tried for one with the UV and one with regular white. It's nestled in a little patch of algae and I haven't disturbed it so it hopefully won't release any babies just yet.

I didn't think that aiptasia fluoresced? You can clearly see the little green dots on the body. Either way I need to know what I'm dealing with so I know whether i need to go nuclear and pull the rock out to obliterate it with extreme prejudice.

bradleym · Dec 5, 2023

It looks more like a ball anemone to me (pseudocorynactis). Shouldn't be a nuisance.

Fishy888 · Dec 5, 2023

It looks like a ball anemone to me. I thought it was a majano until I zoomed in. The balls at the ends of the tentacles are different sizes. That’s a characteristic of ball anemones. If they were a uniform size then they would likely have been majanos.

Narideth · Dec 5, 2023

bradleym said:
It looks more like a ball anemone to me (pseudocorynactis). Shouldn't be a nuisance.

I've been looking at pictures of ball anemones and I think you may be right. It's also in a shadowy section of the tank under an overhang, like they're described to be.

What are opinions on how to handle them? I see some people saying they're harmless, some people say they sting corals and proliferate like aiptasia. I don't mind a harmless anemone, or one that's going to occupy a few dark corners. This tank is rife with unexpected hitchhikers and it's been pretty awesome so far, I'm loving how diverse it's becoming.

Fishy888 · Dec 5, 2023

Narideth said:
I've been looking at pictures of ball anemones and I think you may be right. It's also in a shadowy section of the tank under an overhang, like they're described to be.

What are opinions on how to handle them? I see some people saying they're harmless, some people say they sting corals and proliferate like aiptasia. I don't mind a harmless anemone, or one that's going to occupy a few dark corners. This tank is rife with unexpected hitchhikers and it's been pretty awesome to far, I'm loving how diverse it's becoming.

Most stay small and though they can reproduce quickly if there are copious amounts of excess nutrients, they don’t reproduce nearly as fast as aiptasia or even majanos under normal conditions.