Pom pom crab anemone

[BigTomo003]

Hi again! Just got myself a beauty, a boxer crab. He has his two anemones on his claws but I was wondering something... I've wanted an anemone for my flows for a while now and the ones the crab has are absolutely stunning so I have a question. If the crab somehow dropped one anemone could I grab it and grow it on a rock so that it grows big enough for the clowns to host? I know if they lose one they will split the other one into 2. But could I grow the anemone?? Thanks, oh also just got a gorgeous electric green hammer too!

 

[DeniseAndy]

No. The anemones they use are very specific and not large. They are great little guys though. Super cryptic IME.

 

[BigTomo003]

No. The anemones they use are very specific and not large. They are great little guys though. Super cryptic IME.

So there basically dwarf anemones? Cool. So I'm better off just getting a bta for them but the thing is my tank is only a few months old so whens best to add one? I don't want it to die or get sucked into the power head and pollute the tank

 

[DeniseAndy]

Usually anemones are wanting a fully mature tank. They need stable parameters and lots of food from the water column and just things a mature and stable system has. Most recommend at least 6 months to a year. It has been done sooner with success. Just make sure to stay on top of parameters, and feed it regularly. 2 times per week is good.
I have never fed mine unless I have no clowns hosted. The clowns do ill all for you.
Make sure to get a nice healthy nem and make sure it is happily attached before you turn flow back on. You can also cover your powerheads with a cage, net, sponge, etc to keep the nem from getting at it.

 

[BigTomo003]

Usually anemones are wanting a fully mature tank. They need stable parameters and lots of food from the water column and just things a mature and stable system has. Most recommend at least 6 months to a year. It has been done sooner with success. Just make sure to stay on top of parameters, and feed it regularly. 2 times per week is good.
I have never fed mine unless I have no clowns hosted. The clowns do ill all for you.
Make sure to get a nice healthy nem and make sure it is happily attached before you turn flow back on. You can also cover your powerheads with a cage, net, sponge, etc to keep the nem from getting at it.

OK bud thanks a lot. My prerameters have been stable every time I check and I do weekly water changes. I'll wait till around the 7th month mark to try. Thanks again. One more thing sorry to bother you but there was a pretty big bristle worm on my hammer it was browny red and about 1.5 cm long is this bad?

 

[DeniseAndy]

Bristle worms are a normal part of the cuc. They can get large. Most people just leave them alone. Do not touch one bare handed. They leave bristles in you fingers. Fireworms are similar to bristle worms, but much worse for you to touch. Personal experience. Ouch.
Ifthey come out in a clean, let them go, you have plenty. If they are big and you want them out, take them out, you have more. Trust me on that.

 

[BigTomo003]

Bristle worms are a normal part of the cuc. They can get large. Most people just leave them alone. Do not touch one bare handed. They leave bristles in you fingers. Fireworms are similar to bristle worms, but much worse for you to touch. Personal experience. Ouch.
Ifthey come out in a clean, let them go, you have plenty. If they are big and you want them out, take them out, you have more. Trust me on that.

Ok buddy thanks. I'll let the tank flow the way it wants to! Yea I also found a brittle star hiding under my ZOA's pretty cool

 

[Jaebster]

No. The anemones they use are very specific and not large. They are great little guys though. Super cryptic IME.

If the crab loses their anemone, what can we do as reefers/hobbyists to replace it for them? Can we purchase the anemone somewhere separately? Just wondering...

 

[Copingwithpods]

If the crab loses their anemone, what can we do as reefers/hobbyists to replace it for them? Can we purchase the anemone somewhere separately? Just wondering...

Sadly no, usually when they loose one they will split the remaining in two, but even this is rare and the remaining anemone needs to be in tip top shape to survive. When both anemones are lost some people have gotten a second crab so they can share anemones. This sounds alot simpler than it actually is as one crab practically fights the other for one anemone he can then split. There is very little info on this and even less info on them splitting anemones. More often than not they don't split the anemones.

 

[Jaebster]

Sadly no, usually when they loose one they will split the remaining in two, but even this is rare and the remaining anemone needs to be in tip top shape to survive. When both anemones are lost some people have gotten a second crab so they can share anemones. This sounds alot simpler than it actually is as one crab practically fights the other for one anemone he can then split. There is very little info on this and even less info on them splitting anemones. More often than not they don't split the anemones.

Thank you. That's pretty sad. Wonder what the rate is of the anemone dying or crab losing one of them.

 

[Copingwithpods]

Thank you. That's pretty sad. Wonder what the rate is of the anemone dying or crab losing one of them.

If kept in a tank free of predators with stable parameters and plenty of food for both the crab and his nems they can actually be pretty hardy. I've had one almost a year now and they are a pleasure to watch. What I really want to know is how the heck does he molt without putting the anemones down lol

 

[BigTomo003]

Thank you. That's pretty sad. Wonder what the rate is of the anemone dying or crab losing one of them.

I've read some places of the boxing crabs without anemones will take ZOA's or mushrooms instead, or even smaller pieces of a bta but they don't kill it and if dropped they will re grow. I'm not sure how true this is just read! But mine still has his and there very very small abut 3mm each although its only been a few hours. He seems to love the tank lots of hiding spaces and he even took a whole leftover pellet 10 min after he was introduced but I think my coral beauty got jealous as he likes to pick the rest off the bottom last after the clowns eat but I also feed myssis with garlic and their colours have popped drematicly since when I first got them and take my word on this that my mushrooms and torch get fed 1 time a week on the myssis and they have doubled in size in a month and the mushrooms even grew a new one. Pretty amazing tho I do feel bad cause my blood shrimp eats the missis too so I'm promoting canabilism :/