anemone dropping tips?

Hi all - a newbie here... my pink tip haitian anemone began "squeezing" off it's tips this morning. Very strange to watch! It has been a very happy camper since adding to the tank 4 months ago. Four days ago I introduced a toadstool and maze coral, and a maroon clown who immediately bonded. I did rearrange things, so I know that was disruptive as well, but the anemone seems to like it's new spot and looked great until this morning, when it began dropping tips. Tonight it's back to it's plump self, but I've noticed that some of the tips laying around are actually alive! So, I've gathered a few and they are in a net at the top of the tank awaiting your input... I've searched the net but have found no info on this type of event... what say you? thanks...

 

:speechles Hello and welcome to 3reef!
I have never heard of anything like that. I know that another anemone won't grow as a result of this.
Anemones reproduce either sexually, by pedal laceration or longitudinal fission.

 

Neither have I

 

what shall I do?

so, what do you think I should do with these little clones? they already do "anemone" things like shrivel when touched, turn grey, then replump and stick to things. two of three are now clinging to the side of the net. I'm concerned that being on the top of the tank may be too warm for them (close to the light).

There are still a few tips preparing to "take off" from the mama anemone. it's as if its creating a tourniquet to force the tip off. It even tries to "bump" off the tip, and I observed an occasional "undulating" which looked like it was trying to "barf" off the tip. Bizarre!

 

the sticking that the tentacles are doing are the nematocysts and is a natural response.
i still am baffled! Can you take some pictures?

 

anemone fotos

here are 3 fotos at varying distances. sorry for the quality - I can sure appreciate what it must take to get good fotos now! This looks like one of the last to "pop". Earlier there would be at least 5 or 6 going thru the process at one time.

Another oddity, tho not nearly as unusual, is the splitting of my green ricordia a couple days ago... Thanks for your input!

 

Thats wild... I have never heard of this happening. Pretty cool...Asexual reproduction of an anemone?!?!

 

I think it may have happened before - since I've aquired it, one of the tentacles developed two heads!

Also, my feather duster behaves like it's on steroids. It stands erect and has the largest "bloom" I've ever seen. It looks totally different than the other dusters at the store where I purchased it and they have no idea why it has become so perky and big.

Between today's anemone saga, my ricordea splitting last week and my gorgeous feather duster, I'd like to think there's some special magic in my tank... I don't live near a nuclear power plant, and I don't do anything special, so I guess I'm just pretty lucky...

 

Can you give us your tank parameters, And also some more info on your system?

 

My tank: 25gal nano, started July 05.
Inhabitants in order of adding: yellow tail damsel, diamond goby, assorted crabs, pink tip Haitian Anemone, Porcelain crab, green ricordea, Camelback shrimp, serpent starfish, (3) emerald crabs, feather duster. Added 1/20: maze coral, toadstool coral, maroon clownfish.

I keep the temperature 76-78, change water every 2-3 weeks
Weekly: feed anemone Hikari plankton
add 1/2 cap each Kent Essential Elements & Kent Strontium & Molybdenum

I do not have a timer, so I turn the light on and off "around" the same time.

The changes that took place within 3 days prior to the "event":
Addition of coral & clownfish - who immediately bonded
Moving to center of tank

This morning everything looks fine - the "babies" are still alive in the net, and I can see some other "remnants" of tips on the tank floor. Most of the anenomes tips are now pink, with a few still in transition from the white scab that formed after the tips came off.