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Tube Anemone Care in 5 Easy Steps - Ceriantharia
Last updated on November 17th, 2023
Tube Anemone - Ceriantharia
The Tube Anemone, or the proper name Ceriantharia, is one of the most beautiful and lesser known invertebrates found in few reef aquariums. Tube anemones come in a small variety of colors with the most popular being the pink with neon yellow center and purple with neon yellow center. Tube anemones are not popular in reef tanks for a variety of reasons, mainly due to their reputation as "fish killers" (more on that below) as well as being non-photosynthetic.
The tube anemone is a great addition to many reef tanks, as well as provide a talking point to other reef keepers. The beautifully colored creature makes a good addition to reef tanks, but can also be kept as part of a display refugium. Because of their feeding needs, keeping the them near large pod populations may help you succeed in keeping this creature.
What is the Tube Anemone - Ceriantharia
Tube anemones are a type of small invertebrate that creates a tube out of its discharge, called nematocysts, and lives within this tube. Tube anemones can then move like true anemones within their tubes and attatch to rocks. Though possible, the Ceriantharia will likely not home itself in the rock work of your aquarium. The Ceriantharia prefers to live in sand, mud, and other soft substrates. It can attach to rocks though for stability.
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Tube Anemone Size
The tube anemone can grow as much as 8 inches (20 cm) across with the tentacles spanning a foot (30.5 cm) or more.
Why is the Tube Anemone NOT really an Anemone? - Looks can be Deceiving
Though I, and most everybody else, refer to this creature as a tube anemone, it is not actually an anemone but rather Ceriantharia. The Ceriantharia does not have an adhesive foot to attach to the substrate or rock. This is one of multiple differences that sets it apart from true anemones. The Ceriantharia has a taproot shaped foot to allow it to dig in to the substrate. This is why Ceriantharia are generally found in the sand or mud, unlike true anemones that are commonly found in the rock work.
Another difference between the Ceriantharia and a true anemone is the ability to shrink up in to a ball. The true anemone can shrink up or retract in to a ball shape for protection and while eating. The Ceriantharia does not have this ability and instead retracts in to its tube for protection. The Ceriantharia also has 2 sets of tentacles around its oral disk and lacks zooxanthellae. Setting it even farther apart from a true anemone in everything but looks.
Temperature Debate
The tube anemone is found in colder waters and is said to require a temperature between 59 and 72 degrees F. With the most common ranges for reef tank temperatures being above 78 degrees F. This discrepancy in temperature discourages many from keeping the tube anemone in a home aquarium, however many have had success keeping them.
Fish Killers?
The tube anemone is often referred to as a "Fish Killer". This is because the stinging tentacles can be used to kill fish in order to eat them. This is the same behavior as many true anemones as well. In fact, anemones such as the carpet anemone will be more successful at killing fish than the tube anemone.
That being said, the tube anemone can't chase the fish either. Meaning that if it does catch and kill a fish, it is likely that the fish was ill or weak by that point.
Tube Anemone Care in 5 Easy Steps
1. Picking a Tube Anemone
The first component of tube anemone care is picking a healthy tube anemone when bringing one home. When picking a tube anemone, only pick one with a decent sized tube at the base. If the tube anemone doesn't have a tube, it likely lost it's tube in shipping or some other trauma. The stress of rebuilding a tube may be too much when also being re-homed and could lead to the tube anemone dying.
2. Tube Anemone Sand/Substrate Requirements
The tube anemone lives in the substrate of the reef tank. Digging a burrow in the sand or mud of the tank. If you have a bare-bottom tank, or the sand bed is too thin, or even if the substrate is too coarse such as crushed coral, the tube anemone will likely die. You will need to provide an ample amount of sand, at least in the location where the tube anemone decides to live.
If you prefer to keep a shallow sand bed, or none at all, there is a solution! You can place the tube anemone in a pvc pipe that is at least 1.5 times as long as the tube anemone. Longer would be better however. After placing the tube anemone at one of the open ends of the PVC pipe, fill the PVC tube with fine grained sand. This will provide the tube anemone with the sand it needs to live and keep it from moving somewhere you don't want it to live at the same time!
3. Tube Anemones and Lighting
Tube anemones are not photosynthetic. So, unlike true anemones, tube anemones do not require light to live. In fact, the tube anemone tends to hide from light. Much like the true anemone, tube anemones can move and will generally find themselves in the shade of rocks to minimize direct lighting.
I should note that strong reef lighting will not kill the tube anemone. The tube anemone will simply find somewhere shaded in the bottom of the tank and live there. This means you can keep the tube anemone in a reef tank!
4. Feeding the Tube Anemone
Tube anemones are not photosynthetic. This means they actually require regular feeding. In the wild, there is not a great deal of evidence as to what tube anemones eat. There is talk about them eating dead plankton, or even hunting passing fish. Though were not entirely sure what tube anemones eat in the wild, we do tend to know what they like to eat in a reef tank.
In the reef tank, tube anemones will eat plankton and a variety of the different pods available. Though it is important to remember, if you have fish in your tanks, you may have less pods available than you think. Because of this, you will most likely need to feed your tube anemone. Tube anemones tend to like a variety of foods such as mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, or even small pieces of krill. Providing this food 1 to 3 times per week will likely be enough to satisfy the tube anemone.
Feeding the tube anemone may be harder than it seems though. If anything touches or blows on the tentacles, they will immediately retract. That means if you provide food, it may not take it. The tube anemone prefers to catch food drifting by. To do this in a reef tank, you can turn of the aquarium pumps, and gently provide the food using a turkey baster from about 4 to 6 inches away. You will also need to feed the tube anemone after the lights turn off. The tube anemone is nocturnal and may not hunt for food with the lights on.
5. Let It Be - Don't Try to Move Them
Tube anemones will make a hold wherever they mount. If they find a location near coral or anemones, it is likely best to move the other creatures. Trying to move the tube anemone could lead to damaging the tube itself. This can increase the animal's stress enough to cause death as well as reduce its protection while repairing its tube.
Conclusion
To wrap this article up, it should be noted that the tube anemone is not for absolute beginners. They make beautiful, and abnormal additions to many reef tanks and display refugiums. With proper feeding, the tube anemone should do well in most tanks. Keeping in mind the size and strength of the sting, make sure to keep other creatures such as coral and anemones away from the tube anemone.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How often should you feed tube anemone?
The tube anemone will feed on pods and plankton from the water but this is likely not enough for them. Feeding the tube anemone foods such as mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, or even krill should be done between 1 and 3 times per week.
Will clownfish host tube anemone?
No. Tube anemones are not actually an anemone and as such, do not host fish.
Will tube anemone eat my fish?
Tube anemones will sting and try to catch anything that swims by it, much like a true anemone. If it can catch your fish, it will try to eat them. However, it is not as good at hunting as the carpet anemone or other species.
How do tube anemones feed?
Tube anemones feed by catching food with their tenticles and bringing the food to their mouth.
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About the Author
John Krenzer
John is a Software Engineer with a passion for saltwater aquariums, as well as the founder and president of Reef Stable. He started in the aquarium hobby as a child with a 20 gallon freshwater aquarium. His interest in aquarium life grew and in 2008, John set up his first saltwater aquarium.
Today, John maintains an over 300 gallon reef tank system, consisting of a 120g reef and a 210g reef. These large tanks are contained within the same system, sharing a sump as a means to reduce total maintenance and increase total water volume.
John writes articles for the blog as a means to learn about more reef aquarium topics. These articles act as a reference for the readers as well as himself. John updates these articles frequently to provide additional information or make corrections as new information becomes available.
If you would like to request an article, tank tour article, or to collaborate, let me know via the Contact Me Page!
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