Hacked up my anemones!
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Thanks Mike! Yes, they are like little aquatic ravers waving glow sticks. (Not that I would know what a rave is like, of course... ahem.)
Rich, if there's enough space next to your existing anemone, maybe you can put them close by each other. They get along great and the contrast looks amazing. It would be a roll of the dice in terms of if they both stay there though...
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Oh, I also posted one more update on RC because someone told me that he didn't believe the anemones healed so quickly. Here's the text of that post with images:
Ok, well I was curious about your comment, because I am of the belief that the BTAs take days and not weeks to heal... so I decided to take photos of the two halves of the green tip anemone out of water.
Exactly seven days post cutting. Here's a top view of both halves. I will admit that the mouths aren't fully healed, but they are close.
Here's a zoom in on the larger (better healed) half. You can see scar tissue in the lower right where the anemone has closed up.
For kicks, here are photos of the feet. On the larger anemone, you can see where the cut was made and where it has folded over and healed.
I just put the anemones back in their baskets, but once they open back up I am going to try feeding some mysis and test to see if the mouths are actually functional or not.
IMHO, these anemones are clearly over their 'risk period' and 'pretty much' healed. They may not have 100% functioning mouths (to be tested in a few hours), but they clearly don't have any more open wounds. I have no doubt that if they don't eat tonight, they will likely eat in another week which would make the total healing time 2 weeks.
Rich, if there's enough space next to your existing anemone, maybe you can put them close by each other. They get along great and the contrast looks amazing. It would be a roll of the dice in terms of if they both stay there though...
-------
Oh, I also posted one more update on RC because someone told me that he didn't believe the anemones healed so quickly. Here's the text of that post with images:
BonsaiNut;16428321 said:LOLBTA's don't heal in 5 days
Ok, well I was curious about your comment, because I am of the belief that the BTAs take days and not weeks to heal... so I decided to take photos of the two halves of the green tip anemone out of water.
Exactly seven days post cutting. Here's a top view of both halves. I will admit that the mouths aren't fully healed, but they are close.
Here's a zoom in on the larger (better healed) half. You can see scar tissue in the lower right where the anemone has closed up.
For kicks, here are photos of the feet. On the larger anemone, you can see where the cut was made and where it has folded over and healed.
I just put the anemones back in their baskets, but once they open back up I am going to try feeding some mysis and test to see if the mouths are actually functional or not.
IMHO, these anemones are clearly over their 'risk period' and 'pretty much' healed. They may not have 100% functioning mouths (to be tested in a few hours), but they clearly don't have any more open wounds. I have no doubt that if they don't eat tonight, they will likely eat in another week which would make the total healing time 2 weeks.
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Follow up post with photos of the anemones eating:
Ok, the anemone definitely ate a mysis shrimp. Here are some photos:
In this shot, you can see the mysis shrimp heading down into the mouth. The shrimp is the white little strip right below the brown spot on my pipette. (You can tell it's a shrimp and not a tentacle because it's not green.)
I tried to get a photo of the anemone eating while in the water, but it wouldn't cooperate, so I lifted the basket out of the water while the anemone was in mid-meal. (Yeah, these anemones have got to hate me.)
Clear shot of the mysis disappearing into the mouth. The mouth is the round expanded white area above the shrimp.
I repeated this same experiment with the roses that I cut and they ate as well.
So there you have it. Anemones cut in half to eating food with a "mostly formed" mouth in 7 days flat.
Ok, the anemone definitely ate a mysis shrimp. Here are some photos:
In this shot, you can see the mysis shrimp heading down into the mouth. The shrimp is the white little strip right below the brown spot on my pipette. (You can tell it's a shrimp and not a tentacle because it's not green.)
I tried to get a photo of the anemone eating while in the water, but it wouldn't cooperate, so I lifted the basket out of the water while the anemone was in mid-meal. (Yeah, these anemones have got to hate me.)
Clear shot of the mysis disappearing into the mouth. The mouth is the round expanded white area above the shrimp.
I repeated this same experiment with the roses that I cut and they ate as well.
So there you have it. Anemones cut in half to eating food with a "mostly formed" mouth in 7 days flat.
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Congrats on the successful operations Doctor. H)
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bookfish said:Very true! The nems I got from you are so pretty. And one of the roses is doing the split now (I think).mobert said:I thought your green looked like mine!! I got my original clone from Dolphin Pet Village also.
It is really the nicest flourescent green BTA that I have seen.
I think they split on their own when they get a major water change. If it does, be sure to let it heal before you sell it.
I have a few that are getting so big I am tempted hack away just to control the size.
Jason, what do you think about surgery on serving plate sized anemones?
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I'm not sure how slicing up a really huge anemone would go. I am guessing it would be fine, but you will create a lot more toxins/pollution in the tank, so maybe it would be best to put them in a quarantine for healing? (But then you have the acclimation problem compounded on the fact that you just cut it in half...)
I was thinking about cutting into thirds or quarters and I think it'd be a bad idea. The anemones healed up by folding over and 'hiding' their wounds. If you cut anything less than half I think it becomes pretty hard for the anemone to shield it's wounded side. I'd stick to halving only, IMO.
I have a pretty large green tip that I will be cutting in my other tank a week from now. It's not dinner plate, but pretty big. When fully expanded it's 10" across tip to tip. I can let you know how that guy goes.
I was thinking about cutting into thirds or quarters and I think it'd be a bad idea. The anemones healed up by folding over and 'hiding' their wounds. If you cut anything less than half I think it becomes pretty hard for the anemone to shield it's wounded side. I'd stick to halving only, IMO.
I have a pretty large green tip that I will be cutting in my other tank a week from now. It's not dinner plate, but pretty big. When fully expanded it's 10" across tip to tip. I can let you know how that guy goes.
G
GreshamH
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mobert said:
Self splitting and slicing their body is different though. If I were you I'd let the anem. drain first on some screen, then slice it. Just go for down the center (in half) the first time. Like Jason said, they'll produce a lot of slime if you try to do more then that.
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I should have mentioned self-splitting probably took a week to accomplish. Probably much less loss of body fluids when done gradually on their own. I wonder if a rubber band or something across the anemone would work? Something gradual, thus less trauma.
