Anyone Propagating Hellfire Anemones?

AcroNem

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Hey everyone.

Curious if there are any here propagating Hellfire anemone. It is perhaps the one anemone I have not worked with, I have an isolated system ready and I'm interested in working with them.
For any that have, did you attempt dividing them? What was the success rate? Or did they readily split or spread on their own?

Looking forward to hearing experiences and feel free to share photos
 

Reefing Madness

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bradleym

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I saw a post a while back from someone, I think in Europe. They got one as a hitchhiker and it was reproducing on it's own and so they were looking for an ID. I told them I'd be interested in buying some, but I'm not sure they were interested in keeping them. Closest I've got.

You're going to have a lot of trouble finding much interest in them because: you can't touch them, your fish can't touch them, your corals can't touch, your snails can't touch them, etc. Still, I've always thought they were beautiful, and would probably try one if I could. The only one I've ever laid hands on turned out to be covered with anemone eating crabs and it didn't make it.
 

ISpeakForTheSeas

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Yeah, not many people seem to have an interest in keeping a dangerous nem in its own tank (though you could theoretically keep Bangaii Cardinals with them, as they reportedly are hosted by them when young and when brooding their eggs in the wild).

The only helpful info I’ve heard is that they are burrowing nems and need a DSB:
Actinodendron spp. (Fire Anemones) are burrowing anemones, so if the nem you're looking at is a true fire nem and your goby stays on the sand, I'd guess that's a bad match. (I've also heard these need a DSB - see the link below.)

Do you have any pics of the nem though? Because I've heard a lot of places will incorrectly label species from other genera as these, and it's possible a different species may be a better fit.

Also, just as a disclaimer for anyone who may be interested in keeping an Actinodendron sp. or similar, these anemones are dangerously venomous to humans, so - while I'd advise against buying these guys generally - if you do decide to keep one, please handle them with extreme care and proper safety gear.


They're certainly pretty nems - and they host Bangaii Cardinals too - it's just a pity they've got such a potent sting.

"Over the 15 survey sites, six species of anemone were recorded as hosting Pterapogon kauderni. In order of descending frequency these were: Actinodendron sp., Heteractis crispa, Entacmaea quadricolor, Stichodactyla gigantea, S. haddoni and H. aurora (Table 2). The associated P. kauderni were predominantly recent recruits and small juveniles; however, a few adults were observed close to the anemones, including brooding males."

Source:
 
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AcroNem

AcroNem

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Yeah, not many people seem to have an interest in keeping a dangerous nem in its own tank (though you could theoretically keep Bangaii Cardinals with them, as they reportedly are hosted by them when young and when brooding their eggs in the wild).

The only helpful info I’ve heard is that they are burrowing nems and need a DSB:

I do. Judging from the rise in dramatic color variations we're seeing recently there's more interest in others now top. I just can't seem to find reliable information on their reproduction for propagation purposes.
 

MartinM

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I think they’re neat but I don’t know anyone who’s kept them. I’m not a big fan of fish so I don’t care that they don’t host, but my tanks are already overcrowded!
 

livinlifeinBKK

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I e had many opportunities to buy them here for VERY cheap. Why? Well ignoring the fact that corals, fish, and inverts tend to be a lot cheaper here anyway, the guy just couldn't find someone who wanted a hellfire anemone for obvious reasons. I posted on here because i was considering it given the very low price but after hearing others caution me that its probably not the best idea, I decided not to get it.
 

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