Saw this about bubble tip anemones and wanted to know your thoughts?

[revhtree]

As I was scanning FB today I saw a post from the "Sunburst Anemone" group that basically said that some of these same type of anemones, only different color morphs, can kill each other.

I have never heard of this before and was wondering your thoughts on it?

Here is the comments:

image via @ladyreefer1983

 

[Crabs McJones]

That's a good question. I've seen clownfish harem tanks with different colored anemones getting along fine. I always assumed if they were all bubble tips they'd get along.
Following along for others thoughts

 

[Epic Aquaculture]

The issue is generally either bacterial, or chemical warfare between "wild" nems that have more recently been brought into captivity, verses cultured nems such as Colorado Sunbursts that have been in captivity for a very long time- 10+ years. The cultured nems, often time don't seem to have defences against the chemical warfare, or bacteria that can be introduced by a "wild" nem. There's a lot of people with much more experience and knowledge than me like @FarmerTy maybe he can drop some knowledge on us...

 

[FarmerTy]

Can't say that I know any more than anybody else. That's actually me answering the guys question in the screenshot.

But I've seen my share of mixing and when it doesn't work out to know, don't mix your Colorado Sunburst with other anemones.

My thoughts are its bacterially driven... As treating with cipro seems to "cure" the issue as well as removing the offending anemone. Once thats done, they usually recover.

Wilds seem to be able to be mixed with no issues. Its just the long-time aquacultured ones that have issues mixing sometimes.

I am currently mixing my CSB with 5 other varieties but its in 340 gallons of total water and I run heavy carbon and a giant UV sterilizer. I'm also one of the few crazy enough to try. [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

 

[JaimeAdams]

It has actually always surprised me that there is not more discussion regarding this topic on Reef2Reef. If you have spent anytime on the facebook groups talking to the guys who are keeping long term captive and high end anemones it's just more of a common knowledge thing among those circles not to keep different "cultivares" together.

I'm of the opinion that it is bacterial. Just how various populations of people have resistances to certain disease or lack of resistance. Even take vaccines to are weakened disease that are introduced to build up our resistance to certain diseases. We expose people to disease for their systems to build up resistances to it. These long removed specimens have lost the resistances to the bacteria that recent imports bring into a tank by not having been exposed for a period of time.

The other possibility would be allelopathy. Recall all the talk of soft corals inhibiting growth of SPS. I don't remember seeing a bunch of bubble tips of all color types snuggling up to each other in the ocean. We see one primary type per spot. Granted the allelopathy argument would not hold water to why you can mix all sorts of wild or recently cultured anemones together without any issue.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

That's a good question. I've seen clownfish harem tanks with different colored anemones getting along fine. I always assumed if they were all bubble tips they'd get along.
Following along for others thoughts

Me too

 

[Daniel@R2R]

@Amoo you got any thoughts on this?

 

[ech0o]

Glad to see this topic breached on R2R, as like before mentioned, it has become common conversation in the Sunburst Anemone Marketplace, and the negative outcome seems to pop up there very often. I myself am keeping many variants together, though have not breached the Colorado Sunburst mix yet, will have to try soon. The stock in which I have mixed new nems into, has been compromised by many of the additions, and I used the medication cipro at first signs of distress, with great success as after completing my regimens. Once they have all been medicated together seems they have mixed indefinitely for me, though haven't really measured extremely long times. I put a new morph in every other month generally. I think the general belief is that alleopathy leads to bacterial infection, which spreads to all of the nems and wipes out whole tank BTA populations, i'd say I believe this to be a great theory, based on my own observations.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Great discussion, long over due! Learning from this myself!

 

[aabjones888]

Love this topic, following

 

[Flippers4pups]

@OrionN

 

[Elgringodiablo]

No one is sure why, but enough people have had issues that they’ve elected to not mix their $40-$100 wild BTAs with their $1k-$3k high end cultured BTAs. Seems pretty sound to me!!!

 

[CwStrife]

I think we will still end up with just as many questions as when we all started asking about this.

 

[Elgringodiablo]

I read something from Bob Fenner on WetWebMedia, a few years ago about slowly introducing anemones to one another via quarantine and introducing water from the corresponding tanks so the anemones could build resistance to one another. Interesting concept and I’d imagine it’s worked for some.

There is also anecdotal info out there about what types of anemones can be housed together. I don’t know how scientific it is, as I have seen a lot of people mix species.

End of the day, if you are paying $2k+ for an anemone, you can probably afford a separate tank for it.

 

[Typical_Tim]

Haven't noticed any aggression between the different morphs, I have 6 different types in my 5 gallon Evo. Here is a pic:

 

[FarmerTy]

Haven't noticed any aggression between the different morphs, I have 6 different types in my 5 gallon Evo. Here is a pic:

Tim, are any of them the longer, aquacultured varieties, like CC Inferno, CC Supernova, Colorado Sunburst, Chicagobursts?

Rainbows, roses, black widows, green speckled, and wilds mix readily and it has been duplicated plenty of times to show this.

 

[Typical_Tim]

Tim, are any of them the longer, aquacultured varieties, like CC Inferno, CC Supernova, Colorado Sunburst, Chicagobursts?

Rainbows, roses, black widows, green speckled, and wilds mix readily and it has been duplicated plenty of times to show this.

Unfortunately I don't have any sunburst, but there is a black widow with various wild nems. Lol I would probably through a csb in there if I had the extra cash laying around though.

 

[FarmerTy]

Unfortunately I don't have any sunburst, but there is a black widow with various wild nems. Lol I would probably through a csb in there if I had the extra cash laying around though.

Black widows are known to kill CSBs. Just as a warning to anyone reading this.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have two morphs but that is likely all the risk I will take !

 

[Typical_Tim]

Black widows are known to kill CSBs. Just as a warning to anyone reading this.

That's pretty interesting, so is it physical or chemical warfare? I haven't seen any of my btas with their acrorhagi extended, but then again I haven't noticed any issues with aggression between my nems yet.