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Rock Flower Anemone Breeding


hypostatic

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So I've seen some fair love for these animals on the forum, but I don't think I've seen anyone say they've successfully bred them in their tanks. It seems these guys reproduce sexually, and each anemone is only one sex. I came across this page where an aquarium successfully bred them, and I though I'd share. Seems like all you need is multiple anemones and enough food, and the anemones will do the rest.

 

http://www.reef2rainforest.com/2012/08/27/ugly-duckling-anemones-in-a-new-light/

 

baby rock flower anemones:

Rock-Anemones-Assorted-babies.jpg

 

EDIT:

Here's some more information of their reprodution, taken from member Mirya's thread, http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/342744-rock-flower-anemone-information-and-appreciation-thread/

 

Reproduction:

spawning_zps7bc6af07.jpg

P. crucifer at Coral Morphologic releasing sperm. For the full video go to http://coralmorpholo...1/anemone-spawn

 

P. crucifer reproduces sexually. No confirmed reports of asexual reproduction of P. crucifer by fragging have been identified, but if anyone has a documented example, please post it. Most temperate sea anemones that reproduce sexually have an annual cycle influenced by various factors such as water temperature, sunlight intensity, lunar cycle or food availability. In Brian Jennison’s study of P. crucifer, he found a low level of gametogenesis throughout the year, with a significant increase in the spring. Dick Perrin comments in his article on captive breeding of P. crucifer that collectors of wild specimens off the Florida coast see an increase in juvenile anemones in the spring and fall, suggesting a biannual pattern.

 

babies_zps59602fa9.jpg

Left: Two newborn P. crucifer anemones attached to Valonia sp. bubble algae at the base of their mother anemone at Coral Morphologic. Right: Colorful juvenile P. crucifer captive bred at Tropicorium.

 

P. crucifer is dioecious and exhibits a sex ratio of 1:1. Males release sperm into the water column. Coral Morphologic reports they have always witnessed spawning in the evening, between 5-6 PM. Fertilization occurs internally in the female. The female broods the young internally, up to the 6, 12, or 24 tentacle stages of development. When the young are released, they tend to settle around the disk of the female. The young will accept feeding with items such as, brine shrimp naupulii, rotifers, Cyclop-Eeze, and phytoplankton. Newly released young are colorless; color development occurs within a few weeks.

 

brood_zpsaf47c4f1.jpg

Captive bred P. crucifer offspring surrounding an adult at Tropicorium.

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Aaaaand, here's a video I found of one spawning:

 

 

(you might not want to click on the link if you're younger than 18. I don't know how laws apply to anemone sex and minors)

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Fantastic links! Thanks for sharing those. I bookmarked both. Now I know what to look for size-wise and appearance-wise on baby rock flowers. I have 9 adults/teens now. Waiting on a spawning event :).

 

This makes me want to set up an exclusive rock flower anemone tank. I DO have an empty 10g...hmmmm ;).

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nice, assuming the sex ratio is divided equally, there's like a 99% chance that you have at least one pair. just keep up with the feedings!

Yeah...this thread has actually inspired me to breed rock flower anemones. As soon as I see my first babies, new tank is going up for them :).
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wow those colors in the second link are incredible. My RFA cost 15$ when I got it, not the most colorful variety but everything that I have seen recently and online is 50$+ for ones the size of quarters.

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Any info about possible color outcomes? Do greens only give greens?

 

I was wondering the same thing -- and also whether one color represented a gender. The first link describes how the founding stock was made up of green and red nems, and that the F1 groups had colors that were unseen in the parents, including red/green combos

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If anyone is going to actually do this...please keep us posted. It would be fun to look at the colors/characteristics of the nems going in, then look at the prodigy and see if we can sort out the some of the genetics old school Gregor Mendel.

 

I think 10+ nems in a 10G or maybe 3+ or so in a 2.5G might be a fun experiment based upon the link Hypo posted would be a good place to start.

 

http://www.reef2rain...in-a-new-light/

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From what I've seen, maxi-minis are usually propagated asexually. As in, someone usually just grabs some scissors or a scalpel and cuts them in two.

 

I'm not sure what RFAs release. One of the links mentioned that the babies were found under the parent's skirt

 

Will this work for mini maxi anemones as well?

 

Does rock flower anemones release eggs?

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But maxis also release eggs and jizz. Seen it myself a couple of times.

 

hehehe. jizz. hehe

 

Anyway, they probably also reproduce sexually (as many corals/anemones do), but this is longer and more complicated. I did a quick google search, and i didn't really find anyone breeding them, although propagation via division/fragging is common. Here's a video on it:

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Thanks, but ive already seen that. I thought maybe that it was as "easy" as with the RFA, but I guess im wrong. Good luck with the breeding. :)

 

Sorry for the disappointment due to the lack of information.

 

BUT, since you were so unhappy I decided to do a little more digging. I found these threads that seemed to be helpful in discerning more information:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2211170

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1724398

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1099122

http://www.reeflex.net/tiere/2920_Stichodactyla_tapetum.htm

http://www.thefragtank.ca/forum/index.php?topic=625.0

 

Some videos of spawning events (both eggs and sperm are released)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfHym7fvX3c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJmsyQC4oM0&NR=1

 

From what I can guess from those threads, maxi-minis reproduce sexually similar to other members of the Stichodactyla genus, where both eggs and sperm are released into the water column by the parents and are externally fertilized. After being fertilized the egg turns into a planula larva that needs to develop for some time before settling and becoming something that resembles an anemone.

 

So basically, you would need a super dedicated tank for breeding them, and then many another tank or two for raising the larvae and the settled anemones.

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thats awesome! thinking bout getting a couple of RFA's in my new build ..any cons on these lil guys that might make me shy away from them? :huh:

 

Eh, I haven't kept any myself, but I would imagine one might shy away from them for the same reasons they'd shy away from any other anemones -- they can move around and sting. Although, from what I've read, RFAs don't have a powerful sting like maxi-minis and carpets, and they tend to not move around much.

 

Here's some pages I found with care info you should check out:

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+499+1704&pcatid=1704

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/277058-epicystis-crucifer-aka-rock-flower-anemones/

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2111463

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I have 3 RFAs that stay where I put them, the other 3 have changed position up & down on the same rock, even crossing right over each other w/ no harm. They otherwise move very little. Very weak sting- I certainly can't feel it, I've heard the carpets are a different story. I've never had a RFA engulf any fish and my fish, tailspot, YCG, 6line, blue neon, are all small and they seem to all know to not perch in them. Though the tailspot and 6line will pull food away from the nem.

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I have 3 RFAs that stay where I put them, the other 3 have changed position up & down on the same rock, even crossing right over each other w/ no harm. They otherwise move very little. Very weak sting- I certainly can't feel it, I've heard the carpets are a different story. I've never had a RFA engulf any fish and my fish, tailspot, YCG, 6line, blue neon, are all small and they seem to all know to not perch in them. Though the tailspot and 6line will pull food away from the nem.

 

I've heard that the maxi-minis' sting is so sting that people sometimes have reactions to them

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I've heard that the maxi-minis' sting is so sting that people sometimes have reactions to them

 

Yeah, I hear they're a different beast and are much more prone to close up around fish.

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I have 3 RFAs that stay where I put them, the other 3 have changed position up & down on the same rock, even crossing right over each other w/ no harm. They otherwise move very little. Very weak sting- I certainly can't feel it, I've heard the carpets are a different story. I've never had a RFA engulf any fish and my fish, tailspot, YCG, 6line, blue neon, are all small and they seem to all know to not perch in them. Though the tailspot and 6line will pull food away from the nem.

 

love your threads! thanks for the info especially about the fish you have with the RFA. future fish list includes(undecided) tailspot & neon goby. don"t know if i"ll keep my YCG for the new tank??

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