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Painted AnemoneChristmas Anemone, Mottled Anemone |
The Painted Anemone can provide a beautiful addition to a large cold water tank. But reaching up to 19.5" tall (50 cm) and almost 10" (25 cm) in diameter, these are obviously not for nano tanks. When caring for the Painted Anemone, using similar husbandry for other cold water anemones is suggested. It is a good idea to Invest in a chiller before you obtain one of these guys.
A few species of Urticina anemones have very festive colors, and at first glance they look very similar to one another. The Painted Anemone Urticina grebelnyi is one of these. Its similar looking relatives include the Christmas Anemone Urticina crassicornis and the Dahlia Anemone Urticina felina.
The Painted Anemone was previously classified as the Christmas Anemone, so most references on the internet list it as U. crassicornis. However, it has been reclassified to U. grebelnyi in 2006.
Some common names are often used interchangeably for these fancy anemones, including Mottled Anemone, Painted Urticina, Northern Red Anemone, Painted Tealia, Red and Green Anemone, Northern Red Anemone, Dahlia anemone, and Thick-petaled rose anemone. But there is basically one generally accepted common name for each species and each one has its own unique characteristics to identify it by.
On the Painted Anemone the color is distinctive. It looks like someone took a paint brush and made sloppy splotches on the pedal column in green and red, thus the name. Other unique characteristics include a column with bumpy non-adhesive vesicles along with its place of origin and its large size. The vesicles on the Painted Anemone are clearly visible on the column and non-adhesive, whereas the column of the Christmas Anemone U. crassicornis is completely smooth and the column of the Dahlia Anemone U. felina has strongly adhesive verrucae.
Like all anemones, these Green and Red Anemones use their venomous cells or nematocyst found in their tentacles to sting and deflect any possible threats or attacks. But they mostly utilize them for stunning and capturing prey. Some predators of the Painted Anemone can be certain nudibranchs, sea stars, and snails.
For more Information on the Nettle Sea Anemones see:
Nettle Anemones: Sea Anemone Facts About the Urticina Sea Anemone
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Family: Actiniidae
Species: Urticina grebelnyi
Sea Anemone Facts: The Painted Anemone Urticina grebelnyi was was described by Sanamyan and Sanamyan in 2006, previously described as U. crassicornis by Müller in 1776. Some other common names they are known by are Christmas Anemone, Mottled Anemone, and Green and Red Anemone.
Where are Sea Anemones Found: The U. grebelnyi are found in cold waters of the north western Pacific Ocean..
Sea Anemone Habitat: Painted Anemones found in areas of shallow tidal pools and mid-tidal areas. They like to hang out under ledges, in crevices of rocks or the sides of rocks. They are found solitary in small groups, all the way up to full colonies that form "carpets".
They use their venomous cells or nematocyst found in their tentacles to sting and deflect any possible threats or attacks. But they mostly utilize them for stunning and capturing prey. Many species will retract their tentacles and close up if the water is sparse during low tides.They eat sea urchins, small fish, crabs, and mussels.
The Urticina grebelnyi is not on the IUCN Red List for endangered species
Appearance of a Sea Anemone: Painted Anemones are commonly confused with U. crassicornis or the Christmas anemones, but each has distinct characteristics. The Painted Anemone has a clearly visible, non-adhesive vesicles on the pedal column, while the column of the Christmas Anemone is completely smooth. The Painted Anemone's pedal column has patches of green, or red and yellow. The patches vary in size, with some being more green or more red depending on the individual anemone. Thus the common name Green and Red Anemone.
It has a foot at the bottom of the pedal column that they use to adhere to various surfaces. They also use this "foot" to move around if conditions are not ideal. They can also move by inflating themselves, detaching from the surface, and then rolling along with any current. They will move to avoid predators like starfish, but in the aquarium it is primarily if they are unhappy with the water conditions or the food.
Depending on the size, there are up to 200 tentacles on a Painted Anemone. They are arranged on the margin or outside edge of the oral disc. The outer tentacles reach 1.5" to 2" (4 - 5 cm) long. The ones in the center are shorter and only 0.38" (1 cm) long.
The oral disc is usually plain brown, pale yellowish green or pale lilac with an open area around the mouth. The tentacles are the same color as the oral disc, yet in the middle of each tentacle is a red, brown or lilac band. The mouth should be closed and tight, and will open when hungry, having an oval look, yet a gaping mouth is a warning signal. The U. grebelnyi take food in and expel waste through this same opening.
Sea Anemones Life Cycles: Painted Anemones can grow from almost 10" (25 cm) in diameter across the oral disc and stands from 8.7"- 19.5 (20 - 50 cm) in height. It is unknown how long they live, in fact some anemones can be hundreds of years old in the wild, and in captivity have been known to last 80 years or more.
Sea Anemone Care: The Painted Anemone can be moderate to difficult to care for since they do have specific lighting needs and must be in cold water. As with most anemones, the tank should be at least 1 year old and stable before adding your new Northern Red Anemone.
These cold water anemones need more specific care than tropical anemones and need perfect treatment from the start. When selecting a U. grebelnyi make sure the color is good, their mouth is not gaping open, and their foot and tentacles are sticky to the touch. Also, they should be attached to something and make sure there is no damage to the foot area, often a result of pulling the anemone off its surface.
To take a Painted Anemone from another aquarium, use a thin blunt item like a credit card, gently wiggle it under the foot, slowly nudging it away from the glass. If its attached to a rock, ideally you can simply purchase the rock as well. On a rock, it would be very wise to purchase the rock, because these guys can stick hard and would probably be damaged if removed. if you cannot purchase the rock then directing water at it or wiggling the rock gently upside down under water while tickling the foot can work.
What Do Sea Anemones Eat: The Painted Anemone is a carnivore. Feed your U. grebelnyi chopped silversides, shrimp, krill, and mussels, fresh chopped fish (from your grocery store), as well as frozen carnivore preparations. Feed once a week or twice a month, since cold water anemones have much slower metabolisms.
Water changes of 10% bi-monthly or 20% a month are typical. Monitor your water quality for your particular situation and adjust your water changes accordingly. An average sized Painted Anemone is equal to about one fish as far as waste production is concerned. Purigen and Poly-fiber are great products to help in maintaining water quality. Purigen is a synthetic polymer that removes soluble and insoluble impurities from water at an exceptionally high rate and capacity, helping to control ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Additions of Iodine and and trace elements are suggested.
The typical reef environment is what is needed for your Painted Anemone, but it must be a cold water reef. It is a good idea to Invest in a chiller before you obtain one of these guys. They need live rock or some other solid material they can attach to. Provide some rock crevices as well as rocky overhangs. Be sure to have all of your pumps covered. Most good quality pumps have guards on them and are worth the investment.
- Minimum Tank Size / Length: 50 gallons (189 L)
- Marine Lighting - How much light for anemones:Moderate to high. Coming from shallow waters in the wild, these anemones will do their best with stronger lighting.
- Temperature: 59° - 72° F (15° - 22° C)
- Salinity / Specific Gravity: 1.023 to 1.025
- Water Movement: Moderate to Strong
- Water Region: Bottom of the aquarium
Compatibility and Social Behaviors
All anemones are semi-aggressive because they can be mobile, although most of the cold water anemones stay still if their needs are met. It has often been suggested to not put anemones in a reef environment since corals cannot move away from the stinging tentacles. Once you get your anemone situated and it has not moved for several months, it might be safe to add other corals.
Just keep in mind these anemones will sting everything they can reach, like corals and other invertebrates. They do not host clowns, and would likely eat one if it decided to use poor judgment and try to be hosted. Anemones will move if your lighting is not good, or the water quality is not to their liking.
After splitting, anemones will tolerate their own "clones" and sometimes their own species. All anemones in the tank need to have their own space, otherwise there can be a "chemical" warfare between species. This will usually cause one to not eat, shrink and eventually die. Having excellent filtration and a large tank will usually allow 2 anemones at opposite ends to thrive. You can also build a natural blockade to help prevent them from wandering into each others "space".
No sexual difference in appearance is known.
The Painted Anemone should divide in captivity, but there is no information on propagation of cold water anemones. It may be just like other anemones. Similar to other cold water anemones, they reproduce by fission or external fertilization of egg and sperm. When they spawn, they produce larvae that will float away, and eventually finding a spot to land. They then attach and develop a pedal disk that grows into a new anemone.
Problems for the Painted Anemone are pretty minimal unless your lighting, water movement, feeding and water quality are low. Then your anemone will detach to look for "better conditions." In general, if your anemone moves, it is not happy. Make sure your lighting and water quality is good, and that the food you are offering is to their liking. Some predators include certain nudibranchs, sea stars, and snails.
Buy Sea Anemone: The Painted Anemone is generally unavailable to aquarists through retailers.
- Animal-World References: Marine and Reef
- K. & N. Sanamyan, D. Schories and H. Krumbeck, Urticina grebelnyi (Sanamyan & Sanamyan, 2006): Painted Anemone, Actiniaria.com, Copyright 2004 - 2008
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