Taxonomy Schamaxonomy

[chrissaysyes]

Ok so for starters I'm curious as to what genus the common "pest" anemone Aiptasia belong to.

Also I'm curious as to the hardiness of "Curly Q" or Bartholomea annulata. I'm wondering that if they belong to the family Aiptasiidae perhaps they are closely related and similar to Aiptasia? Mainly I'd like to put a Curly Q nem in my pico tank and I'm wondering how hardy they are? The tank is 4.5 gallons and under 70w MH lighting.

 

[Lynden]

Aiptasia are in the genus Aiptasia.

Curly que anemones are highly capable of becoming "pests" and are also capable of catching and eating small fish. They are very hardy and very beautiful, so I would consider them a good addition to your tank. Perhaps even better are tube "anemones", which are available in a wide range of colours nothing short of stunning, do not require lighting, are easy to feed, and best of all, almost never catch fish. They possess some of the weakest stingers of all Cnidaria, and with their long, willowy tentacles catch plankton from the water column.

 

[chrissaysyes]

The only reason I say curly q is because there's one sitting at the LFS and I feel like it would go really well in my pico. I really want some attractive "pest" anemones in there...wish I could get my hands on majano but no such luck around here.

 

[Lynden]

I'm sure it will do fine in your tank.

 

[Donya]

Bartholomea are in Aiptasiidae and are quite hardy as anemones go, very similar to the Aiptasia genus, and aren't demanding for light. However, I wouldn't put a Curly-Q in a pico because of how big they get. The largest one I've seen had a base of around 4" in diameter, with tentacles radiating out in about a 12" diameter. I'd think 10+ gallons at a minimum for one of those guys. I had considered one for my nano at one point until I realized how big they get.

 

[chrissaysyes]

hmmm, the specimen in question is has a foot less than an inch in diameter when fully extended, I certainly will have plenty of room to grow.

 

[Donya]

If you decide to put one in there, do make sure there's nothing else coral/nem-wise within a large radius of it since they do have a sting.

 

[chrissaysyes]

but I wanna see what happens

 

[Lynden]

Survival of the fittest, eh? Thow in some majano; the ensuing "war" should be interesting. Will the majano, with vast numbers and regeneration, or the curlyque, with size, win the fight?

 

[chrissaysyes]

All I need now is epic battle music. THIS IS SPARTA!