Anemone story. Sea anemones are amazing marine life

sea ​​anemones, or sea ​​anemones, refer to class of coral polyps. This is the largest group of coelenterates, numbering more than 6,000 thousand species. Most of the members of the group are colonial corals, which are described on the following pages. But the most famous are sea anemones. They are larger and most often live as single individuals rather than colonies. They live in the shallows along the coasts, usually attached to rocks, plants, shells or other surfaces. However, anemones are capable of slow movement, crawling or sliding on their soles. If they are "in a hurry" they can do somersaults. Few can swim - using the contraction of the tentacles or the bends of the whole body. But usually we see only the swaying movements of anemones, which they make in the process of obtaining food. sea ​​anemones- this is, but they do not have a medusoid stage in their life and live all their lives in the form of polyps. Outwardly, they resemble, but are larger and much more complicated, in addition, most often they do not unite in colonies, but live alone. The sole of the sea anemone is thicker, and the tentacles around the mouth opening are thicker and stronger. In addition, most sea anemones are colored in bright reds, yellows, pinks, browns and blues. This coloration is a warning to other animals that anemones are not edible and can sting with their tentacles.

coral polyps:
- About 6,000 species of marine life
- A stalked body attached by the sole to the substrate, bearing tentacles at the apex (polypoid stage only)
- Rounded body with tentacles, genitals and other organs, the number of which is a multiple of 6 or 8

If the colonies of hydroids and gorgonians look like bizarre bushes and trees, then large coral polyps sea ​​anemones(Actiniaria) resemble fantastic flowers. In many languages, they are called sea anemones (see color table 9).

The anemone order includes solitary, only occasionally colonial animals leading a mobile lifestyle. Only a few deep-sea species are immovably attached to the substrate. Anemones have a cylindrical body shape with a flattened upper (oral disc) and lower end (sole). But in some anemones, mainly those that lead a burrowing lifestyle, the sole may not form.

The number of gastric septa in most sea anemones is at least six pairs, or a multiple of six. The formation of new pairs of partitions occurs almost always in the intermediate gastric chambers. However, there are deviations from such an arrangement of partitions, in which the number of partitions is equal to eight or a multiple of eight or ten. Typically, such deviations are especially characteristic of the most primitive sea anemones. It is known that in the process individual development all sea anemones go through a stage of four-beam symmetry, which may indicate the relationship of sea anemones with eight-beam coral polyps. The greatest similarity with modern eight-ray corals in actinium from the genus Edwardsia. These anemones lead a burrowing lifestyle, living in silty sandy soils of shallow coastal waters. Their body, on the surface of which eight longitudinal ridges are distinguishable, has an elongated worm-like shape. The recesses between them correspond to the eight gastric septa. In addition to eight complete septa, old Edwardsia specimens develop four more, but already incomplete septa, in the upper part of the body. Rolls of longitudinal muscle cords lie in these sea anemones, as well as in octocoral corals, on the ventral sides of the septa. Eight complete and eight incomplete septae are also formed in another archaic sea anemone, Gonactinia. The most well-known European species gonactinia G. prolifera has the appearance of a small, 2-3 mm long and 1-2 mm wide, transparent column with a pale pink or red color. The oral disk of an anemone is surrounded by sixteen delicate tentacles arranged in two rows. Her pharynx is so short that, with her mouth open, eight main radial septa are easily discernible in her gastric cavity. Gonactinia attach their soles to the substrate, most often to mollusk shells, and sometimes even to trunks. hydroid polyps.

The number of partitions, a multiple of ten, is observed in representatives of the family Myniadidae, very peculiar anemones that have switched to a free-floating lifestyle. They are supported in the water by a special air chamber, similar to the pneumatophore siphonophore, called the pneumocyst. It is formed as a result of a strong invagination of the sole. The edges of the sole at the same time approach and close over the center of the disk recess. Anemones therefore float at the surface of the water with their mouth down. Like many other swimming coelenterates, the Myniadidae are blue. In the rest of the anemones, the number of partitions, as already mentioned, is equal to six pairs or a multiple of six.

The free edges of the gastric septa have mesenteric filaments rich in glandular and stinging cells. Some sea anemones also form special filaments - acontions, on which stinging capsules are especially numerous. To protect against attack, these threads are thrown out by anemones through the mouth or through special holes in the walls of the body or tentacles. The oral disk of anemones is surrounded by tentacles. Depending on the number of tentacles, they are arranged in one or two or even more concentric rows. In each circle, the tentacles are the same size and shape, but the tentacles lying in different circles are often quite different from each other. As a rule, the tentacles correspond to the spaces between the gastric septa. Usually the tentacles have a simple conical shape, but sometimes significant deviations from it are observed. In some species, swellings form at the ends of the tentacles due to the fact that numerous batteries of stinging capsules develop there. Some tropical shallow water anemones develop branching or feathery tentacles. At their ends, one or two pairs are formed, which serve as an additional means for the rapid emptying of the body cavity.

The mouth opening of higher sea anemones is oval or slit-like. The pharynx is strongly laterally compressed and has two siphonoglyphs. Only the described primitive species have only one underdeveloped siphonoglyph or it is absent altogether. The beating of the cilia of the siphonoglyph creates two currents of water: one directed inside the gastric cavity and bringing oxygen (in some anemones - and food particles), and the other moving in the opposite direction and taking out carbon dioxide and excretion products.

The muscular system of sea anemones reaches a high level of development for coelenterates. The ectodermal system consists of longitudinal fibers lying in the tentacles and radial fibers around the mouth opening. The endodermal system consists of the annular musculature of the tentacles, oral disc, pharynx, body walls, and foot disc. On the gastric septa lie longitudinal muscle rollers.

The nervous system of sea anemones consists of an ectodermal network of nerve cells present in all parts of the body and an underdeveloped endodermal network covering only the gastric septa. Especially many nerve cells are concentrated at the bases of the tentacles and on the oral disc. However, this does not lead to the formation of a perioral nerve ring, since the nerve cells are very loosely located here. Another cluster of nerve cells is located near the sole. It is interesting to note that different parts of the body are particularly sensitive to certain stimuli. The sole, for example, is sensitive to mechanical irritations and does not perceive chemical ones. The oral disc, on the contrary, is very sensitive to chemical irritations and almost does not react to mechanical ones. Perhaps only the walls of the body and the tentacles react to mechanical, chemical and electrical stimuli, but the tentacles are much more sensitive to them than the walls of the body.

The common reaction of an anemone to irritation is to contract the body. At the same time, the oral disk and tentacles retract, and the body walls close over them, compressed by a special muscular ring. Anemones that lead a burrowing lifestyle, as Edwardsia described above, are quickly buried in the ground. With prolonged exposure to an irritant, sea anemones tend to crawl as far as possible from it.

Anemones do not form a skeleton, although the ectoderm of some species secretes a chitinoid cuticle that covers side surface body and sole. Perhaps only in deep-sea sea anemones from the family Galatheanthemidae, leading an immobile, attached way of life, a strong cuticular sheath, which encloses the long worm-like body of anemones, takes on the character of a protective skeleton, similar to the ectodermal skeleton of most hydroid polyps. Dark brown protective cases galatpeanthemide rise to a height of 2-3 to 150 mm. Above their mouth, about 1 cm in diameter, protrudes the upper part of the anemone's body with a corolla of numerous thin tentacles. Galateanthemids are one of the deepest coelenterates. They were first discovered several years ago, when a period of systematic exploration of the maximum depths of the ocean began. These sea anemones most often live on the bottom and slopes of deep oceanic depressions - the Kuril-Kamchatka, Philippine, Japanese and others - at a depth of 6-10 thousand meters. Their lifestyle has not yet been completely studied.

The body of anemones is sometimes very strong, although they are devoid of a skeleton. The fact is that the mesoglea of ​​sea anemones usually reaches a significant development and often acquires the density of cartilage due to the appearance in it of a dense fibrous connective substance.

sea ​​anemones reproduce both asexually and sexually. However, asexual reproduction plays a much smaller role in them. Cases of budding in Actiniaria are generally very rare. More often there is a division of one individual into 2 and even into 3-6 unequal parts. Transverse division noted only in primitive actinium Gonactinia. In G. prolifera, for example, it proceeds as follows: at a certain height, a corolla of tentacles first grows from the walls of the body, then the upper part laces off and separates from the lower. At the top, the sole is restored, and at the bottom, the oral disk and pharynx, as well as the second circle of tentacles, are formed. Second division gonactinium sometimes starts before the first has finished.

More often in anemones, longitudinal division occurs. In this case, the oral fissure is first divided into two, and then the entire oral disc is subjected to the same division, and then the body of the sea anemone is already dissected. Longitudinal division turns out to be a very lengthy process. Several months may pass from the moment it begins to the complete separation of the newly formed sea anemones. Occasionally, longitudinal division of anemones is noted, proceeding in the opposite direction - from the sole to the oral disk. In these cases, the division goes very quickly and ends in 2-3 hours (Fig. 178).

In addition to the described methods of asexual reproduction, sea anemones have developed another very peculiar method - the so-called laceration, in which several small individuals are formed at once. During laceration, a small section of the sole of an anemone is separated from the sole, containing the remains of gastric septa. This site then gives rise to new anemones (Fig. 178). Although division by laceration has been known since 1744, the complex process leading to the formation of young sea anemones has not yet been studied.

The ability of anemones to regenerate is very high, although it cannot be compared with that of freshwater hydras.

The main method of reproduction of sea anemones is the sexual process. The sex cells of sea anemones are of endodermal origin and mature in the mesogleal layer of the gastric septa. Anemones, as a rule, have separate sexes, although there are cases of hermaphroditism. In these cases, the male germ cells are formed before the female ones (the so-called protandric hermaphroditism). Fertilization can be both external and internal. In the latter case, young sea anemones reach the gastric cavity of the parent organism at the planula stage or the stage of formation of tentacles and gastric septa.

Reproduction of anemones living in the cold waters of the northern and southern latitudes usually begins in spring and ends by summer. On the contrary, in tropical waters anemones begin to breed at the height of summer. Floating planula larvae stay in plankton for 7-8 days and during this time they are carried by currents over considerable distances.

Sea anemones inhabit almost all seas the globe, but, like other coral polyps, they are especially numerous and diverse in warm waters. Toward the cold polar regions, the number of anemone species is rapidly declining. According to their way of life, anemones can be divided into bottom and pelagic. Myniadidae are an exclusively pelagic group. Bottom anemones have a very wide range of vertical distribution, occurring from the surf to the maximum depths of the ocean. But the vast majority of anemone species have adapted to living at shallow depths of coastal shallow water. These are typical components of the rocky fauna, forming dense settlements, moreover, often represented by a single species.

The distribution of shallow sea anemones largely depends on sea water temperature and salinity. In cold subpolar regions, the distribution of sea anemones is more or less circumpolar. Some cold-water anemones are found both in the Arctic and in the Antarctic, i.e., they form the so-called bipolar areas. In the tropical zone there are circumtropical species, but they are much less common than circumpolar ones. This is explained by the fact that tropical shallow areas are usually separated from each other by vast expanses of the ocean with its great depths. Large sea anemones Stoichactis have a typical circumtropical distribution. Some species of anemones, however, are insensitive to changes in water temperature. Such sea anemones are usually more widespread. Actinia equina, a common species in our northern seas, is found, for example, in Atlantic Ocean up to the Gulf of Guinea. Extensive ranges, as a rule, are also found in abyssal anemone species. Narrow localized ranges, however, are characteristic of ultra-abyssal anemone species living at depths of more than 6000 m. Separate types of the genus Galatheanthemum, for example, apparently live in certain deep-water basins of the Pacific Ocean.

Although sea anemones are typical marine animals, many of them tolerate significant desalination. Several anemone species are found in the Kiel Bay and Ostsee, four species have entered the Black Sea. Sea anemones are no longer found in the Azov and Baltic Seas. It is curious that even in the relict Lake Mogilnoye on the island of Kildin, a shredded form of Metridium dianthus, which is quite common in the northern seas, was found living there.

Burrowing sea anemones, such as Edwardsia or Haloclava, burrow more or less vertically into silt or silty sand and, when active, only protrude the upper end of their body from the mink with a rim of a few tentacles. They prefer not to leave their burrow, but if necessary they can crawl to a new place with the help of undulating contractions of the worm-like body. Having found a suitable soil, the sea anemone stops moving and quickly fills its gastric cavity with water. She then releases some of the water and closes her mouth tightly. By this, she avoids in the process of instillation the accidental loss of water remaining in the gastric cavity. When digging, the rear end of the body bends down towards the ground, and rhythmic waves of contractions of the ring muscles begin to run through the body. At the same time, the water remaining in the cavity is constantly pumped from the anterior to the posterior section and vice versa. With the help of peristaltic contractions, the body of an anemone is pushed deeper and deeper into the ground. After about an hour of hard work, the animal disappears completely into its new burrow.

Most sea anemones have a sole and lead sedentary image life. But if necessary, they can also slowly move along the substrate. Usually forward movement actinium is carried out with the help of a fleshy sole. Part of it then separates from the substrate, moves forward, in the direction of movement, and is fixed again there. After that, it is separated from the substrate and the other part of the sole is pulled up. In particular, this is how Actinia equina, a widespread and very common species in our northern seas, moves. In the aquarium, A. equina was observed moving from the walls of the aquarium to nearby rocks. The edge of the sole, separated from the glass wall, was strongly extended and leaned towards the stones. Then the sea anemone hung with its tentacles down between the wall of the aquarium and the stone, to which the edge of the sole was already attached. After a while, it separated and pulled itself up to the stone and its other edge. On the oral disk of this sea anemone, 192 tentacles are arranged in 6 rows. These sea anemones, brightly colored in red or green, are very beautiful, especially in full bloom with a crown of delicately colored, slightly transparent tentacles. In the northern seas, the predominant color of these sea anemones is green, and in the southern seas - red. A. equina, due to its surprising simplicity, is one of the favorite objects for observations in aquarium conditions. Curiously, live anemones can even be mailed wet or wrapped in wet seaweed.

Anemones of other species move along the ground in a different way. So, for example, Aiptasia carnea completely separates its sole from the substrate and falls on its side. In such a lying position on the ground, this anemone begins to move with its hind end forward with the help of peristaltic rhythmic contractions of the body in exactly the same way as burrowing anemones move. A. carnea always chooses night time for its travels.

Small sea anemones, like Gonactinia prolifera, can even swim by rhythmically throwing their tentacles back.

Most shallow sea anemones avoid daylight and crawl from sunlit places into shaded rock crevices. If an anemone placed in an aquarium is suddenly illuminated with a bright light, it will rapidly shrink. Most shallow sea anemones are therefore dormant during the day. They spread their tentacles at night or at dusk. However, littoral species of anemones are either indifferent to light, or even strive for it, crawling to illuminated places or turning their oral disk towards the light. In a passive state, they are at night.

Littoral species, which are indifferent to light, develop a different daily rhythm of life associated with tidal changes in the water level. A. equina, for example, spreads its tentacles with the tide and contracts with the tide. The circadian rhythm of this sea anemone is so persistent that after placing it in the aquarium it persists for several more days. Well-fed sea anemones can long time stay in a reduced state. On the contrary, hunger and low water temperature make sea anemones stay active for more than a day.

The diet of sea anemones has been relatively well studied. In some anemones, the grasping movements of the tentacles play the main role in feeding, in others, the ciliary movement of ciliated cells scattered in the ectoderm. The former feed on various small living organisms, the latter on organic particles suspended in sea ​​water. There are two main types of cilia movement. In primitive sea anemones, for example, in Gonactinia, whose ciliated cells evenly cover the entire body, organic particles that fall on the body are enveloped in mucus and distilled by the beating of cilia from the bottom up, towards the oral disc, and then into the mouth. The beating of the cilia goes in the same direction on the tentacles. In the event that the food bolus falls on the tentacle, then here it is distilled towards its upper end. The tentacle bends towards the mouth, and the food is picked up by the stream directed already towards the pharynx. Particles unsuitable for food are captured by the flow created by the cilia of the tentacles, and, like food particles, move to the upper end of the tentacle. However, this tentacle no longer bends towards the mouth, but into reverse side. From the end of the tentacle, these particles are washed away by the flow of water.

In more highly developed anemones, cilia form only on the oral disc and tentacles. In particular, we find such a ciliated apparatus in Metridium dianthus, or sea ​​cloves, one of the most beautiful anemones found in our waters (color table 9). On a long columnar body, numerous, over a thousand, thread-like tentacles are located in separate groups. Coloring M. dianthus is extremely diverse - from pure white to dark red. The movement of cilia on the tentacles and the oral disk of these sea anemones is always directed towards the top of the tentacles. All particles that land on the oral disc or tentacles therefore move in the same direction. The tentacle, after the food bolus reaches its top, curves towards the mouth. Then the lump is picked up by the cilia lining the pharynx and moves into the gastric cavity. Particles that are unsuitable for food also move to the upper ends of the tentacles, from where they are washed off with water or discarded.

Anemones, grasping food with tentacles, feed on various living organisms, as well as pieces of meat left after the meal of some other predator. Numerous experiments that have been carried out give a good idea of ​​the mechanism for grasping the victim and transporting it into the gastric cavity. Usually hungry anemones sit quite still, with tentacles widely spaced. But the slightest changes occurring in the water are enough for the tentacles to produce oscillatory "search" movements. When the sea anemone senses food, not only part or all of the tentacles extend towards it, but often the whole body of the sea anemone also leans towards the food. Having caught the prey, the tentacles of the sea anemone contract and bend towards the mouth. It is very interesting to note that the pulling of the tentacles to the mouth often proceeds reflexively, even regardless of whether the victim is seized or not. If large prey is captured, such as a small fish, then all the tentacles of the predator are sent to it, and all of them take part in transporting the victim to the mouth. Small prey is introduced into the pharynx with the help of a water current caused by the beating of ciliated cells in the ectoderm of the pharynx, larger prey - with the help of peristaltic contractions of the pharyngeal tube. In sea anemones, which have short tentacles, the pharynx is slightly turned outward and pulled up to food, which is held above the oral disk by tentacles that are unable to bend down to the mouth opening. So eats, in particular, bighorn sea anemone- Urticina crassicornis, found from the Mediterranean to the North and Norwegian seas. Numerous (up to 160) short and thick tentacles of this sea anemone surround its low and thick body. The coloration of U. crassicornis is extremely diverse, and it is unlikely that two identically colored specimens of this sea anemone can be found at once.

U. crassicornis is also very remarkable in that the way it reproduces depends on climatic conditions: in warmer waters, this sea anemone spawns eggs, and in cold waters (for example, off the coast of Svalbard), it becomes viviparous.

Some sea anemones immediately sense the difference between food and non-food particles and never grasp them. Others, especially in a state of hunger, seize any objects - stones, empty shells, filter paper, etc. After saturation, the sea anemones, so illegible before, no longer introduce objects unsuitable for food into their throats. If filter paper is impregnated with meat extract, then at first the sea anemone willingly seizes it. But over time, anemone ceases to be too trusting. She will be able to fall for deception only after a certain period of time, feeling hungry.

With repeated repetition of such an experiment, actinium completely ceases to react to paper soaked in meat extract.

Anemone species that feed on organic particles suspended in sea water have an underdeveloped tentacle stinging apparatus. These anemones usually form long acontions, which perfectly protect them from attack. On the contrary, at predatory species actinium stinging batteries of tentacles become quite numerous. A volley of ejected stinging filaments not only kills small organisms, but often causes severe burns in larger animals, and even in humans. Catchers of toilet sponges are often badly burned by sea anemones. After a burn, the skin of the hands begins to turn red, itching and burning in the damaged area are accompanied by headache and chills. After a while, the sore spots of the skin die off and deep ulcers form.

Very many species of anemones are commensals of other animals or enter into a peaceful symbiosis with them. These relationships of anemones to other animals have been discussed in detail previously.

Animal life: in 6 volumes. - M.: Enlightenment. Edited by professors N.A. Gladkov, A.V. Mikheev. 1970 .

XI INTERNATIONAL REMOTE OLYMPIAD "ERUDIT" ON THE SUBJECT THE WORLD

Sample answers to tasks for grade 4

The maximum number of points for completed tasks is 100 points.

Task number 1 (max 20 points):

Take a close look at the images of living organisms located in the table below.

How do these organisms move? If you don't know exactly how you travel, then guess it.

If any of these living organisms have different ways movement, be sure to point it out.

If any organisms are familiar to you, write their names.

Z task number 2 (max 20 points):

You, like all Russian children, are probably very familiar with this cartoon character - a hedgehog lost in the fog. Most likely, you have seen a real, live hedgehog more than once in your life. But is it as familiar to you as it seems at first glance?

Answers on questions:

What stocks does a hedgehog make for the winter?

The hedgehog does not stock up for the winter, as it hibernates in winter.

Where does he hide them?

And

Rice. No. 1: Hedgehog in the fog.

What does a hedgehog eat in a long and long winter?

Asleep. Is in a state of hibernation.

Additional explanation:

Ordinary hedgehogs do not store food for the winter - neither apples, nor mushrooms, nor anything like that, as they are insectivorous animals.

In winter, the hedgehog is in hibernation. And during hibernation, the hedgehog uses its fat reserves accumulated in summer / autumn.

Task number 3 (max 20 points):

Answers to biological riddles:

Who has more legs: five octopuses or four squids?

The same number of legs.

Octopuses have 8 legs, i.e. 8*5=40,

Squids have 10 legs, i.e. 4*10=40

Therefore, the same number of legs, i.e. 40 feet.

This animal has two right legs and two left legs, two legs in front and the same number in the back. How many legs does this animal have?

Four

Which berries with the letter "M" are sweet, and those with the letter "K" are bitter?

"M" - raspberry

"K" - viburnum

What kind of cereal can grow... on a person?

Barley on the eye

Waist, which animal is the reference model of a thin waist for all women?

Wasp waist (wasp waist)

The name of which bird is heard all the time in the scaffolding?

Maina is a pink starling and a "get down!" construction team.

The "economic breed" of dogs is

Dachshund breed (dachshund is a clearly established level of tariffs, prices, payments).

Whose eyes are not afraid, but love to look at the sun?

Pansies (decorative flower).

Name the climbing animals.

Geckos (reptiles)

Which waterfowl wrote famous books?

Gogol

Task number 4 (max 10 points):

Remember what you know about the structure of the human body.

Look carefully at the table below.

Distribute the organs of the human body according to their corresponding organ systems, using numbers and letters.

You can simply enter the letters denoting organs in the column with organ systems.

Task number 5 (max 20 points):

Take a close look at the matrix below and its clues.

Fill in the matrix by entering the missing letters in the names of animals (animals).

Pay attention to the fact that the names of all these animals end in -KA.

Find out how well you know animals?

Task hints.

An animal that looks like a mouse, but with a muzzle extended into the proboscis.

One of the varieties of bats with very wide ears.

A shrew, the tops of whose teeth are painted brown-red.

A rodent that lives in the steppes and deserts with a very short tail.

A small red rodent, very similar to a rat, but with a tufted tail, living in the desert.

Little monkey.

Harvest mouse.

A small rodent, similar to both a mouse and a jerboa, its tail is much longer than its body.

The largest of the toothed whales.

Barking pet.

Meowing pet.

Cute furry animal.

Artificially bred fur animal.

Small predatory animal.

Task number 6 (max 10 points):

Try to guess old, Russian, folk riddles.

Before buying sea anemones, as well as others sea ​​creatures, you need to make sure that you have a good idea of ​​​​how to properly contain them. Their requirements may surprise you. Here are some recommendations based on my own experience.

Water quality

Generally speaking, sea anemones require the same water parameters as SPS corals (small polyp stony corals). In particular: high level dissolved oxygen, SG 1.024 to 1.026, stable pH 8.1 to 8.3, temperature 76 to 78 F, calcium 400 to 450, dKH 8.0 to 12.0, magnesium 1250 and 1350 ppm, nitrates of 2 ppm or less (the closer to zero the better), a stable phosphate level of around 0.002 ppm or less (closer to zero is better), and finally zero levels of ammonia and nitrite. The key to a healthy and prosperous existence of sea anemones, as well as all representatives of the underwater world living in captivity, is to maintain stable water parameters in the aquarium at a given level or close to it.

Aquarium conditions/parameters

B) The flow and circulation of water. Sea anemones need at least a slight current. They breathe by absorbing oxygen directly from the water. AT vivo Sea anemones also need a current to bring food and carry away waste. In essence, sea anemones require medium to low current. One of the most common causes of malaise in sea anemones is abnormal flow. As a result, they begin to move around the aquarium, in order to find the most favorable place. Different anemones have different attitudes towards the flow and circulation of water in an aquarium.

C) lighting requirements. Sea anemones require the same good light as SPS corals (small polyp stony corals) to thrive. Through photosynthesis, sea anemones produce a large number of necessary nutrients. Anemone tissues contain zooxatenella algae, which allow them to use light. Traditionally, metal halide lamps or T5 HO lamps have been considered to be best suited for actinium. The high quality of the LEDs also contributes to the good lighting that sea anemones need. When I have kept bubble and carpet anemones, I have used T5HO bulbs and high quality LEDs with great success. As a general rule, if your lighting is a little less than ideal, you can always make up for it with regular feedings.

There are many different opinions about what should be the optimal lighting. I developed my own rule: 4 watts per gallon of water (14,000 K lamp). Such lighting will be optimal for aquariums with a height of about 20 centimeters. Once again, this rule based on personal positive experience of keeping sea anemones.

D) The level of oxygen content. For sea anemones, as well as for other representatives of the underwater world, the most favorable is the high level of oxygen content. Achieving optimal oxygen levels is not difficult, especially if you ensure good water circulation in the aquarium and use a skimmer.

Feeding sea anemones

There are several opinions about feeding sea anemones. Some do not feed them at all, and anemones remain healthy and grow in the aquarium for many years, provided sufficient level lighting. Personally, I fed anemones two to three times a month, which contributed to their rapid growth and healthy existence. If you want to speed up the growth of sea anemones, you can even feed them 3 times a week. I fed my anemones every week, as a result of which they quickly grew, multiplied and looked quite contented with life.

High-protein animal foods such as shellfish, scallops, shrimp, mussels, and shrimp larvae are great for sea anemones. There are other types of anemone food, but I haven't tried them.

Before feeding the sea anemone, make sure the food is small enough for him to swallow easily. Place the food as close to the sea anemone as possible (I use long tweezers for this). As soon as food comes into contact with an anemone, it should react immediately. It can take up to 2-3 minutes for anemones to pick up food and swallow it. If an anemone is under stress, it may take longer. And be sure to keep an eye on other animals and fish in the tank, as they will usually try to take food from the sea anemone while it tries to eat it.

clown fish

Do anemones need clown fish?... The answer is no. Anemones can do just fine without them. However, such an alliance is mutually beneficial and has a number of advantages for both parties: clown fish protect the sea anemone from other fish and even from some animals that inhabit the aquarium, in addition, clowns leave uneaten food on the sea anemone (that is, they actually feed it), and, finally, Clownfish hide in sea anemones to protect themselves from other fish. At the same time, sea anemones and clownfish can perfectly exist and remain healthy and happy separately from each other.

If you are going to get a pair of clownfish for your sea anemone, make sure you choose the right species and that they will actually bond with your sea anemone in the future, as usually certain types of clownfish nest in certain types of sea anemones.

On the other hand, anemones can become dangerous to other inhabitants of the aquarium, because they are not particularly picky about food. Representatives of some species catch and eat almost all slowly moving small fish or paralyze those who swim too close to their tentacles. My carpet anemone ate a large number of snails (and then spit out the shell), pygmy wrasse (a species of orange-backwrasse), and all the cleaner shrimp, while the bladder anemone did not touch any of them.

Movement of sea anemones

The movement of anemones around the aquarium may indicate a change in water quality or other conditions, which negatively affects their existence. If your sea anemone has started to move and you haven't changed the lighting or the current, the problem may be related to a change in water parameters. Some anemones are more prone to movement than others. For example, I had a blister anemone that split and one of the detached parts began to move around until it found a suitable place away from the rest of the anemones. However, my carpet anemones have been in the same place for several years.

Addition of sea anemones to the aquarium

A) First of all, as soon as you lower the anemone into the aquarium, turn off the current for 24 hours. This will help him get used to his new home.

B) First you need to ensure the “maturity” of the aquarium environment and make sure that the water parameters correspond to the required level and remain stable.

C) Then you need to choose a suitable place in the aquarium. Some sea anemones prefer to attach their feet to rocks, while others like to stick to the bottom of the tank. Some sea anemones attach themselves to a substrate that can be placed in an aquarium (3 to 6 inches). Therefore, you should first consider all possible options and choose the best place for your anemone. In addition, you need to think about lighting and water circulation.

D) Now you are ready to buy sea anemones. It is important to choose a healthy individual, so in the store, pay attention to the color of the sea anemone (the color should not be pale) and the mouth (it should be closed).

E) After the purchase, you must carefully bring the sea anemone home and help him adapt to new living conditions.

E) In addition to acclimatizing sea anemones to water parameters, attention should be paid to adaptation to aquarium lighting. One of better ways is to use a translucent plastic screen for shading. Place three of these screens at the top of the tank and remove one about every 3 days. This will allow the sea anemones to gradually get used to the new lighting.

G) From several days to a week, the anemone will be in a stressful state until it gets used to the new conditions of existence. For a day or two, an anemone may hide in rocks or keep its mouth wide open. This reaction can be repeated several times.

H) Until your anemone settles in its new home, it is better to turn off the current at night. From my own experience, sea anemones start to move after you turn off the lights. And when moving, they can easily penetrate the pump.

If you notice one or more of the following signs of stress within a week of placing your anemone in the aquarium, or if you notice them after a long stay in the aquarium, this is an indication that your anemone is having difficulty adjusting or is in a dysfunctional state.

A) Sea anemones secrete a lot of viscous brown liquid. This may signal that the water parameters are not suitable for your anemone, as a result of which it is losing zooxatenella. This can become a serious problem.

B) The sea anemone shrinks or swells too much. This usually happens when the anemone is cleared of waste by changing the water that is inside. However, if this happens constantly (say every day or more), or if the anemone remains compressed for a long time, this sure sign stressful condition.

C) The anemone's mouth is open even when it is not eating or excreting waste.

D) Anemone moves in stones and disappears from view (for stone anemones this is the norm).

E) Actinia turned pale or almost colorless, this effect is also called “whitening”. In general, this is another symptom of the loss of zooxatenell, or the result of insufficient preparation of anemones for new aquarium lighting.

E) The anemone's mouth remains open or dilated even when the anemone is not eating. In extreme cases of stress, the mouth will turn inside out.

G) Sea anemones are not fixed anywhere in your tank.

Anemone bleaching

If during a long stay in the aquarium your sea anemone suddenly became discolored (or lost most its color), this indicates problems with lighting or water quality. Listed below are the most common causes of anemone bleaching.

A) Too much light
B) Insufficient lighting
C) Too high nutrient levels in the water
D) too low level nutrient content in water

Below I have given recommendations based on my own experience for the maintenance of carpet and bubble anemones. Today, there are many other types of sea anemones suitable for keeping in an aquarium, but I have not come across them from personal experience.

bubble anemones

Currently, this species is one of the most common in the aquarium trade. From my own experience, I can say that bubble anemones are one of the most unpretentious and probably the most hardy species for aquarium keeping. As a rule, in order to gain a foothold and protect their foot, bubble anemones choose cracks in the stones. The most favorable conditions for them are moderate water flows and an average level of illumination.

Red and green bubble anemones are the most common, but blue and orange anemones can be found. They are easy to distinguish due to their very long tentacles (1-2 inches long) with bubbles at the ends. The size and shape of the bubbles, depending on the type of anemone, can vary from very large to almost invisible. Bubble anemones can be up to one meter in diameter, so I suggest using an aquarium of at least 30 gallons.

Usually bubble anemones penetrate with their foot into the crevice of the stone, where they are further fixed. They prefer moderate water currents and medium light levels. Bubble anemones are the most active in the aquarium. Any change, even a small one that is difficult to determine, can set these anemones in motion.

Ideal conditions for keeping bubble anemones contribute to rapid reproduction, which occurs in two ways - sexually (spawning) and asexually (dividing). In just one year, living in my aquarium, the bubble anemone has grown into five full-fledged anemones. It works like this: when an anemone reaches its maximum size, it divides and one part begins to move around the aquarium until it finds a suitable place.

If you want to add clownfish to your aquarium, check out the list below for species that prefer to live in bubble anemones. I found this list in a marine aquarium magazine.

The photo below is of my blister anemone three weeks after dividing. After I took the photo after one or two weeks, the left anemone began to move around the aquarium.

Carpet anemones

This type of sea anemone is one of the most difficult to keep in an aquarium. The most common carpet anemones are Stichodactyla gigantea and Stichodactyla haddoni. In appearance, they are very similar, so it is quite difficult to distinguish them from each other. However, due to slight differences in the needs of these sea anemones, which may affect their further development you have to learn to distinguish between them.

Carpet anemones Stichodactyla gigantea

These anemones are the most difficult to care for. I have spent a lot of time studying these sea anemones, so I can tell exactly what the difference is between gigantea and haddoni. in diameter gigantea (Stichodactyla gigantea) reaches over 1.5 meters, and often weighs around 2 pounds when kept in ideal conditions. AT natural environment Habitat diameter of these sea anemones can reach up to three meters. Their tentacles are the longest among the carpet anemones, but much shorter than those of the bubble anemones. The tentacles are ¼ to ¾ inches long. In appearance, these sea anemones are similar to a shaggy carpet of the 60s. As a rule, they have a brown or sandy color, less common are green, blue, yellow, purple and pink anemones. The rarest colors are red and dark blue. There are no known cases of breeding in the home aquarium.

For content S. gigantea Many recommend using a species tank of at least 40 gallons, but I would recommend a tank of at least 75 gallons. In addition, it is necessary to ensure a moderate (or slightly above average) circulation of water in the aquarium. I have seen such an anemone nestled right in the flow of the return pump. sea ​​anemones S. gigantea are the most demanding on lighting conditions, therefore, compared to the rest, they need more light. They like to bury their foot 3-6 inches into the substrate and attach themselves to the bottom of the aquarium. Thus, when they feel threatened, they are completely drawn into the substrate.

In this photo you can see anemones S. gigantea rare colors.

I took this photo at a local aquarium store.

Below is my blue carpet anemone.

Carpet anemones Stichodactyla haddoni

S. haddoni increase in size very quickly. My sea anemone grew from 4 inches to 12 inches in 18 months. Many recommend a 40 gallon or larger aquarium for the primary setting, but I recommend 75 gallons or more. They are usually placed in the sand, burying their foot 3-6 inches into the substrate, and attach themselves to the bottom of the aquarium. As soon as they feel danger, they are completely drawn into the substrate. Although haddoni and gigantea have similar light requirements, haddoni prefer less water circulation than gigantea (below average).

sea ​​anemones S. haddoni quite aggressive with their victims: as soon as they get too close to their tentacles, haddoni immediately grab and eat them. Due to the highly adhesive tentacles, they are quite difficult to deal with. My sea anemone ate a lot of snails (and then spit out shells), shrimp and a few fish.

Clown fish mostly prefer to settle in carpet anemones. [ Note. ed.: Dubious assertion] If you want to add clownfish to your aquarium, check out the following list to help you determine which clownfish species are best for carpet anemones.

Amphiprion ocellaris(anemone clown (all kinds of colors))
Amphiprion akindynos(reef clown)
Amphiprion chrysogaster(Muritic clown)
Amphiprion chrysopterus(orange-finned clownfish)
Amphiprion clarkii(Clark the Clown)
Amphiprion polymnus(saddle clown)
Amphiprion sebae(Seba the clown)
Amphiprion chrysopterus Blueline(orange-finned clownfish)
Amphiprion ephippium(fire clown)
Amphiprion frenatus(tomato clown)

Below is my red carpet anemone haddoni. This photo was taken immediately after being placed in the aquarium, which was then about 4 inches in size. In the following photos you can see haddoni in normal size - about 14 inches.

Any anemone is extraordinarily beautiful. Therefore, anemones are often called sea anemones. This, which has already become official name, they received for their resemblance to the flowers of plants. Indeed, underwater landscapes, decorated with anemones sitting on them, can be compared with an exotic flower bed.

• They do not have an axial skeleton and are therefore invertebrates.
• These beauties belong to the type of coelenterates and are the closest relatives of corals.

And although sea anemones always live alone, and corals always form colonies, both these groups of animals have many similarities in structure.

Dear guests of the ecological park, amazing video meetings with unusual animals await you today!

How is the polyp of intestinal animals arranged?

Anemone - metridium senile (Sea of ​​​​Japan)

Metridium senile - sea anemone, the photo of which you see on this page, demonstrates the structure of a single polyp. A polyp is called a single form of this animal. Therefore, one sea anemone is one polyp. And the coral is a lot of polyps that form a colony.

But the internal structure and principle of life activity are the same for them. A separate polyp resembles a two-layer sac with one hole open at one end, inside of which there is an “intestinal” cavity.

In this cavity, food is digested, and the hole acts as a mouth. And through the same hole, undigested food remains are ejected from the body of the polyp. The mouth is surrounded by a ring of tentacles.

Watch a fragment of a hand-drawn cartoon about how sea anemones eat.

Video, sea anemone:

So, you were attentive and saw that at first the sea anemone put the caught fish into its mouth, and then threw out their skeletons from there. Amazing, isn't it?

Imagine - sea anemones are very similar in structure!

If the jellyfish is turned dome down, then we will see all the features of polypactinia:

• After all, the hole in the jellyfish is also the same - it serves as a mouth and a place for throwing out waste.
• The jellyfish has tentacles with which it catches food, and the sea anemone also has them.
• If you extend the dome of the jellyfish, you get an elongated body of an anemone.

You can even try to make such a transformation of a jellyfish into an anemone on a plasticine model.

Blind a jellyfish from plasticine, and then pull its dome down in the form of a tube and move the tentacles closer. Attach the lower part of the straw to something strong - there you have an anemone!

What are the types of anemones?

In nature, there are a variety of types of anemones. In total, there are about 1,500 species of these animals that live only in the sea. Freshwater anemones, unlike jellyfish, do not exist in nature. The sizes of anemones vary in a very wide range:

• body anemone diameter from a few millimeters to 1.5 m;
• height can reach 1 m;

Most sea anemones have a tall columnar body, in the upper part of which there is a mouth surrounded by numerous long tentacles carrying stinging cells with poison. The lower part of them is attached to the underwater substrate.

But among the sea anemones there is one amazing family. See what these sea anemones look like in an aquarium.

Video, sea anemone:

With the help of this video, you got to know the sea anemone, which is called Amplexidiscus fenestrafer or Great Elephant Ear from the Discosoma family. Isn't it a very successful and telling name?

Representatives of the discos family (Discosomatidae) are the most amazing sea anemones!

The body of the discosoma is in the form of a flexible disk, which is covered with cone-shaped tentacles from the inside. At the bottom of the disk there is a sole for attaching the animal to the substrate. In the upper central part of the disk there is a rather large mouth - a mouth opening.

They are painted in almost all colors of the rainbow: green, yellow, lilac, purple and others. Disc diameter - up to 40 cm

Symbiosis in the life of anemones

Sea anemones and hermit crab are the most common example of symbiosis (mutually beneficial cooperation) among sea anemones. Cancer - a hermit for sea anemones - is a means of transportation, since sea anemones move very slowly on their own. The anemone, whose tentacles have stinging cells, provides protection to the hermit crab.