Aurora Anemone

Care at a glance

Overview

It needs a mature, stable reef of at least 190 litres at 22 to 26 C and pH 8.0 to 8.4, with strong light, a deep sand bed of 10 cm or more, and moderate flow. Feed it chopped meaty foods such as shrimp or fish a couple of times a week. Like all anemones it can move and sting nearby corals, and it can get pulled into powerheads, so screen intakes before adding one.

In the wild

The aurora anemone is named for the bead-like swellings that ring each tentacle, giving it a knobbly strung look. Colors run from tan and beige to green and purple, and the oral disc can reach about 30 cm. It anchors its foot deep in sand with the column buried and only the disc showing.

Good to know

Heteractis aurora is one of the ten anemone species that host clownfish in the wild. It works mostly as a nursery host, taking in juvenile clowns, with Clark's clownfish the species most likely to settle in one in an aquarium.

Did you know

In the wild it more often shelters baby clownfish than adults, acting as a kind of nursery until the young fish move on to a larger host.

Related species

• 

  Sebae Anemone

  Heteractis crispa

  15.7 in (40 cm)40 gal (150 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Malu Anemone

  Heteractis malu

  7.9 in (20 cm)40 gal (150 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Magnificent Anemone

  Heteractis magnifica

  19.7 in (50 cm)53 gal (200 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Maxi-Mini Carpet Anemone

  Stichodactyla tapetum

  3.1 in (8 cm)20 gal (75 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Gigantea Carpet Anemone

  Stichodactyla gigantea

  19.7 in (50 cm)53 gal (200 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Haddon's Carpet Anemone

  Stichodactyla haddoni

  33.5 in (85 cm)53 gal (200 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)