Magnificent Anemone

Care at a glance

Overview

Needs very strong lighting and vigorous, turbulent flow, along with target feedings of meaty foods two or three times a week. It roams more than almost any other host anemone, drifting across the tank in search of better light and current even after it seems settled, so every powerhead and overflow needs a guard and every coral needs real breathing room from wherever it might end up. Ocellaris, clark's, and pink skunk clownfish are its classic hosts, along with several other Amphiprion species across its range. This is an expert level animal: it should only go into a large, mature reef tank with reef-grade lighting and flow already dialed in, and it needs a slow drip acclimation and time to settle before it is judged a success or failure.

In the wild

Ranges across the Indo-Pacific from East Africa and the Red Sea to Polynesia, usually attached to hard substrate in shallow, well lit, high flow water on the reef crest or upper slope. It is widely considered the premier clownfish host anemone for its size and color, but it is also one of the most demanding: it wants intense light and strong, turbulent flow that closely mimics a shallow reef crest, conditions many home tanks cannot fully deliver.

Good to know

Currently accepted by the World Register of Marine Species as Radianthus magnifica, though Heteractis magnifica remains the name most hobbyists know it by. Its oral disc typically spans 20–50 cm but can reach a meter in exceptional wild specimens, with a retracted column that ranges from electric blue or green to red, pink, or purple. It hosts symbiotic zooxanthellae as its main energy source and can live for decades: one well documented aquarium specimen reportedly reached about 80 years old.

Did you know

A single magnificent anemone can host an entire clownfish family at once: a dominant breeding pair plus a string of smaller, non-breeding juveniles queued up by size, all sharing one anemone until the largest fish dies or is removed and the next in line steps up to become the new breeding female.

Related species

• 

  Sebae Anemone

  Heteractis crispa

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

• 

  Aurora Anemone

  Heteractis aurora

  11.8 in (30 cm)50 gal (190 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Malu Anemone

  Heteractis malu

  7.9 in (20 cm)40 gal (150 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)

• 

  Mertens' Carpet Anemone

  Stichodactyla mertensii

  35.4 in (90 cm)53 gal (200 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)