Sebae Anemone

Care at a glance

Overview

Needs strong, stable lighting and moderate flow, plus target feedings of chopped fish or shrimp every week or two once it is settled. It moves on its pedal disc like any true anemone, so keep it clear of powerheads and give corals room in case it relocates and stings something on the way. Clark's clownfish, pink skunk clownfish, and several other Amphiprion species will host in it readily. The real catch with this species is the import pipeline: sebae anemones ship and hold up poorly, and a large share arrive already bleached white from the stress. A bleached specimen can sometimes recover its brown or tan color under good light and steady feeding, but plenty do not, so buying a local, already colored-up specimen rather than gambling on a stressed import is worth the extra cost, and acclimation into a fully mature tank should be slow.

In the wild

Ranges across the Indo-Pacific from East Africa and the Red Sea to Polynesia and south to Australia, usually anchored in a crevice on hard substrate with a light dusting of sand, from the shallows to about 40 m. It wants strong reef lighting and a spot on the lower rockwork where it can wedge its foot into a hole; it will also climb onto the base of a branching coral if given the chance, so plan its placement with that in mind. It is one of the most generalist clownfish hosts in the trade.

Good to know

Currently accepted by the World Register of Marine Species as Radianthus crispa, though Heteractis crispa is still the name most hobbyists and retailers use. The oral disc can flare to 20–50 cm across, with tentacles that have a rounded end often tipped in purple or blue. It is one of the most generalist host anemones, recorded hosting around 15 anemonefish species, and the wide band anemonefish (Amphiprion latezonatus) uses this species almost exclusively.

Did you know

Sebae anemones ship so poorly that hobbyists half joke you should expect to buy one bleached white; a specimen that browns or greens back up and opens normally within a few weeks of steady feeding and good light is considered a genuine success story.

Related species

• 

  Magnificent Anemone

  Heteractis magnifica

  19.7 in (50 cm)53 gal (200 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)

• 

  Maxi-Mini Carpet Anemone

  Stichodactyla tapetum

  3.1 in (8 cm)20 gal (75 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)