Tangerine sea fan
Annella sp.
Also known as Giant Sea Fan
SaltwaterCoral
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 75–81°F
- 24–27°C
- pH
- 8.1–8.4
- Adult size
- 59.1 in
- 150 cm
- Minimum tank
- 53 gal
- 200 L
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Social behavior
- Solitary
- Swim level
- Bottom
- Diet
- Filter feeder
- Difficulty
- Difficult
- Breeding
- Hard
- Rarity
- Very rare
- Reef safe
- Reef safe
- Family
- Subergorgiidae
- Origin
- Indo-West Pacific lower reef slopes
Overview
The tangerine sea fan is a peaceful coral for a dedicated non-photosynthetic setup. It is for experienced keepers who can feed it every day.
Did you know
Wild Annella fans can top two meters across, and Annella mollis ranks among the largest sea fans in the ocean. Divers treat the big fans as landmarks.
Caring for the tangerine sea fan
Place the tangerine sea fan in shade, with steady, strong flow across the fan. It needs a tank of at least 53 gal (200 L). Keep the water stable at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C) and a pH of 8.1 to 8.4, and watch iodine and trace elements.
Every polyp on the mesh must strain its own food from the water. Feed it fine plankton foods several times every day. A dosing pump dripping food continuously is the most realistic way to deliver them.
The tangerine sea fan is completely peaceful toward everything around it, and it is reef safe. In a mature system with committed feeding, it makes a striking centerpiece.
Good to know
The tangerine sea fan belongs to the genus Annella, in the family Subergorgiidae. Biota offers it as either Annella mollis or Annella reticulata, both accepted species, so the honest label for aquarium colonies is Annella sp. It is azooxanthellate, with no symbiotic algae. Its thin branches fuse into a broad mesh, and that fused lattice works exactly like a net stretched across the current. The cultured tangerine form from Biota Palau keeps the structure in bright orange at a much more manageable scale.
In the wild
Annella grows on current-swept lower reef slopes across the Indo-West Pacific. It anchors to rock and rubble at depths where plankton streams past all day.
Common questions
What size tank does a tangerine sea fan need?
A tangerine sea fan needs at least 53 gal (200 L).
What temperature and pH does a tangerine sea fan need?
A tangerine sea fan is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.
What does a tangerine sea fan eat?
A tangerine sea fan eats fine plankton foods, which each polyp strains from the water. It needs several feedings a day, and a dosing pump dripping food continuously is the most realistic way to give them.
How big does a tangerine sea fan get?
An adult tangerine sea fan reaches about 59.1 in (150 cm).
