Sebae Anemone

Geographical Origin and Habitat: Tropical Indo-Pacific. Found on shallow sandy reef flats or reef slopes, burying its foot in the substrate or securing it in deep rock crevices.

Taxonomy: Class Anthozoa, family Thalassianthidae. Features a leathery column with long, numerous, and slightly curled tentacles with purple or pink tips.

Social Behavior: Excellent host anemone for various clownfish species, notably Amphiprion latezonatus and A. clarkii. Can sting corals if it moves around.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Typically grey, beige, or violet. Sells in a bleached white state due to zooxanthellae loss under stress. No sexual dimorphism.

Tank Setup: A mature reef tank of at least 200 liters with a deep sand bed (5-8 cm) and sturdy rocks is required. Strong, high-quality lighting is essential.

Diet and Feeding: Photosynthetic omnivore. Gets energy from lighting, but benefits from direct feedings of chopped shrimp, mussel, or silversides weekly.

Water Quality: Demands stable reef chemistry. Keep temperature at 22-26 °C, pH at 8.1-8.4, and specific gravity 1.023-1.025. Protect filter intakes to avoid damage.

Compatibility and Tankmates: Simbiotic relation with clownfish. Ensure adequate distance from sensitive corals to prevent stinging. Pump intakes must be covered.

Aquarium Breeding: Rare in home tanks. Can divide via longitudinal fission under highly stable conditions and low stress.

Risks and Diseases: Bleaching (loss of zooxanthellae) due to poor light or temperature shocks is common. Symmetrical target-feeding is required for recovery.