Cryptodendrum adhaesivum (Pizza Anemone) Breeding & Propagation Guide

Reproduction of the pizza anemone Cryptodendrum adhaesivum: pelagic sexual spawning unreachable at home and the rare asexual fission of sea anemones. What hobbyists can realistically expect.

Overview

Cryptodendrum adhaesivum is a host anemone that, per Wikipedia, grows to about 30 cm and is distinguished by a colored, beaded, waving edge with two distinct tentacle types: central branched tentacles roughly 5 mm long and extremely sticky, and peripheral bubble-tipped tentacles. Like all symbiotic anemones it hosts zooxanthellae, and its single hosted clownfish is the generalist Amphiprion clarkii. It is a marginal, demanding host species.

Reproductive Mode

As a sea anemone, C. adhaesivum can in principle reproduce both sexually and asexually. Wikipedia's general account describes males releasing sperm to stimulate females to release eggs, fertilization in the water column or internally, and a drifting planula larva that settles and metamorphoses. No captive spawning protocol specific to this species is documented in the consulted sources.

Asexual Propagation

Available asexual routes in sea anemones are longitudinal fission into identical clones, rarer transverse fission, and pedal laceration, where pedal-disc fragments regenerate into clones. This anemone is rare in the trade and not known to divide readily, so deliberate asexual propagation is not a practical option.

Sexual Reproduction

Sexual reproduction is broadcast and pelagic, with gametes released into open water and planula larvae drifting before settling. This open-water phase cannot be reproduced in an aquarium, so home sexual breeding of C. adhaesivum is not feasible.

Common Challenges

It demands strong light, very stable parameters, and is considered difficult to keep alive long term. With reproduction effectively pelagic and division unreliable, the practical objective is survival of a single specimen rather than propagation.