Heteractis crispa (Sebae Anemone) Care Guide
Heteractis crispa, the sebae or leathery anemone, is a large host anemone with a warty column and purple-tipped tentacles that hosts many clownfish species.
Overview
Heteractis crispa, the sebae or leathery sea anemone, is a host anemone of the family Stichodactylidae, first described by Hemprich and Ehrenberg in 1834. The oral disc reaches 20-50 cm in diameter. Its tentacles are 10-15 cm long with rounded tips that are often marked with a purple or blue spot. The column is grey with sticky whitish wart-like vesicles, and overall colour ranges from light beige to purple. In WoRMS this taxon is treated as Radianthus crispa.
Taxonomy
- Family: Stichodactylidae
- Order: Actiniaria
- Genus: Heteractis
- Scientific name: Heteractis crispa
- Authority: (Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1834); WoRMS note: treated as Radianthus crispa
Habitat
The species occurs across the tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific, from the eastern coasts of Africa and the Red Sea to Polynesia, and from southern Japan to Australia and New Caledonia. It anchors on hard substrates lightly covered with sand or among branching corals, from the surface to about 40 m deep.
Reef parameters
- Minimum tank volume: 200 L
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Specific gravity: 1.024-1.026
- Alkalinity (KH): 8-11 dKH
- Lighting: strong reef lighting
- Size: 25-60 cm
Diet
Heteractis crispa contains zooxanthellae and obtains energy through their photosynthesis, so it needs strong lighting. It supplements this by capturing prey with its tentacles; weekly feeding with meaty marine foods is beneficial.
Compatibility
The species hosts around 15 anemonefish species, including the clown anemonefish and Clark's anemonefish. It is generally less hardy than the bubble-tip anemone and is frequently imported in poor condition, so selecting specimens with intact, purple-tipped tentacles and a firm foot improves survival odds.
Breeding
Reproduction is both sexual, through gamete transmission, and asexual by scissiparity, in which the animal divides at the foot or mouth.