Heteractis malu (Malu Anemone) Care Guide
Heteractis malu, the Malu or delicate anemone, is a small sand-dwelling host anemone with short magenta-tipped tentacles, mainly hosting Clark's anemonefish.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Heteractis malu, the Malu or delicate sea anemone, is a sand-dwelling host anemone of the family Stichodactylidae. The oral disc reaches a maximum diameter of about 200 mm and is brown or purplish, sometimes with white radial patterns and rarely bright green. The tentacles are stout but sparse, almost always under 40 mm long, of uneven length, and usually tipped with magenta. The column is pale cream or yellow, sometimes with deeper yellow or orange patches. In WoRMS this taxon is treated as Radianthus malu.
Taxonomy
- Family: Stichodactylidae
- Order: Actiniaria
- Genus: Heteractis
- Scientific name: Heteractis malu
- WoRMS note: treated as Radianthus malu
Habitat
The species ranges from Japan in the north to Australia in the south, eastward to Hawaii and westward to Sumatra. It is a sand-dwelling anemone that buries its column in the substrate up to the level of the oral disc, leaving only the disc and tentacles exposed.
Reef parameters
- Minimum tank volume: 150 L
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Specific gravity: 1.024-1.026
- Alkalinity (KH): 8-11 dKH
- Substrate: deep sand bed for burrowing
- Size: 15-30 cm
Diet
Like other host anemones, Heteractis malu carries symbiotic zooxanthellae and relies on their photosynthesis for much of its energy, so it needs good lighting. It also feeds by capturing prey on its tentacles, so periodic feeding with meaty marine foods is beneficial.
Compatibility
The only anemonefish regularly associated with this species is Clark's anemonefish (Amphiprion clarkii), and sexually mature fish rarely associate with it. It is generally considered more challenging to keep than the bubble-tip anemone and requires a sand bed in which to anchor.
Malu Anemone (Heteractis malu) Breeding Guide
Overview
Heteractis malu, the delicate or Malu anemone, occurs in scattered areas from Japan in the north to Australia in the south, east to the Hawaiian Islands and west to Sumatra. It has stout, sparse tentacles almost always under 40 mm long, usually tipped with magenta, on an oral disc up to 200 mm in diameter that is brown or purplish, sometimes with a white radial pattern; the cream-to-yellow column stays buried in sediment up to the oral disc. The only anemonefish associated with this species is Clark's anemonefish (Amphiprion clarkii).
Reproductive Mode
Detailed reproductive observations specific to H. malu are limited in the consulted source, which notes that sexually mature Clark's anemonefish are rarely associated with it for unknown reasons. As a member of the host-anemone group, it reproduces by the same general modes documented for sea anemones: sexual gamete release into the water and asexual division.
Asexual Propagation by Fission
Sea anemones can reproduce asexually by splitting, producing genetically identical clones from a single founder. For Heteractis species this scissiparity is the only pathway that could plausibly occur in a closed system, but H. malu is not noted as a frequent spontaneous splitter.
Sexual Reproduction
Sexual reproduction in sea anemones releases gametes into the water; fertilization yields swimming planula larvae that disperse before settling. This pelagic larval phase cannot be completed in a home aquarium, so sexual reproduction of H. malu is confined to the wild or specialised culture.