Long Tentacle Anemone Care Guide
Macrodactyla doreensis is a sand-burrowing anemone with long sinuous tentacles, hosting several clownfish species across the Indo-Pacific.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Macrodactyla doreensis, the long tentacle anemone, has purplish-gray to brown sinuous tentacles, sometimes corkscrew-shaped. The oral disc carries radially oriented white lines, and the lower column ranges from dull orange to bright red. It buries its column in the sediment while keeping the oral disc and tentacles at the surface.
Taxonomy
- Family: Actiniidae (Wikipedia lists the species under Stichodactylidae)
- Genus: Macrodactyla
- Scientific name: Macrodactyla doreensis
- Authority: (Quoy & Gaimard, 1833); reclassified by Wikipedia as Radianthus doreensis
Habitat
It lives on muddy bottoms, remaining at the surface of the sediment with the column buried, and is commonly found at depths of 5 metres or less. The species ranges from Japan south to the waters of New Guinea and northern Australia, and is often seen without resident clownfish.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 150 L
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- Salinity: 1.024-1.026 SG
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- dKH (alkalinity): 8-11
- Substrate: deep sand bed for the buried column
- Lifespan: long-lived (5-50 years)
Diet
Like other host anemones it combines photosynthesis from symbiotic zooxanthellae with capture of prey on its tentacles. In aquariums it accepts meaty foods such as mysis offered roughly once weekly to support growth.
Compatibility
Documented clownfish associates include Amphiprion chrysopterus, A. clarkii, A. ocellaris and the pink skunk anemonefish A. perideraion, plus the damselfish Dascyllus trimaculatus. Butterflyfish that nip anemones should be avoided.
Macrodactyla doreensis (Long Tentacle Anemone) Breeding & Propagation Guide
Overview
Macrodactyla doreensis, treated on Wikipedia under the current name Radianthus doreensis, is a long-tentacle host anemone. It is commonly found at depths of 5 m or less on muddy or sandy bottoms, remaining at the sediment surface with its column buried below. It hosts several Amphiprion clownfish, including Amphiprion clarkii. The buried-column lifestyle is central to how it should be housed and to any propagation attempt.
Reproductive Mode
As a true sea anemone, M. doreensis can reproduce both sexually and asexually in principle. Wikipedia's general sea-anemone account notes that males release sperm to stimulate females to release eggs, with fertilization in the water column or internally, followed by a drifting planula larva that settles and metamorphoses. The species page does not document a captive spawning protocol.
Asexual Propagation
Sea anemones reproduce asexually by longitudinal fission into identical clones, by the less common transverse fission, and by pedal laceration, where fragments shed from the pedal disc regenerate into clones. Such division is occasional rather than reliable, so deliberate propagation is not a dependable method for this anemone.
Sexual Reproduction
Sexual reproduction is broadcast and pelagic, with gametes released into open water and planula larvae drifting in the plankton before settling into soft substrate. This pelagic larval phase cannot be reproduced in a home aquarium, so sexual breeding of M. doreensis is not feasible for hobbyists.
Common Challenges
It requires a deep soft bed so the column can bury while the oral disc and long tentacles stay exposed, along with stable salinity and adequate light for its zooxanthellae. With pelagic larvae and only occasional division, the realistic goal is long-term health rather than propagation.