Local KZN Anemones.

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Louis Scheepers

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Hi everyone!



I'm in Margate KZN at the moment. I got my permit for inverts just before the holidays, so for the last couple of days, I have been going around searching for some awesome animals that I can take home. I have the book "Two Oceans" to help with identification, but it doesn't give all the important info! I'm a bit lost when it comes to info on the local anemones...



Can I keep them in my reef tank? This is some of the spesies that I could identify:



Plum anemone (Actinia mandelae).

Natal anemone (Anemonia natalensis).

Sandy anemone (Aulactinia reynaudi).

Crevice anemone (Anthopleura michaelseni).



There might be other spesies aswell... Can anyone help? I would appreciate info from someone who has experience keeping them (I think RiaanP has some in his tank).



Thanks in advance!
 
scubaninja said:
Your not allowed to collect anemones. That is illegal afaik

Posted via Mobile Device
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I have read all the info I could find on what is legal and what not, but all that I could find was that abalone is illegal, and that there are certain protected areas... A while ago FransSny had a link in some thread to a whole article about collecting local marine life, and again it didnt say anything about anemones... so where do I get this info?

What about polyps, hermits, turbo snails, urchins?
 
scubaninja said:
Your not allowed to collect anemones. That is illegal afaik
Posted via Mobile Device
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Huh? This I didn't know .... I thought the local ones are no problem ... A word of caution though that these local nemmies pack a wallop in their sting and will want to "eat" your fish as snacks so just beware of the risks ... Also most of them are extremely difficult to get of the rocks without damaging them to a point where they wont survive unless you bring them withe rock they sitting on .... and the rock collecting is where it gets tricky with the parks board and what might get you into hot water:whistling:
 
chikaboo said:
and the rock collecting is where it gets tricky with the parks board and what might get you into hot water:whistling:
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Huh, so if "rock collecting" is a potential problem, how would one go about collecting Zoos or Leathers or Brains or Moon rocks etc.. ?
 
Thanks for the info Chikaboo!

They are small nennies, so could they eat something like my clown? From what I've read, some people say yes, and others no, unless the fish is weak..

About the rock problem: I have read that taking these guys of a rock could injure their foot really bad, so I thought I could just use a hammer and chisel, to chisel off a layer of rock just below the foot... could this work, and is it legal (both taking the nennie, and the chisseling off the rock...)?
 
You can easily injure an anemones foot by chiseling the rock around it. Anemones can bury their foot pretty deep inside a hole in the rock. You can’t always predict where the rock is going to break. You will have better luck if you can see the entire foot.
 
Dont know about the laws and how "strict" they are by your side Brenda but here the worst case scenario is to found with a hammer and chissel on the beach ... apparently can go to an extent of R250000 fine and prison plus having everything confiscated ... the Parks Board guys on our KZN coast have stopped me numerous times checking through my equipment and on numerous occassions warned me about hammers and chissels ... To them its the ultimate demolishing tool to the reefs and coastline ... strange though the dont have a problem with a divers knife on your possession ... I found a old phone card or credit card (you can use the current one as well as it should be maxed out buying marine goodies:p) works well to pry off rock anemones ... Make no mistake I have them as well ... very hardy .... but in a predator tank only ... Its not only the size of the fish that matter cause one sting from these badboys and then your fish is no more a healthy fit fishy .. then when it does become weak it will be devoured by crabs or stronger fish and eventually the nemmie will get his share... Amalick ... its on a technicality that one collects rocks as its not stated whether you can or cannot collect rocks dead or alive ... no documented proof ... also depends on the ranger thats asking for ypour permits if he is having a nice day or just out looking for people to nail! Your soft corals should also be pryed with something of the rocks ithout damaging it too much
 
Scuba - nowhere in the MCM rules does it say that it is illegal to collect anemone's. Only hard-corals are illegal to collect, and clams.

Louis - yes, you CAN keep local anemone's, BUT, they are NOT hosting anemone's. Meaning that your nemo's will MOST likely not host in these anemones.

Also - the chances of collecting these anemone's without hurting them are very slim. IF you can collect these anemone's without tearing the foot, or hurting the anemone, then by all means. You can collect them.

Just ensure that you are able to care for them while you are on holiday, that they do not die off in your holding containers.......
 
Ashraf - moon rock corals, or brain corals are also counter as SPS corals according to the MCM rules and regulations. So these are also not allowed to be collected.

It's only leather corals, zoa's, xenia and scleronephtya/dendronephtya that we are "allowed" to collect.

Most zoa's can be collected with an instrument, with a blade with less width than 3cm and shorter than 5cm (I think that is what is specified in the MCM rules/regulations - you are not allowed to use an instrument with bigger dimensions than that).

Also - a hammer/chisel is DEFINITELY NOT ALLOWED....

amalick said:
Huh, so if "rock collecting" is a potential problem, how would one go about collecting Zoos or Leathers or Brains or Moon rocks etc.. ?
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for all the info guys. What I have found to work with polyps, is searching for places where the polyps make "humps"; these "humps" are normally not attached to the rocks, so you can just take it of. It will be a piece no bigger than a R5 coin, but I prefer to take small pieces and watch it grow!

I dont know whether the anemones are worth the risk?

I'm probably going home on Wednesday, but I have a heater, pump, food and everything needed to take good care of them till then.
 
Yes, I got some local rock anemones. Flower pot and Natal.
the Natal is small, about R2 coin. They do multiply in my tank, slowly. And do spread. But not at all like Aptasia. Very nice to have.

Flower pot, much bigger, about tennis ball diameter.

Then I have a blue anemone. A grey one, and another pinkish one. They are all about R5 coin.

My one flowerpot split about two weeks ago.

I feed them all, well those I can get to, once a week with a piece of hake.

To collect them, is not that easy. Most you can not get to at all. And you can easily hurt them. Most sit in a crack or deep recess in the rock. Check around in the rockpools, in the parts that stays underwater. First wash out the sand and other stuff around them, without touching them. They will pull back into a round ball.
Then check if you can touch their foot. Run your fingernail around the base. Do not push it in under the base, but just run it around slowly getting in deeper and deeper. All around. be careful not the damage the foot.

Can also try a credit card, but I do not believe that you could get it in under them.

I had collected a very nice orange one. But I did damage the foot slightly, did not even notice that originally. And it did die. Also saw a pure white one. Beautiful, but there was no way to get it out.

I think about one in ten, you do stand a change to get it out without hurting it. Just about patience.

And keep an eye on the next wave....
 
pics

does anyboby have pics of the local nennies, I saw a lot of them this morning but don't know how to identify them
 
I'm probably going home on Wednesday, but I have a heater, pump, food and everything needed to take good care of them till then.
Click to expand...

I would not feed tham at all until after you arrive at home. Your "local" holding facility most likely does not have an adequate biological filtration system, and the uneaten food particles and processed waste will quite likely result in an ammonium spike. Rather keep them hungry in healthy water, than have them die with full tummies...

And keep an eye on the next wave....
Click to expand...

:lol: :lol: :lol:

So says experience :biggrin:

Hennie
 
Reef Maniac said:
I would not feed tham at all until after you arrive at home. Your "local" holding facility most likely does not have an adequate biological filtration system, and the uneaten food particles and processed waste will quite likely result in an ammonium spike. Rather keep them hungry in healthy water, than have them die with full tummies...
Click to expand...


Thanks for the advice Hennie! I was also worried about the ammonium, but thought that I would just do big water changes each day. Would the snails and long spine urchin be fine without food till then?
 
RiaanP said:
Yes, I got some local rock anemones. Flower pot and Natal.

the Natal is small, about R2 coin. They do multiply in my tank, slowly. And do spread. But not at all like Aptasia. Very nice to have.



Flower pot, much bigger, about tennis ball diameter.



Then I have a blue anemone. A grey one, and another pinkish one. They are all about R5 coin.



My one flowerpot split about two weeks ago.



I feed them all, well those I can get to, once a week with a piece of hake.



To collect them, is not that easy. Most you can not get to at all. And you can easily hurt them. Most sit in a crack or deep recess in the rock. Check around in the rockpools, in the parts that stays underwater. First wash out the sand and other stuff around them, without touching them. They will pull back into a round ball.

Then check if you can touch their foot. Run your fingernail around the base. Do not push it in under the base, but just run it around slowly getting in deeper and deeper. All around. be careful not the damage the foot.



Can also try a credit card, but I do not believe that you could get it in under them.



I had collected a very nice orange one. But I did damage the foot slightly, did not even notice that originally. And it did die. Also saw a pure white one. Beautiful, but there was no way to get it out.



I think about one in ten, you do stand a change to get it out without hurting it. Just about patience.



And keep an eye on the next wave....
Click to expand...



Thanks Riaan, I think I will give the anemones a try then. I'm not sure which are the flowerpot anemones, but I guess its the red ones... What about the plum anemones (they hang upside down onder edges of the rocks), do you have any of them?

I'm lucky to have a wife that loves the Marines aswell, so while I'm collecting, she keeps an eye out for the waves.
 
brendanpre said:
does anyboby have pics of the local nennies, I saw a lot of them this morning but don't know how to identify them
Click to expand...



I dont think anyone can identify them exactly... I've got books, but all of the spesies aren't even in there...

The Plum anemones hang upside down under rock edges, and are normally seen closed up, to keep it sealed during low water. Looks like a ball (2cm) of dark purple jelly with a red spot where it is sealed.

The colonial anemone looks like zoa's, but bigger. Green mouth. I'm afraid to put this in my tank since it might multiply to quickly.

The Crevice anemone is a big one, up to 7cm. The tentacles are kind of transparent with neon lines (orange or pink) on it.

The Sandy anemone could be even bigger, up to 8cm. Always in the sand, different colors, brown, green, pink, blue.

Theses are the ones I could identify. There are others I couldn't identify because they are not in my book, and the internet isn't very helpfull...
Hope the info helps a little!
 
jacquesb said:
Ashraf - moon rock corals, or brain corals are also counter as SPS corals according to the MCM rules and regulations. So these are also not allowed to be collected.

It's only leather corals, zoa's, xenia and scleronephtya/dendronephtya that we are "allowed" to collect.
Click to expand...

Isn't it ironic that scleronephtya/dendronephtya are allowed but almost impossible to keep in captivity.

I'm probably going to be in Durb's in a few weeks and was thinkng of collecting some LEGAL coral speciments if I got the chance. I HAVE A PERMIT!

Any recomendations other than zoa's, leathers and xenia ?. I wont have much time so diving is probably out of the question. Shallow rock pools I can do.
 
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