possible anemone planulae, any thoughts?

[~Flighty~]

My new BTA released little orange spheres durring shipping. I collected them and have them in a little nano right now. From this article it apears that they might be planulae (babies).

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/feature.htm

Any thoughts on what to do? Anyone close have a microscope?

FTA...numerous green sphere-like objects were observed floating in the water. Upon closer examination it was found that the tentacle tips of several colonies of E. quadricolor contained these same spheres. Occasionally a few were observed being released from the tips of the tentacles. From previous experiences we knew these to be anemone embryos (see Sprung and Delbeek, 1997 for photos of the embryos and settled juveniles). A few days later there were still some visible in the tentacles and these were observed to be actually rotating and moving within the tentacles, and were more oblong in shape. It appeared as if the embryos had developed into planulae in the anemone and would shortly be released as such into the water...

[~Flighty~]

you can see one inside the tentacle in the very center of this first pic, and one in the water in the second

[marco67]

that's really cool Cindy,

Any chance of moving them to a refugium in a breeder net?
I'm not sure it would help but I'd think it would be the best shot.

[~Flighty~]

Well, color me excited! I got a response from Eric Bornaman on his forum. At macna this year he showed a pic of (possibly) the first tank raised BTA from someone who was trying to collect a coral spawn in their tank and ended up with a BTA.

According to Eric, there was no big trick to getting the planulae larvae to settle out.

I still think it is a long shot after the shipping stress, but an exciting potential.

[jimmyj7090]

That's weird! I've seen mine spawn female, but it looked nothing like that. The eggs were expelled into the water, they were smaller and brown. You could see them inside of the tentacles and the body of the anemone, but they just looked like tiny little brown dots.

I thought that Planulae were the result of male and female spawning and the eggs and sperm, ummm... finding each other in the water colum, but I could be totally wrong.

That is super cool if they are babies.

[~Flighty~]

that's really cool Cindy,

Any chance of moving them to a refugium in a breeder net?
I'm not sure it would help but I'd think it would be the best shot.
The babies are in a bare tank with some of your rock rubble and an open rigid air tube for circulation. I'm making a DIY breeder net for the "mom" right now to collect any more planulae released. :D

[~Flighty~]

It seems like the eggs may be released as a last result. The normal course of events is that the female absorbs the sperm and internally holds the embryo while they turn into planulae. some types of anemones then "hatch" the babies inside of themselves and release little anemones from their mouths , and some (like the BTAs) release the planulae from the tips of their tentacles and they swim off and plant themselves somewhere and turn into baby anemones then.

This is so exciting because even the scientists who study these things don't have all the information. This is a cutting edge topic.

[jimmyj7090]

Wow, that's really cool. Sounds like it's entirely feasible that you have some really really mini babies :)

(and thanks, I learned something new today, got any anemone reproduction links?)

Edit, oh yea;
when mine spawned I couldn't tell for sure, but it seemed that the eggs were expelled from both the mouth and the tentacle tips, does that sound right?

Great topic.

jk

[Moe_K]

Wicked cool!
Post more pics!

[Greg Hiller]

I'd be inclinded to put them in a very clean tank, and do several water changes. I'd watch very closely for any problems with water quality as some might die. I'd also put in a bunch of small pieces of rock rubble (best if it was very clean, or maybe with coraline algae on it, but just not a lot of filter feeding critters, or much chance for bristle worms to come out of the rock. I'd also put a vigorously bubbling airstone in.

FWIW, I've never done anything like this before, so take everything I say with a grain of salt!

[~Flighty~]

Here are more pics.

Planulae at surface (with reflection)
Parent anemone
Closeup of mom with babies.

[Matt L.]

Very cool! Go you! If they get bigger, I'll take one:)

Matt:cool:

[marco67]

I'd be inclinded to put them in a very clean tank, and do several water changes. I'd watch very closely for any problems with water quality as some might die. I'd also put in a bunch of small pieces of rock rubble (best if it was very clean, or maybe with coraline algae on it, but just not a lot of filter feeding critters, or much chance for bristle worms to come out of the rock. I'd also put a vigorously bubbling airstone in.

FWIW, I've never done anything like this before, so take everything I say with a grain of salt!


Curious on your "clean tank" thinking Greg?
I mean I understand you wouldn't want something that's a potential predator or food source competitor.
But why not a "controlled" refugium type environment? so as to address the likleyhood of them needing some of the plankton or naturally occuring organisms?


BTW Cindy nice photos and nice looking Mama anemone

[reefkeeper2]

Thats a beautiful anemone Cindy. Where did you get it?

[~Flighty~]

I got it from diver's den on live aquaria. They are just purple based BTAs that they are charging a ridiculous amount for, but it was well worth it for the babies and the chance to maybe find out more about this. I think in the end the anemone will be a rather bland looking one with a very nice base that is always hidden in the rocks.

[JeremyR]

We've had flower anemones spawn & grow out many times in our tanks and a couple of customers. FWIW, when the flower anemones "spawn" they sometimes do the generalized spooging.. but they can also brood planulae.. when those are released, they look like tiny little anemones already. What is coming out of your bta looks like eggs to me, but I"m not an expert on anemone spawning by any means.

[~Flighty~]

The eggs of a BTA are much smaller. Different types of anemones can either externally fertilise or internally, and some of the internal fertilisers internally brood, so they release fully formed anemones and some release planulae which are a little like fertilized eggs.

[Aquadiva]

Wow, Cindy. This is soooo cool. :cool:

How many "babies" are there? Are we talking a dozen or hundreds?? Good luck with this. Remember... lots of pictures. :)

[~Flighty~]

there were about ten, now.... I woke up to this

[~Flighty~]

there are several thousand probably now

[NateHanson]

What do these need to eat? Or can they subsist and grow from the products of symbiotic photosynthesis?

[~Flighty~]

It is thought (probably not known yet) that these do not have a free swimming stage that needs to eat. They do get zoanthelle from the mother anemone, so they are ready to go. Maybe they get sunlight food as they float at the surface before they settle. This is pretty much uncharted territory though.

Does anyone want some of these to try to get them to settle?

I have way more than I can handle and think we would have better chance of any success if we try some different tequniques.

[Salty Dog]

Holy eggs, Batman!

I completely agree with your idea to spread them out amongst members to try different cultivation techniques.

WOW!

Just one question - are we sure that these are indeed eggs/young and not some form of mutant algae :D ?

Eric

[~Flighty~]

they are tribble babies, is that a problem ? :D

[~Flighty~]

It looks like they are not planulae, but are unfertilized eggs :( Bummer, but interesting at least.

[Greg Hiller]

>Curious on your "clean tank" thinking Greg?<

Looks like it doesn't matter much now, but the reason for this was from what happened too me a few years back. I'd raised clownfish several times with success, but I decided to try again. My maroon clowns had laid on a small piece of live rock. I didn't really want to wait for the hatch (stay up late after the lights go out) so I removed the rock the night I figured it would hatch and moved it to a small tank to rear the larva in. I put an airstone just below the eggs to make sure they got sufficient oxygen until they hatched. The next morning I looked in the small tank and I was surprised to see just a few larva swimming. Then I noticed the bottom of the tank was COVERED in bristle worms that had come out of the rock. After hatching (since there was no light) the larval fish had just rested on the bottom of the tank. Would have been no problem the next morning as they would have started to swim when the light came on. Instead, the bristle worms had 'Hovered' up nearly all the larva. I was POed, let me tell you. Hence the reasoning behind a 'clean' system for indefencable marine larva.

[LuckyReefer]

that is unbelievable! I have never heard or seen such a thing. I always thought anemones split. Thanks for sharing!

Mark