Fire anemone
The fire anemone is a small sea anemone (Actiniaria), which became known as a strongly reproducing, uninvited guest in the marine aquarium hobby. Their exact species affiliation and thus their scientific name is unknown. Since it is very similar to the sea anemone species Anemonia manjano , it is also known as Anemonia cf. manjano . The cf. in the scientific name means confer (Latin for "compare"), that is, the species is not exactly determined, it is similar to the species described as Anemonia manjano .
Distribution and way of life
Anemonia cf. manjano occurs in the coral reefs of the tropical Indo-Pacific , with the main distribution area Indonesia . The limits of the distribution area are unknown. In their natural habitat, the fire anemones live between the branches of stony corals .
They live in symbiosis with zooxanthellae , small, unicellular algae that live in the anemone's skin and provide it with nutrients. In addition, they actively catch zooplankton and can also overwhelm quite large prey.
Aquaristics
The flower animals are feared by seawater aquarists, similar to glass roses , as they are often introduced with living stones from Indonesia, multiply quickly in the aquarium by dividing, and nettle corals and other sessile invertebrates .
The mask butterflyfish ( Chaetodon semilarvatus ) or the seagrass filefish ( Acreichhys tomentosus ) can be used to combat fire anemones, but they can also attack other flowering animals, particularly large polyp hard corals, in the aquarium.