anemone left big egg looking pink ball

[kbmdale]

Is this normal. Do anemone's lay eggs...lol...I know it sounds stupid, but what the heck is it. Damn I need my digital camera back. It is about an inch long and shaped just like an egg and has a pink tint with some brighter pink spots. The anemone itself had moved from its spot and this egg thing is left......HELP.....I didn't know they layed eggs...lol

[JustDavidP]

Anemone do not lay eggs..well ...this way. Either a) its foot tore and it left behind some flesh. It in turn would close up like an angry mushroom. Can you see its entire foot? Did it get injured? It just may grow, but probably would die. The typical anemone "splits" results in clones and not chunks o' flesh. Watch it..if it is rotting, get it out quick.

or b) it is something completely different that moved to/grew on the spot the anemone was. The anemone, in turn, moved to get away from it. Watch it closely, tell us more about it... does it move? Anything... get a piccy??

D

[ewaitob]

I've had anemones eviscerate themselves. They get stressed and essentially barf out their insides. Obviously this doesn't bode well for the anemone. Sorry to be a downer.

Erik

[Reef_Angel]

This is the same anemone (Annie) that got sucked up into the water intake part of the power head, right? She's been moving around the tank, and after this last move she left behind an egg shaped blob. Am I understanding you correctly? You didn't say whether she was injured or ill, other than what she went through in the water intake part of the power head. If she's not injured and she's moving around the tank happily, maybe it's from all the shrimp she's been eating. We talked about feeding her on a different post, and you said she was eating small chunks of shrimp. Could it be shrimp that she didn't eat or maybe some of her excrement from being so well taken care of? Once you are sure that the "egg looking thing" is not alive, I'm hoping you took it out of the tank. You don't want to leave something like that in your tank. You cleanup crew will eventually tend to it, but if it's within your grasp....scoop it out and avoid having it pollute your tank as it starts to break down. Don't be afraid to examine the lump of gunk, because "digging right in" with a latex glove on, can often give you the answer to a very gooey question!
When you look Annie over, do you pick her up in your hands? I do, but I understand that many people feel uncomfortable doing this. I only pick them up if I need to move them or check them for some reason....such as a case like yours. All I can say on that one is, read up on her species and see if there's any info about handling them and if there are any risks. I've never had any problems with any of mine, but I won't advise someone to just pick something up unless they know for sure about their animal. I'm extremely trusting with our critters, and one day it will probably get me into trouble. :smt030 Good luck again, and keep us informed! You have the boards interest and we're hoping to help!! ........Angel

[JustDavidP]

Annie eh? Cuteness... yeah.. I didn't know about Annie's History...the powerhead issue.

and to ALL of you who feed anemones, please understand that they are better off eating "shredded" foods and not "cubes". Meaning, rather than cut off a cubic section of shrimp, or worse, feeding them whole shrimp, you should cut them into strips. Thin is better for the anemone. Most, if given CHUNKED food, will have no problems ingesting it, but later, will spit it out half digested. It's much like the way WE have to chew food or we get a belly ache.

Dave

[Reef_Angel]

Yep... either that or with shrimp, just use brine shrimp!

[JustDavidP]

Frozen "Prime Reef" is typically enjoyed by anemone. It's also chopped up nicely for them. I try not to use too much brine shrimp in my feeding program as they aren't really as nutritional as other foods.

D

[Reef_Angel]

Prime Reef huh? Is it already small like brine shrimp when I thaw it out in water? I also feed my bubble coral, sun polyps, sun coral, frog spawn.....you get the picture.... once a week I hand feed all my coral friends in the tank. I'm assuming that "Prime Reef" can take the place of brine shrimp for all of them then? They do good on the shrimp, but if they can do better....then they must!!

[JustDavidP]

Prime reef is a lot like the "fish mush" recipes that people use. There are some larger particles in there, but most of them are as small as brine or mysid. I've also feed my brains, anemone, and others frozen Formula One. Frozen mysid has better nutritional value than brine, even if the brine is "enhanced" with vitamins. Variety is best.

D

[morgansstricklysalt]

both of my pink tips do this after i feed them pieces of shrimp.i read that they absorb what they need from the shrimp and then regurgatate what is left.by your description it is the same freakout i had when i first seen it.get it out of tank quick or it will cloud up and pollute your tank.remember it sounds like what mine did.i am not looking at the ball so i am not guaranteed.