Corals & Sea Anemones

Bleaching

SignsTissue turns translucent showing the white skeleton, color fades, polyps stay closed

PreventionHold water at a constant 25–27°C, avoid sudden lighting changes, raise light gradually for new arrivals

RTN / STN

SignsSPS tissue peels from the base or tips exposing skeleton; progresses in hours to days

PreventionAvoid sudden changes in temperature, salinity or KH; iodine dip and quarantine on arrival; ensure good flow

Brown jelly

SignsLPS flesh dissolves into brown jelly with a foul smell, crumbles when touched

PreventionPrevent physical damage and poor water quality; isolate affected colonies at once, cut away affected tissue and dip

Excess zooxanthellae / fading

SignsWhole colony turns dull brown, or color pales and growth stops

PreventionKeep nitrate 2–10 ppm and phosphate 0.03–0.1 ppm; keep lighting intensity and photoperiod constant

Skeletal growth stops

SignsSPS tips stay white and do not extend; LPS skeleton thin and brittle

PreventionTest KH 7–9 dKH, Ca 400–450, Mg 1250–1350 ppm weekly and correct with supplements

Anemone decline

SignsMouth gaping open, body shrunken and not inflating, short tentacles, foot detaching

PreventionProvide strong lighting, moderate flow and stable water; never force it to move

Sucked into pump / intake

PreventionAlways fit sponges or guards on pump intakes for anemones; check where it has moved every day

First aidStop the pump at once; do not pull. Disassemble the pump to free the body. Collect any torn pieces and change water

Fragging laceration

PreventionCut with dedicated cutters and clean gloves; return the cut surface to water immediately without letting it dry

First aidIodine dip the cut surface, place in stronger flow and keep sand off the cut

Fall / rockwork collapse

PreventionSecure live rock with glue or putty; stack so hermit crabs and snails cannot topple it

First aidFrag broken skeleton keeping the healthy part; brush sand off fallen colonies and re-secure in place; separate any neighbors they touched

Stung by a neighboring colony

PreventionKeep 10 cm or more between species; place according to sweeper tentacle length

First aidMove the attacked colony away, dip damaged areas, do not place it downstream in the flow

Palytoxin poisoning

RouteSteam or fluids released when boiling or scrubbing Zoanthus / Palythoa

PreventionNever boil or dry Palythoa rock; wear gloves and goggles, ventilate; seek emergency care if symptoms appear

Sting dermatitis

RouteBare-hand contact; rubbing eyes or mouth with a hand that touched tentacles

PreventionWear gloves; rinse contact with seawater, avoid fresh water or alcohol; see a doctor for swelling or breathing trouble

Wound infection (Vibrio, etc.)

RouteSeawater bacteria enter cuts from skeleton or rock

PreventionKeep hands out of the tank if cut; wash cuts with running water and soap; see a doctor if red and swollen

Mycobacteriosis

RouteTank bacteria enter cuts on the hands

PreventionWash hands after work; for slow-healing lumps or ulcers, tell your doctor you work in an aquarium

Food

• Mainly photosynthesis by zooxanthellae under lighting; high-light species depend less on feeding
• LPS and anemones: finely chopped seafood or amino-acid solution to the tentacles 1–2 times a week
• SPS: small amounts of fine-particle coral food; overfeeding raises nitrate

Water

• Artificial seawater at specific gravity 1.023–1.025, 25–27°C, pH 8.1–8.4
• Change 10–20% weekly; match new seawater's temperature and gravity before adding

Toys & play

• No play needed; use random-flow pumps to sway the tentacles instead
• Provide mounting spots in live rock crevices or on frag racks
• Give anemones a choice of rock hollows and sandy areas

Nest, bed & hideout

• SPS on top of rock with strong light and flow; LPS mid-level with moderate light
• Anemones prefer rock crevices where the foot can anchor

Bedding & litter

• 2–5 cm of coral (aragonite) sand, or a bare-bottom tank
• Coral sand buffers KH and pH, but do not stir it up when cleaning
• Siphon out settled food and debris with a hose once a week

Cage / housing material

Glass or acrylic tank; an overflow system with a sump is ideal

Size & space

60 cm or larger; more water volume means more stable water and more resilience

Layout

• Full-spectrum blue-to-white LED lighting; high intensity for SPS, medium for LPS
• Wavemakers creating random flow with no dead spots throughout the tank
• Protein skimmer to remove organics; control temperature with a chiller and heater

Placement notes

• Out of direct sunlight; a chiller is essential for summer room-temperature rises
• Power through a ground-fault (RCD) breaker; keep a battery air pump and backup power for outages

Exercise, free-roam & walks

• No walks needed; instead observe and log polyp extension and color daily
• Test KH, Ca, Mg, nitrate, phosphate and specific gravity weekly and watch for changes
• Acclimate new arrivals for 30 minutes or more; start in low light and step up gradually

Temperature & humidity

TemperatureHold water at 25–27°C; daily swing within 1°C

HumidityEvaporation from the tank surface raises salinity; auto top-off with RO water

Summer & winter

• In summer use a chiller to keep below 28°C; watch heat from lighting too
• In winter run two heaters in case one fails; during outages insulate with hand warmers and blankets

Nail trimming

No nail trimming; instead frag (prune) overgrown soft corals and SPS

Brushing, skin & coat care

No brushing; instead remove brown algae and cyanobacteria with a pipette or brush

Other care

Clean Palythoa rock only underwater, never boil or dry; clean the glass weekly

Protection from predators

• Do not keep coral-eating fish (butterflyfish, large angelfish)
• Quarantine new arrivals to keep out flatworms, nudibranchs and snail pests
• Place anemones where large fish and crabs cannot nibble them

Foreign-body ingestion

Corals do not swallow foreign objects, but anemones may swallow oversized food or fish and shrink from indigestion; feed pieces sized to fit the mouth

Being stepped on

People will not step on them, but hermit crabs and large snails walk over SPS and snap branches; secure rockwork and do not overstock heavy animals

Getting pinched

Anemones get wedged and torn in pumps or live-rock gaps; fit intake guards and check daily where it has moved

Falls

If rockwork collapses, fallen corals break and dissolve each other on contact; glue in place and re-seat immediately if one falls

Escape

Anemones roam the tank and crawl into overflows and plumbing; cover intakes, and if one goes missing stop the pump and check the pipes

Safe release procedure

1. With a gloved hand, rinse the area wrapped by tentacles with seawater
2. If an anemone clings to your arm, bring ice near it and wait for it to let go on its own
3. Rinse remaining stinging cells off the skin with seawater and scrape with the edge of a credit card
4. Wash gloves and tools with fluids on them without touching other livestock

After the release

Cool redness, swelling or blisters and see a dermatologist; for breathing trouble, dizziness or palpitations, seek emergency care

What to tell the vet & what to bring

Water readings (temperature, gravity, KH, Ca, Mg, nitrate, phosphate), history of lighting and flow changes, photos of affected areas, date of introduction

Checking consciousness, breathing & heartbeat

• Judge life by whether polyps open or tentacles retract when touched
• Photograph tissue attachment, color and extent of exposed skeleton
• Test temperature 25–27°C, gravity 1.023–1.025 and KH 7–9 immediately

Stopping bleeding

• They do not bleed, but iodine dip peeling tissue to prevent infection
• Keep broken skeleton wet and face the cut surface into stronger flow
• Leave anemone tears alone; stabilize water and let it regenerate on its own

Transport

• Submerge in a bag or container of tank seawater; never expose to air
• Hold temperature with a cooler bag or foam box; avoid direct sun and vibration