After we published our article going over the more common reasons that a long tentacle anemone may be dying in an aquarium, we realized just how many people have issues correctly placing their anemone with very easy to avoid mistakes being made time and time again.
Due to this, we have decided to publish this article going over the best long tentacle anemone placement strategies to try and make sure that you are able to correctly place your long tentacle anemone in your tank to prevent it from having any problems.
Please note that this is just general advice and the specific placement for your tank may have to be tweaked slightly. This can be due to other anemones or corals in your tank having different requirements to your long tentacle anemone.
For the most part though, following the points below should be able to help you place your long tentacle anemone to offer it a long and happy life free from any serious problems.
Where Do You Place A Long Tentacle Anemone?
The first and most important rule when it comes to long tentacle anemone placement is to make sure that they are not placed in an area of high water flow.
Long tentacle anemones do not like areas with high water flow and will often times move themselves if they are placed in an area with too much water flow. Always try to plan your tank setup so your long tentacle anemone can be in an area with moderate water flow.
In addition to this, long tentacle anemones also do not like to be moved around too much. They like to find a place and stay there for a long time so they can start to build up their own little ecosystem around them.
For this reason, it is best to try and place your long tentacle anemone in an area where it will not be moved too much. This means that you should avoid areas with a lot of foot traffic or areas where other animals in your tank are known to move around a lot.
The next rule for long tentacle anemone placement is to make sure that they are placed on a hard surface. Long tentacle anemones need to be able to attach themselves to something so they can start to build their own little ecosystem.
If you do not provide them with a hard surface, they will often times just float around your tank until they find a suitable place to attach themselves. This can obviously lead to problems so it is always best to just provide them with a hard surface from the start.
The absolutely love live rock but other tank decorations and fittings can also work as their base. Some people will use a deep sand before to seat their long tentacle anemone too but they tend to prefer a hard service.
You can often maximize the benefits of both base types by placing your long tentacle anemone at the base of some live rock that is on a deep sandbed. This is usually agreed to be the best location for a long tentacle anemone and they will usually thrive.
Finally, long tentacle anemones also need to be placed in an area with plenty of light. They need light to help them photosynthesize and create their own food. If you do not provide them with enough light, they will slowly start to die.
Long tentacle anemones are not picky when it comes to light and any type of aquarium lighting should be fine. Just make sure that they are placed in an area with moderate light intensity rather than worrying about the actual source of the light.
How Do You Attach A Long Tentacle Anemone?
Now that you know where to place your long tentacle anemone, the next step is to actually attach them to their new home.
This process is actually quite simple and just requires you to have a little patience. The first thing you need to do is find the spot where you want to place your long tentacle anemone.
As we covered above, the base of a decent sized live rock that has a deep sand bed beneath it is the best place but you may have to work with what you have available to you.
Once you have found the perfect spot, it is time to start attaching your long tentacle anemone. If your substrate is ideal for your long tentacle anemone then it may just bury its foot into the sandbed and do the rest for you.
In some cases though, you may have to offer your long tentacle anemone a little assistance with something to hold it in place temporarily. We have seen some people try to permanently keep their long tentacle anemone in one place in their tank but we would never recommend this as they do like to move around now and then.
Do Long Tentacle Anemones Move A Lot?
In perfect conditions, long tentacle anemones don’t move around much at all. However, they are a very adaptable species and can often be found moving to new areas of the tank if they feel like they need to.
This is usually due to changes in water conditions or a lack of food but long tentacle anemones will also move around if they are not happy with their current location due to water flow or lighting intensity.
Don’t feel bad if you plan out the perfect place for your long tentacle anemone in your aquarium and then it decides to move itself to a new location that is technically worse for it on paper.
This is surprisingly common and we have no idea why some long tentacle anemones move around so much. It could be due to a range of factors but as we mentioned back at the start of the article, in some tanks, you may have to work with what you have available for your long tentacle anemone due to the needs of other anemone or coral in the tank.
If this is the case for your tank then your long tentacle anemone will almost always move around far more than it otherwise would.
Conditions Have To Be Ideal For Zooxanthellae Algae Too!
One of the main issues that long tentacle anemones have is getting the right environment for their symbiotic zooxanthellae algae to also thrive in.
This algae is what gives long tentacle anemones their characteristic brown and green coloration and it is also responsible for a large portion of their food intake.
If conditions in the aquarium are not ideal for long tentacle anemones then they will slowly start to lose their coloration and eventually die.
This is why long tentacle anemones need to be placed in an area of moderate light intensity as this is what their zooxanthellae algae needs to thrive.
You also need to make sure that there is plenty of flow in the area where you place your long tentacle anemone as this helps to keep the algae healthy.
Long Tentacle Anemone Water Flow Requirements!
As we mentioned in the previous section, long tentacle anemones need a moderate amount of water flow in their tank. This is because they have a symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae algae which needs this flow to stay healthy.
If there is not enough water flow then the long tentacle anemone will slowly start to lose its coloration and eventually die.
You also need to make sure that the water flow is not too strong as this can damage the long tentacle anemone’s delicate tentacles.
The best way to find the sweet spot for your long tentacle anemone is to slowly increase the water flow until you see the long tentacle anemone start to move around.
At this point, you need to reduce the flow slightly and this should be the perfect amount for your long tentacle anemone.
If you are prioritizing the needs of other anemones or corals in your tank over that of your long tentacle anemone then optimizing your long tentacle anemone placement by prioritizing an area of moderate water flow is usually more important than making sure that it gets moderate lighting.
