Rock Flower Anemone Spawn?
 

Tonight, I think, I witnessed my rock flower anemone spawning at about 5:30p. Sounds like most spawning events happen between 5-6pm. White "stuff" (unclear what to call it "sperm", "gametes") was spewing from the mouth of one of my nems while another nem's mouth was gaping open.

Upon closer inspection of what I think could be the mother, there are several tiny white round things floating (quite literally) around inside her tentacles on one side of her body. I've never noticed this before (not that I was looking closely before today) and none of my other rock flower anemones exhibit white things (eggs?) floating around inside tenticals.

Has anyone ever witnessed this type of behavior? What can I expect next? Do I need to do anything?

I've read several articles, but it seems there's not really definitive information other than these nems do/can spawn and have a 1:1 sex ratio. There are also plenty of videos of the father, but hardly any info on the mothers, other than the brood typically pops up near her foot or tentacles.

Update: The white bubbles inside the tentacles seem slightly larger, but still floating around inside the tentacles (seemingly free form). There's been no change otherwise, they are still located on the same side of the rock flower nem and haven't seem to spread to other tentacles.

I'm thinking I may have a mommy to be. I still can't find any other nem with little white bubbles floating inside tentacles.

Very cool! Keep us informed!

The female anemones take around 2-3 months to spit out babies, chances are those white bubbles are either something else or babies from a previous spawn. The hard part is raising them, but very cool that yours spawned!

I've been observing daily to see if I can find babies under mama's skirt. Nothing, however the white floaty bubbles in the mama are all gone, and have been for about at least a week.

Today, I sat down in front of the aquarium and saw something flower shaped, and free floating. I briefly wondered if somehow one of my corals was dropping polyps. My female clown rushed over tasted it, spit it out, and then gulped it down but not before I realized I was staring at a tiny white baby anemone!!!! :) It had maybe 5-7 flower tips and a definite foot. It was a bit bigger (diameter) than the lead of a #2 pencil.

Still nothing under the skirt of the mama, at least not that I can tell.

I'd love to know where you got your info. Experience, or is there info floating around out there? I'm not sure the white bubbles could have been from a previous spawn for a couple reasons.

I moved the parent anemones to a larger aquarium just 3-4 weeks prior to the male spawning (as reported above). I could imagine if a spawn happened in the old aquarium that the mother wouldn't have continued incubating the eggs during a move? It's possible, but none of the anemone's really loved the move, I had to pull them off the glass and cut them out of the rocks of the old system.

I definitely watched the 'bubbles' (eggs?) get larger after the father spawned, and then a few at a time disappear from the mother.

Thoughts? Suggestions on what/how to feed the little ones (if there are any that didn't get eaten by my clowns)?

I feed tiny amounts of oyster feast, phyto, and a cube of mysis once a week. I mix it up and target feed corals. The fish get pelleted food daily.

I've been breeding them for a few years, did an article in Reef Hobbyist Magazine with some info that might help. I think it was last April's issue.

Getting them to breed isn't too hard but raising the babies is something else entirely. Takes me around 6-8 months to grow them out to quarter sized... They're pretty fragile and prone to infections too.

Update to this thread for those that are interested.

I have found one baby, but not where I expected to find it based on my research. It's in a hidden cave clear across the aquarium from the mother/father and I'm NEARLY positive it's a rock flower nem because I see 6 clearly defined tiny serrated tentacles. The baby is clearish white at this point, and about the size of the head of a pushpin (tentacles are included) so maybe a half inch.

From what I've read takes about 5-6 weeks to color up. If it survives I'm interested to see what color this little one is. The suspected mother is orange with purple stripes, hunter green tentacles and mouth. The dad is a STUNNER. Teal and purple with orange/hot pink tentacles.

I tried to get a photo, but where it's hiding is too dark for a photo. Maybe it'll move to find a better spot, or maybe I'll find others.

When I get home tonight, I'll try to target feed some iddy biddy foods to see if I can get it to react/eat.

i have found that the easiest way to find the baby anemones is to turn the pumps off and the blues lights on. The babies will be tiny glowing dots. With out the actinic lights I would not have known they were there when they are small. I always had fun with the children looking for them and counting them. They start off near the mother, but quickly get in the water column and can be any where in the tank. In the sand, on the rocks, or even on the glass. Mine have been slower growers as well, but I don't feed them. I never witnessed a spawning event so I can't comment on that.

Thanks BayouCorals! :)

I use the blues (LED) for "moon lights" at night and no obvious glowing little bodies thus far, but now that you say that, I'll look closer tonight without my flashlight. The one baby I still see, is still a quarter inch in size (I said half inch before, and I'm quite sure I had brain fart because it's definitely not a half inch). I've not been home to feed it while the lights are on. It's hidden in a dark cave.

My rocks are pukani and premium dry rock (looks like dry acropora) so LOADS of hiding places and not much coralline yet (new system). I suspect I may need to wait and watch until they start coloring up.

i know this is an old thread...but i am interested in what happened next :)

Looks like she hasn’t been on in 8 months

I am tuning in now as I started to see a bunch of rock nems in my tank. Not sure they can make it but I keep on hoping :-)