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Host anemones — a mature-tank commitment
Anemones
A bubble-tip anemone hosting a pair of clownfish is a reef highlight — but it is not a beginner's first buy. Anemones need a mature, stable tank, strong light, and they wander until they settle, so every powerhead must be screened before one goes in.
7 in our library · 7 with a full care guide.
💧 The one thing to get right: Only a mature (6-month-plus), stable tank with strong light — and screen every powerhead, because it will roam.
- Bubble Tip Anemone Entacmaea quadricolor Intermediate ✓ Care guide The classic clownfish host — the one anemone most reef tanks can actually keep.
- Rock Flower Anemone Phymanthus crucifer Beginner–Intermediate ✓ Care guide The best first anemone — hardy, stays put, and kept for its own colour (it does NOT host clownfish).
- Carpet Anemone Stichodactyla haddoni Advanced ✓ Care guide The "fly-paper" sand anemone — big, gorgeous, and strong enough to catch and eat fish (even a clownfish).
- Condy Anemone Condylactis gigantea Intermediate ✓ Care guide The cheap, hardy Caribbean anemone pet shops oversell — it wanders, stings corals, and eats small fish and shrimp.
- Long-Tentacle Anemone Macrodactyla doreensis Intermediate ✓ Care guide The sand-dwelling host anemone — it buries its foot deep in soft sand, unlike the rock-anchoring bubble-tip.
- Magnificent Anemone Heteractis magnifica Advanced ✓ Care guide The spectacular Ritteri — a high-light, high-flow show anemone that is genuinely expert-only.
- Sebae Anemone Heteractis crispa Advanced ✓ Care guide The leathery host anemone with a buyer-beware catch: there is no naturally white or neon "sebae".
Plan a anemones tank
Our free tools run on these species' real, sourced care data — no guessing:
Parameter targets →Salinity ⇄ SG converter →Tank volume calculator →Dosing calculator →