H. Ritteri Care
The ritteri anemone is probably one of the hardest marine specimens to keep, love them or not, they make a breathtaking display with their symbiotic cohorts be they clowns, shrimp or crabs. I'm going to try to help you unlock the secrets of keeping them healthy from receipt to addition to your display.
Shipping:
These guys are notoriously bad shippers, they arrive 1 of 3 ways, alive and kicking, damaged or a foul smelling anemone milkshake in a plastic bag. There are only 2 smells that are worse smells in the reef world, fouled rock and dead leather corals. The smell gets into your sinuses and you will smell it for 24-36 hours. They ship best out of Indonesia and The Red Sea, Sri Lanka ritteris are terrible due to their holding facilities. You have a 1-5 chance of getting a good one, now you know why they command the prices they do.
Arrival:
You need to take the greatest care when acclimating a ritteri, they have been in a box for 24-48 hours if not a little longer. You will need to drip acclimate these guys, they need to be washed so a very small powerhead in with them will help start the purging process. When I acclimate them, they're placed in a cube made of eggcrate so they can't get to the powerhead. A good sign is them trying to attach to the eggcrate because that is one that is going to make it. a minimum of 1 hour drip time. A note of caution here, there is new evidence that all anemones, not just zooanthids and palythoas contain toxins that at best will make you sick or at worst can kill you outright. Respiratory arrest is NOT how I wanna go out!
Acclimation to quarantine:
Here's another make or break area. They need flow, the spin cycle of a washing machine would suit a ritteri. I always put a piece of eggcrate in front of the powerhead or wave maker. They roam when they're newly introduced so be forewarned. It would be disheartening to have one get chopped up by a pump, especially since they cost between $75 and $250 here in the US. Add a clown or clowns now, they will help the anemone rid itself of all the toxins that have built up during shipping. I have a huge female Sebae clown and a pair of Orange Skunk clowns that lend themselves to the task of helping the new anemones make it. I don't know what it is, but a ritteri on the edge is brought around by the pushing, prodding and kneading from clowns. Might be something I'll sit down one day and write a paper on, it's been 4 years since I've been published so I need to get off my ass, lol.
Disease and treatment:
I couldn't tell you how many times I've had them come in with a damaged basal disc, cut or missing pieces, again, Sri Lanka is the absolute worst for this. Back in the 80s and 90s we used a diluted Lugol's solution swabbed onto the affected areas to stop bacterial spread and it did a bang up job. Now the best course of treatment is 250mgs Ciprofloxacin to 40 litres of water for 7-10 days with 100% daily water changes with re-administration of the Cipro with the water change. I wouldn't put clowns in with them if you're treating them and I'm not one to just throw one into a quarantine tank with an antibiotic just as a prophylactic. If they're sick or damaged, that's the time to do it. Remember, they've been to hell and back, give them 2 days to perk up. But if they're exuding a heavy mucus or there are white stringy patches, do it right away.
Stability:
I don't go by the 1 year for an anemone rule for an aquarium, but your aquarium MUST BE STABLE!!! These guys will not tolerate anything but perfect water. If you've never kept an anemone I'd recommend a Bubble Tip to learn with as they're damn near indestructible. We have one here that got chopped up in the Jebao wave maker and then decided the cool thing to do was to go through the overflow in my 130D. It self fragged into 3 anemones and to my knowledge the other 2 are still alive in other aquariums.
Lighting:
A ritteri would be happy on the surface of the sun, they will actively seek out the highest point in the tank to get light. I'm experimenting with the LED system so the verdict's not in yet. Back in the day, metal halide was about the only way to keep them, they REALLY like 6500k-12k metal halide bulbs.
There you have it, my take on one of the most beautiful sea creatures. Feel free to add to this as this is just what I've learned over the course of 35 years of importing and keeping marine animals. I'm always up to learn another way to do things and make sure a creature trusted to our care makes it and hopefully reproduces so we can take a little pressure off wild stocks.
Shipping:
These guys are notoriously bad shippers, they arrive 1 of 3 ways, alive and kicking, damaged or a foul smelling anemone milkshake in a plastic bag. There are only 2 smells that are worse smells in the reef world, fouled rock and dead leather corals. The smell gets into your sinuses and you will smell it for 24-36 hours. They ship best out of Indonesia and The Red Sea, Sri Lanka ritteris are terrible due to their holding facilities. You have a 1-5 chance of getting a good one, now you know why they command the prices they do.
Arrival:
You need to take the greatest care when acclimating a ritteri, they have been in a box for 24-48 hours if not a little longer. You will need to drip acclimate these guys, they need to be washed so a very small powerhead in with them will help start the purging process. When I acclimate them, they're placed in a cube made of eggcrate so they can't get to the powerhead. A good sign is them trying to attach to the eggcrate because that is one that is going to make it. a minimum of 1 hour drip time. A note of caution here, there is new evidence that all anemones, not just zooanthids and palythoas contain toxins that at best will make you sick or at worst can kill you outright. Respiratory arrest is NOT how I wanna go out!
Acclimation to quarantine:
Here's another make or break area. They need flow, the spin cycle of a washing machine would suit a ritteri. I always put a piece of eggcrate in front of the powerhead or wave maker. They roam when they're newly introduced so be forewarned. It would be disheartening to have one get chopped up by a pump, especially since they cost between $75 and $250 here in the US. Add a clown or clowns now, they will help the anemone rid itself of all the toxins that have built up during shipping. I have a huge female Sebae clown and a pair of Orange Skunk clowns that lend themselves to the task of helping the new anemones make it. I don't know what it is, but a ritteri on the edge is brought around by the pushing, prodding and kneading from clowns. Might be something I'll sit down one day and write a paper on, it's been 4 years since I've been published so I need to get off my ass, lol.
Disease and treatment:
I couldn't tell you how many times I've had them come in with a damaged basal disc, cut or missing pieces, again, Sri Lanka is the absolute worst for this. Back in the 80s and 90s we used a diluted Lugol's solution swabbed onto the affected areas to stop bacterial spread and it did a bang up job. Now the best course of treatment is 250mgs Ciprofloxacin to 40 litres of water for 7-10 days with 100% daily water changes with re-administration of the Cipro with the water change. I wouldn't put clowns in with them if you're treating them and I'm not one to just throw one into a quarantine tank with an antibiotic just as a prophylactic. If they're sick or damaged, that's the time to do it. Remember, they've been to hell and back, give them 2 days to perk up. But if they're exuding a heavy mucus or there are white stringy patches, do it right away.
Stability:
I don't go by the 1 year for an anemone rule for an aquarium, but your aquarium MUST BE STABLE!!! These guys will not tolerate anything but perfect water. If you've never kept an anemone I'd recommend a Bubble Tip to learn with as they're damn near indestructible. We have one here that got chopped up in the Jebao wave maker and then decided the cool thing to do was to go through the overflow in my 130D. It self fragged into 3 anemones and to my knowledge the other 2 are still alive in other aquariums.
Lighting:
A ritteri would be happy on the surface of the sun, they will actively seek out the highest point in the tank to get light. I'm experimenting with the LED system so the verdict's not in yet. Back in the day, metal halide was about the only way to keep them, they REALLY like 6500k-12k metal halide bulbs.
There you have it, my take on one of the most beautiful sea creatures. Feel free to add to this as this is just what I've learned over the course of 35 years of importing and keeping marine animals. I'm always up to learn another way to do things and make sure a creature trusted to our care makes it and hopefully reproduces so we can take a little pressure off wild stocks.
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