How do you keep sea anemones so they thrive and flourish?

The sea anemone is a carnivorous animal that lives in water, looks very much like a flower, and is also one of the most common invertebrates along the coasts of China. So, how do you keepsea anemones in captivity?

1. How do you keep a sea anemone?

Choose a suitably sized aquarium to house it. The water pH should be 8.0-8.4, and the water temperature between 15-20°C. Sea anemones prefer to grow alone and cannot be kept together with other organisms. They are suited to environments with strong light and strong water flow; the water flow should be intermittent. Place the aquarium beside a sunny window. The main foods are hamburger, artificial brine shrimp, and seawater trace elements.

2. Reproduction of sea anemones

Sea anemones are hermaphroditic or dioecious. Among the hermaphroditic species, the male matures first. In most sea anemones, the sperm and eggs are fertilized in seawater and develop into planula larvae; in a few sea anemones, the larvae develop inside the parent's body. Some species reproduce asexually, with the parent splitting into 2 individuals; other species bud from the basal disc and then develop into new sea anemones.

3. The benefits and effects of sea anemones

According to nutrition experts, sea anemones have sedative, cough-relieving, blood pressure-lowering, anticoagulant and antibacterial effects, and even a “promote lactation” effect, which is why coastal people call them “stone milk”. Sea anemones are nutritious, and when stewed into soup they are delicious and nourishing; adding ginseng or American ginseng makes the effect even better. Recent research shows that sea anemones can be used as medicine, and coastal fishermen often use them to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

Sea anemones also have special medicinal functions against hypoxia and negative pressure, with effects comparable to drugs such as ginseng and Eleutherococcus senticosus. At the same time, Chinese folk tradition has always held that sea anemones have a “nourish yin and strengthen yang” tonic function, and this too has been scientifically confirmed.

The sea anemone is a predatory animal; its dozens of tentacles each have special stinging cells that can release toxins. When feeding it, be careful to take protective measures to avoid poisoning yourself.