Host anemones are advanced livestock disguised as beginner livestock. They look beautiful in store displays, host the iconic clownfish-anemone symbiosis everyone wants to recreate, and command modest prices. They're also the species most frequently lost in the hobby due to inadequate lighting and unstable parameters.
The host anemones in trade: Entacmaea quadricolor (bubble-tip, BTA - the most common and most forgiving), Heteractis magnifica (ritteri - mobile and demanding), H. crispa (sebae), H. aurora, H. malu, Stichodactyla gigantea (carpet - stunning but predatory), S. mertensii, S. haddoni, Macrodactyla doreensis (long-tentacle), and Condylactis gigantea (Caribbean). Difficulty ranges from "intermediate" (BTA) to "expert-only" (S. gigantea, ritteri).
The make-or-break parameter for anemones is light. Standard reef-spec LEDs at 250-500 PAR for BTAs, 350-600 PAR for ritteri and gigantea. T5-only setups rarely produce enough PAR penetration to sustain a host anemone long-term. Aquacultured BTAs from ORA, Sustainable Aquatics, and hobbyist breeders are far hardier than wild-caught Indo-Pacific imports - buy aquacultured when possible.
Aquacultured BTA (bubble-tip anemone). They're hardier than wild-caught, host most clownfish species, and split asexually to produce additional specimens.
No. Captive-bred clownfish often never see an anemone in their lifetime. Anemones are far harder to keep than the clownfish themselves.
It's looking for better light, flow, or both. Anemones move themselves until they find the placement that works. Wandering for 1-2 weeks is normal in a new placement; persistent wandering indicates inadequate conditions somewhere in the tank.