Condylactis gigantea

Before you buy: LiveAquaria rates it “moderate”, Quality Marine “easy”. It needs strong lighting: LiveAquaria advises against buying one without a good lighting system. Tank of at least 76 litres (20 US gallons) according to LiveAquaria. Acclimate it slowly by drip.

Setup: it buries its base in sand or in a rock crevice (LiveAquaria, Quality Marine); place it low in the aquascape. It moves around the tank: screen pump intakes with foam.

Neighbours: its sting can seriously damage other anemones and corals; it is poorly suited to a reef tank with corals (LiveAquaria) and defends its space against other invertebrates. It does well with live rock and a few crustaceans, but not with its predator, the large Dardanus hermit crab. Clownfish and damselfish rarely move into it.

Danger: the tentacle tips are packed with nematocysts carrying a toxin (CgNa) whose sting is very painful: wear gloves.

Sensitivities: invertebrates do not tolerate copper (Quality Marine). LiveAquaria lists calcium, magnesium, strontium, iodine and trace elements as supplements. Avoid artificially coloured specimens.

It is a macrophagous carnivore: fish, mussels, shrimp, zooplankton and worms. Its nematocysts quickly paralyse prey, which is carried to the mouth and swallowed whole. Its zooxanthellae also supply part of its nutrients.

In the aquarium, LiveAquaria recommends fish, mussels, shrimp or similar foods; Quality Marine advises small pieces fed by hand and intense lighting.