Why are sea anemones sticky? Are carpet anemones dangerous?

Ever wonder why the anemones in your reef tank stick to you when you touch them? Even the tiny little mini carpet anemones we keep have tiny structures called nematocysts in the cells that line their tentacles - and each one has a little dose of venom. Sea anemone venom is the topic of a lot of research around the world - from insecticides to treatments for autoimmune diseases it has shown a lot of promise due to it's wide mix of active compounds. Who would have guessed that we keep such interesting animals in our reef aquariums?

The phylum Cnidaria get's it's name from the Cnida - an organelle inside the cell that actually contains the nematocyst inside it. To fire, the Cnida releases a high concentration of Calcium into the cell - causing an inrush of water due to the concentration difference inside and outside of the cell. In rushing water and the resulting pressure pushes out the nematocyst - out and into the anemone's food or your finger. Millions of these little harpoons firing into your skin is what causes the anemone to feel sticky to the touch.

Of course, clownfish and their slime coat are able to evade the firing of these harpoons - which is how they're able to live safely within the tentacles of their anemone without damage to themselves or to their host anemone.

Don't forget to like and subscribe if you enjoyed this video!

I upload at least one video each week, so check out my channel for more!

[timobatana]

Man this channel name is inspiring I feel like making one myself but just adding an E.R. in the Jokes aside cool video

[ReefMan]

I always thought anemones were sticky just because.. they had a sticky coating to help catch food! Turns out I was wrong - and the world of sea anemone venom is a really interesting place. Too bad they never do well in my tank - I've tried to keep a couple over the years and they always end up not so healthy. My mini carpet anemone is still alive, but it's taken up residence under the tentacles of my orange torch coral where I don't often get to see it.

[tyrthefox]

I got stung pretty bad by a carpet anemone two days ago and my hand is covered in welts and it itches so bad. Just after the sting and throughout the rest of the day the sting site burned horribly.

[LightSearch]

I have no problem touching the bta's but I take care not to touch the magnifica at all, it packs a decent sting. Banggai cardinals can get used to it though.

[apekpablo]

can anemone carpet put together with anemone bubble tip or rbta??

[maocdroid]

There is something similar when you touch a frogspawn coral

[marcgaspari]

Sure knows a lot about anemones... should have started with the pronunciation...