Bleached Anemone ID Help

[bradleym]

Here is the anemone I am having trouble with:

The column is smooth and white. The underside of the oral disc is greyish brown with white verrucae, much like the underside of a LTA. All this points to H. Malu I believe.

Here's the issue. I'm pretty sure that EVERY tentacle is striped, not just some. Also, several of them are starting to swell where they are white, giving the appearance of beads, like H. Aurora.

I have been looking through online pictures, and I can't seem to find a good picture of a H. Malu with all it's tentacles striped, and I also can't find any where the tentacles have swollen stripes. If anyone can shed light on what this might be, I'd be glad to hear it. Even better, if someone could show me what a striped and "beaded" H. Malu (if that's what it is) looks like when it's healthy, that would be great! TIA

 

[bradleym]

Close up of the beaded tentacles, for reference. My phone can't do any better, so this will have to do. The swollen ones are in the middle of the picture, part way to the anemone's mouth.

 

[greech]

Not an anemone ID expert but that looks like a maxi mini carpet nem to me. How big is it?

 

[bradleym]

Definitely not a maxi mini, I have several of those. But it's the right size. Only 3 inches across so far, though it will probably open up more in time.

 

[Rippinfrags]

First picture looks like a, h. Malu, second picture= h. aurora, I know there the same anemone so my final guess is h. Aurora. The tentacles resemble more of an h. Aurora anemone to me. Good luck with the Id.

 

[Mavrk]

What color is the foot? Don't H. malu have a light/yellow foot and H. aurora a red/orange foot? As far as treating it... will it eat?

 

[bradleym]

What color is the foot?

As mentioned above, it is smooth white.

Don't H. malu have a light/yellow foot and H. aurora a red/orange foot?

Usually. But this one is neither. At best it's a cream color.

As far as treating it... will it eat?

I've only had it a day. I know the anemone needs some TLC, but I'm not going to try to feed it for another day or two, assuming it stays healthy and buried.

 

[bradleym]

First picture looks like a, h. Malu, second picture= h. aurora, I know there the same anemone so my final guess is h. Aurora. The tentacles resemble more of an h. Aurora anemone to me. Good luck with the Id.

Thanks! And I think I agree.

 

[Mavrk]

I guess the foot is bleached too... I agree that the tentacles more resemble H. aurora so that is my vote as well.

 

[bradleym]

I guess the foot is bleached too... I agree that the tentacles more resemble H. aurora so that is my vote as well.

Yea, I'm kinda thinking H. Aurora too. More tentacles are continuing to swell up, and now almost all of them are pointed. I've seen LTAs with a red foot and also with a white foot, so I am kinda wondering if H. Aurora isn't the same way, and I just got an off-brand model, lol.

As to your earlier question, I did feed it a small piece of scallop tonight since it is continuing to improve. It doesn't seem very sticky, and was very slow to eat, but it did eat. Hopefully that plus my tank's stable conditions will lead to a fast recovery.

 

[Reefvette]

MALU
here is a purple one at first and after being in a tank for 6 months.

 

[bradleym]

Wow! Ok then. Thanks for sharing those pictures. Do you by any chance have a closer picture of the after? I've never seen one quite like that before.

Oh yeah, and just out of curiosity what color is the foot/base?