Different colors of baby S.mertensii

[shutiny]

I have gotten e-mails about different colors of S.mertensii. I have seen red, teal blue, purple, brown, green in wild.

Here are some babies I have and the colors ranged from rustic red, brownish green, green, purple and gray/blue base.
Here is the link to more: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1038647&perpage=25&pagenumber=17

 

[Reefvette]

PM sent

PM sent

I sent you a pm about these, i know they most likely not for sale butttt, i had some questions about them regarding the instances in which they were bought.

 

[shutiny]

Ok, will do. Thanks

 

[phender]

Nice anemones, you must have cornered the market.

Just to add to your color varieties. I saw one at an LFS, when I still had mine, that was a light gray with white stripes similar to what you would see on a haddoni.

 

[shutiny]

Thanks Phil, how are you?
The light gray ones looked blue to me in wild natural environment, but I can't seem to keep that color in my tank.
Yes, I got a few of them

 

[Reefvette]

Shutniy

Shutniy

What with the phantom tents they look alot longer and white.


Ive never seen that on a mertens.

I so wish they were for sale.

What kind of anemone project are you doing?

 

[shutiny]

Re: Shutniy

Re: Shutniy

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13875425#post13875425 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefvette
What with the phantom tents they look alot longer and white.


Ive never seen that on a mertens.

I so wish they were for sale.

What kind of anemone project are you doing?

Certain sub species (that I have seen) will have more of the white tentacles, especially when stressed. Over times, the white tentacles will return/change and most tentacles will look uniformly on most part.

I started out to do manual division of H.mag in their natural environment with my contacts. And over the years, it morphed into S.mertensii as my favor subject. It is a better specie for home reef in my view.

 

[Reefvette]

Please share more info

Please share more info

Is it possible that these will be come available for sale and do u truely beleive they are just as hardy as bubbletips?


Also were the manual divisions left in the wild to recover. What was the success rate. How where they cut? Was their a specific size that were cut at.

I can not to tell you how jealous i am. I would sell my gigantea and magnifica to get one of these. These anemones from what i have heard are rock solid and as hardy as BTAs when accilmated correctly. Again good luck to you with this project hopefully it will be with great success and in soon time lead to me have a propogated mertens.


This story of propagation is getting me giddy.

 

[phender]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13875349#post13875349 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by phender
Nice anemones, you must have cornered the market.

Just to add to your color varieties. I saw one at an LFS, when I still had mine, that was a light gray with white stripes similar to what you would see on a haddoni.

I'm doing well thank you.
When you are seeing merten's in the wild, are they all quite large or do you see some small ones as well?
Are the small ones you have the result of your contact doing manual divisions in the wild? Or were they collected at that small size?
I envy your ability to see these in the wild.

Am I understanding correctly that you have been down to my neck of the woods in the past year or so to look at anemones at my LFS?

 

[MJI]

Hey, Phil, I know it wasn't me you directed to, but for info, all the ones that I have seen in the wild have been quite large....

 

[shutiny]

Re: Please share more info

Re: Please share more info

My experiences has been that they are even hardier than the BTA's!!!
It has been 100% success with mertensii, but not any other species for me.
Yes, this was a wild study that I wanted to do in the natural environment, but it is not a commercial project.
I have been wanting to close my tank at home and if I do, I'll keep you in mind. But, I am having difficulty of letting them go, though I did let John had one of the "starry " tentacle ones.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13875637#post13875637 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefvette
Is it possible that these will be come available for sale and do u truely beleive they are just as hardy as bubbletips?


Also were the manual divisions left in the wild to recover. What was the success rate. How where they cut? Was their a specific size that were cut at.

I can not to tell you how jealous i am. I would sell my gigantea and magnifica to get one of these. These anemones from what i have heard are rock solid and as hardy as BTAs when accilmated correctly. Again good luck to you with this project hopefully it will be with great success and in soon time lead to me have a propogated mertens.


This story of propagation is getting me giddy.

 

[Reefvette]

Phew

Phew

Thanks for keeping me in mind. It is greatly appreciated. This anemone is the common host for my GBR clowns and find a mertens has been a PIA.

Ive got a 12 inch diameter gigantea and a 6- 8 inch mag.

Right now im getting a 50 gallon breeder ready for my akinydos clowns and either my gigantea or mag or mertens.

I cant tell you how many wholesalers and LFS and online places ive spoken to that i give them the name and they say well let ya know.

Havent heard back once.....


Oooh i have so many questions.

Collection site details - Deep water or Low-lying reef?
Were any exposed to air during low tide that you saw?
When they were in a low lying are was there any clowns?
Did you ever happen to notice them eating and if so what was it?When hosting was there a harem of fish or just a single pair?
Did you notice any of them in mixed groups with other carpets or mags?
In your care do what type of flow do they like?

Im sorry to ask so many questions but ive been doing research mostly on low lying reef hosting anemones. I am trying to see if i can replicate this.

 

[shutiny]

Hi Phil,

Yes, I am fortunate to have see them in the ocean. In some remote area, I have seen more of the same color ones in the same general areas, but never like BTA, magnificas... that have huge atoll full of anemones. The small ones seem to be in a shallower area of the reef. But, not in great numbers. Unless one is trained, its hard to tell in a 30-60ft of water and to discern if its mertensii, haddoni, or a blob of sea wee.

All these are wild ones, some have been in captive at the sea side holding facility for a few weeks. Keeping specimens in shallow area is difficult, they disappeared most of the times especially the nicer color ones. I shouldn't call it a project, it just some thing that I wanted to do.

One thing that I found is that I can take a 3.5 foot specimen and put it in a 40g reefugium area(hooked up to the main system) and it will reduced to ~ 14"-15" after a week or two. Then, I took the same specimen and added it back to the main tank and it will regain its formal size or larger. However, I remembered that you had a very large one in a small tank. I have been wanting to pick your brain but never seem to be at Jimmys when you were there.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13875838#post13875838 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by phender
I'm doing well thank you.
When you are seeing merten's in the wild, are they all quite large or do you see some small ones as well?
Are the small ones you have the result of your contact doing manual divisions in the wild? Or were they collected at that small size?
I envy your ability to see these in the wild.

Am I understanding correctly that you have been down to my neck of the woods in the past year or so to look at anemones at my LFS?

 

[shutiny]

Re: Phew

Re: Phew

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13876647#post13876647 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefvette
Thanks for keeping me in mind. It is greatly appreciated. This anemone is the common host for my GBR clowns and find a mertens has been a PIA.

Ive got a 12 inch diameter gigantea and a 6- 8 inch mag.

Right now im getting a 50 gallon breeder ready for my akinydos clowns and either my gigantea or mag or mertens.

I cant tell you how many wholesalers and LFS and online places ive spoken to that i give them the name and they say well let ya know.

Havent heard back once.....


Oooh i have so many questions.

Collection site details - Deep water or Low-lying reef?
Were any exposed to air during low tide that you saw?
When they were in a low lying are was there any clowns?
Did you ever happen to notice them eating and if so what was it?When hosting was there a harem of fish or just a single pair?
Did you notice any of them in mixed groups with other carpets or mags?
In your care do what type of flow do they like?

Im sorry to ask so many questions but ive been doing research mostly on low lying reef hosting anemones. I am trying to see if i can replicate this.

No, no problem, I am happy to share what I have. Most villagers collect things that they can find in shallower area, and the commercial collectors are going for prize fish or bright color stuff. Carpet anemones in general are difficult to keep, difficult to ship and not much market values(except to people like you and I). Mertensii that I have seen were in deeper water than the haddoni, gigantea and magnificas. And I think they like a little cooler water, although I kept my anemones all in the same system now. I never seen any mertensii exposed to air during low tide, but have seen gigantea,haddoni and magnificas.
The ones that I have seen are with family of clarkiis but never in large numbers. Almost all that I have seen are on reef top in solitary with hard corals. But they do live next to stony corals, RBTA, haddoni, magnificas, and gigantea in my system. Their tentacles over lapping and no signs that I could see of any reactions. Their tentacles get much longer when the flow is high, but I think they can tolerated just about any flow. HTH

 

[wicked_NaCl_h2o]

The one in the second picture looks like its related to my Mertensii, it has the color and the stripes..just like mine. Under actinics ..does yours look like its glowing?

 

[shutiny]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13879346#post13879346 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by wicked_NaCl_h2o
The one in the second picture looks like its related to my Mertensii, it has the color and the stripes..just like mine. Under actinics ..does yours look like its glowing?

Do you have a current picture of yours?

Mine is stressed in that picture and it has since bleached to pink so it glows. But I think stripes are common characteristic of mertensii, some have more and others have less.
When stressed, the stripes are more noticeable in mines.

Thanks Michael, I've seen the same as you did, most of them I are quiet large. But there are patches of small ones we found.
And the numbers seem small in copairson to gigantea E.qua...
Did you see the same?

 

[wicked_NaCl_h2o]

Yeah, mine only shows the stripes really well at night but aren't really noticable durring the day. Its tips look neon orange under actinics.
I have better than a picture..click on image

 

[MJI]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13880772#post13880772 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by shutiny


Thanks Michael, I've seen the same as you did, most of them I are quiet large. But there are patches of small ones we found.
And the numbers seem small in copairson to gigantea E.qua...
Did you see the same?

I have to say, i didn't do much detailed scrutiny, so there could well have been smaller ones.

The numbers are definitely small. compared to others like E quad, and H mag.

Unfortunately, I have to confess as to not seeing a gigantea on a dive yet. I would very much like to.

Here's a pic of a mertens from one of my dives:

 

[garygb]

So Shutiny, you feel Merten's is ultimately a better bet for captivity than haddoni? I've always heard they are more demanding. Maybe that is only true for gigantea. They certainly are nice looking anemones there in that pic. I thrilled you are having success fragging them. It's exciting how Merten's and H. magnificas are being successfully fragged. Cutting edge stuff, pardon the pun;-)

Christina, that's a beauty. Is that a Clarkii? I've read that they become melanistic in Merten's. If that is Clarkii, it certainly has.

 

[wicked_NaCl_h2o]

Thanks garygb, when I first got this Mertensii it was 8 inches, now its 16 inches. I still can't wait till it takes over half of my tank. I only have 2 chrysopterus fish in my 120g..actually those are the only fish I have. I sold all my other fish.
I am loving these pictures of mertensii anemones. Thanks for sharing them shutiny and Mike.