H. Magnifica (Ritteri) Questions

[xtlosx]

Hey Folks, I am upgrading from a 60 cube that I have had for two years, into a nice large 150 (60x24x24) tank w\ a 40B sump.... I have kept BTAs, enjoy them, but always wanted and knew I would make a tank for a H. Magnifica (Ritteri) or Gigantea... Well, we are starting the tank, aquascaping from scratch and love the pillar look, so believe the scape is more suitable for a Mag.... I have some questions..

Let me preface by saying I am going to seed this tank with some rock from my current system (going into the new fuge) to get it up and running quicker. I will not be putting the 'nem in there right away and will certainly wait until parameters are stable, ATO is setup, GFO\Carbon reactors are running, etc, so don't beat me up on that... I'm not that guy, heh.

1) I have a local LFS that can order me a Mag (color choices as well), and will hold it to make sure it's stable, survives the transport reasonably well, etc. They tell me that the survival rate from their supplier is actually pretty good so I'm OK with trying. Pricing is great, so that also helps, although it doesn't honestly matter, I want to keep a healthy mag no matter what! Does it make sense to have the Mag sit in there tank for a week, or does it just make sense for me to show up on the day it gets delivered, bring it home, acclimate for 30-45 minutes and put him in the DT? Thoughts ?

2) I will have a nice chunk of flow (2x MP40s on each side of the tank), and a LOT of light. I will have, well a LOT of LEDs over this tank, and the tower architecture allows for very high points (3) and a nice flat surface on each of those. So really, I would love to position the Mag on one of these three towers... They all around about between 4-6" under the water.. Honestly, with my lighting, it should be able to get as much lighting as possible on any of these three towers. Here's an initial layout of what the tank will look like.. The pillars are kept together very well with white zip ties so the towers are sturdy... real sturdy..

There is a brace in the middle of the tank at about 29-31" so I will probably position him around that area as I know if it's in the shade, might not be so happy... we'll likely be moving some of this stuff around (the towers) to avoid being in the middle by the brace but the towers give you an idea of how the structure will be done around a comfy spot for a Mag.

3) Flow.. I know Mags like random all over flow and I currently in my cube run 2x MP10s in Reef Crest which works well... In this new tank, I'm wondering anyone have thoughts about what Mags like.. I've seen the short pulse modes, etc and Reef Crest are suitable but curious if anyone has first hand experience.

4) This tank will be dedicated to the Mag in terms of the towers. On the sand, or the lower half will be my LPS (Frogspawn, torches, Hammers, etc)... I will not be doing any SPS in this tank, and honestly want to give it as much room as it needs.

So this is my thoughts so far... I realize they are challenging to keep and I am by no means new to this. I really think that I am ready to try after two years, and want to dive into it.. I realize the survival rate sucks, but I want to try.

Any thoughts, would be awesome here... Anything I missed, just send them my way... It will be a couple of months until everything is done here and stable before it gets bought, so I have some time.

Thanks guys, appreciate the input here.. If you have a Mag, post a picture, I need some color ideas!!

 

[xtlosx]

Here is another configuration, the spire in the middle is now on the right with a nice anchor rock to make it sturdy.. I figure the Mag will like a nice tall spot, high chaotic flow from the MP40s, baking under LEDs.

 

[garygb]

Mags like flat, smooth rock to attach to. The tops of the columns look very unsmooth. You will want your tank to be up and stable for a few months, even though you're seeding the tank from an established tank. I've found nitrates to irritate mags, once established, they won't die with nitrates, even when they are quite high. However, they will start to shift around on their rock and look generally less robust. As far as flow, as you mentioned, they like good, random flow. If a powerhead is blowing directly on them, laminar, they will move. I have mine under t-5s, which this species seems to love. In the past I kept them under MH. From what I've seen, LEDs can work fine too. As far as tank conditions to strive for with this species: sg 1.026-1.027, temp 80-82, nitrates undetectable. I don't test for calcium, magnisium etc., and frankly anemones don't really care. I would say regular partial water changes would be appreciated. Others who have been keeping this species for years, like me, can hopefully make other suggestions that will be helpful to you.

 

[Tmoriarty]

I have a similar setup and while I have only had my mag for (7/8 months, dam can't remember now) I do have a tank layed out very similar to yours with magnificas in it and very little issues.

Go with Gary on the flat rock, a surface semi smooth large enough to encompass most of the foot, if it is rough they will move (often to the glass).

The issue is getting a healthy magnifica in the first place. If lighting/conditions are appropriate at the LFS, then I would let it sit in their tanks for a week and watch for deflation/inflation cycles. Healthy mags rarely if ever deflate (mine never deflates).

If your structures are close enough to the glass for the anemone to touch it, when they wander they will wander up the glass. Magnificas do not like to wander down, they would prefer to circle the peak of a rock build then travel down to find another place, they will travel to glass though with no quoms.

Even though you are seeding with LR, I would wait 5+ months with the rock you are using (looks like BRS Pukani). While the rock is awesome it leaches PO4 like crazy, another option is a lanthium chloride soak, or muriatic acid bath, to remove the PO4 from the rock, and hopefully bypass some of that waiting time.

My pukani leached for 6 months+, even with very heavy GFO Useage.

Here is a pic of my tank from a few months ago, you can see how my towers are layed out. Mag is on the middle structure.

 

[xtlosx]

I have a similar setup and while I have only had my mag for (7/8 months, dam can't remember now) I do have a tank layed out very similar to yours with magnificas in it and very little issues.

Go with Gary on the flat rock, a surface semi smooth large enough to encompass most of the foot, if it is rough they will move (often to the glass).

The issue is getting a healthy magnifica in the first place. If lighting/conditions are appropriate at the LFS, then I would let it sit in their tanks for a week and watch for deflation/inflation cycles. Healthy mags rarely if ever deflate (mine never deflates).

If your structures are close enough to the glass for the anemone to touch it, when they wander they will wander up the glass. Magnificas do not like to wander down, they would prefer to circle the peak of a rock build then travel down to find another place, they will travel to glass though with no quoms.

Even though you are seeding with LR, I would wait 5+ months with the rock you are using (looks like BRS Pukani). While the rock is awesome it leaches PO4 like crazy, another option is a lanthium chloride soak, or muriatic acid bath, to remove the PO4 from the rock, and hopefully bypass some of that waiting time.

My pukani leached for 6 months+, even with very heavy GFO Useage.

Here is a pic of my tank from a few months ago, you can see how my towers are layed out. Mag is on the middle structure.

Thanks, I tried making the tops as flat and smooth as I possibly could.... It's actually not BRS Pukani, it is Marco Rocks Key largo rock... but totally get what you're saying and I am not going to rush it. It's not worth my hassle, nor is it worth the death of the animal for my experimentation and rushing.

Tank looks good, I am hoping to get it all running this weekend, and I will post some updated pictures... I do plan on letting it settle in my LFS tank for a week or so to monitor for the inflation\deflation cycle....

 

[Tmoriarty]

My experience so far with Magnificas is that they are honestly pretty hardy animals given the generally right conditions.

They are not in my experience any harder to keep than BTA's, the problem with them however is that they recover poorly from any sort of tear in the foot, usually because of the infection that they can pick up from any injury.

 

[bradleym]

I also have a tower setup for my rockwork, albeit a bit less functional for coral placement. I would like to echo everything posted above. If you can't get a smooth-topped rock on those columns, you may want to consider mixing a big wad of putty and then pressing it flat into the lower areas. You can then use a small, mostly flat rock to press a natural pattern into the putty while it is still soft. I had a Mag on a shelf shaped like the rock shown, and it never quite settled in, always moving a couple inches back forth every week or so. I ended up adding a flat rock to the end of the shelf.

I am using LEDs and my mags are both doing great FWIW. I have the green one on a rock about 8 inches below the water, right under a center brace. I put a 72w fixture on each side of the brace and it seems happy.

Current tank pics: