H. malu's picture
- Thread starter OrionN
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Dragonlady
Premium Member
Beautiful! My 16 inch purple H. malu did not survive my recent move. It took about 9 years to reach 16 inches in my tank. It was about 4-5 inches when purchased. Many of the tentacles might fork as it gets bigger. My clowns really miss it. I really hope it did not have anything to with other anemones in the tank, but I think it might have been a factor.
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marc price
Active member
dragonlady, what were the adv. and longest tentacle length and any chronological pics?
Dragonlady
Premium Member
Minh's photo is much better, but here's some old pic of my late H. malu. 
It always would ball up at night like this.....
...and open back up like a flower blooming when the mh came on.
My H. malu caught and ate cleaner shrimp! It grew about 1 1/2 inches per year when fed about every 3 days during the 9 years it was in my care. Unfortunately, I did not have a digital camera when it was first purchased. H. malu is capable of getting rather large!
It always would ball up at night like this.....
...and open back up like a flower blooming when the mh came on.
My H. malu caught and ate cleaner shrimp! It grew about 1 1/2 inches per year when fed about every 3 days during the 9 years it was in my care. Unfortunately, I did not have a digital camera when it was first purchased. H. malu is capable of getting rather large!
taylor t
New member
So OrionN, am I safe to think this is a malu also? Those pics look just like mine, although the picture is very "washed out". It's real color looks identical to your picture in real life.
I posted an ID on it a while back, and got no responses. It's a very slow grower also. It's gone from 3 or so inches to about 5-6 in 1.5 years.
I posted an ID on it a while back, and got no responses. It's a very slow grower also. It's gone from 3 or so inches to about 5-6 in 1.5 years.
marc price
Active member
here is mine when new-
when the clownfish took up residence-
...2years latter-
was the size of a golf ball now (2 years), ~8". my previous H. crispa ~3"to~12" in a year and developed much longer tentacles than i'm seeing in these photos. i had thought it was H. malu when small. this current sebae H malu?? at times has a few tentacles ~2.5" long but most adv. ~1.25"-1.5". F.&Allen: "Tentacles sparse, stubby (rarely to 40 mm long), of variable length even within one radial row, commonly magenta-tipped."
i'm not 100% as it's not like the typical H. malu anemones i've seen collected in hawaii which is beyond the dist. range of H. crispa, any others care to i.d. it?? phender???
when the clownfish took up residence-
...2years latter-
was the size of a golf ball now (2 years), ~8". my previous H. crispa ~3"to~12" in a year and developed much longer tentacles than i'm seeing in these photos. i had thought it was H. malu when small. this current sebae H malu?? at times has a few tentacles ~2.5" long but most adv. ~1.25"-1.5". F.&Allen: "Tentacles sparse, stubby (rarely to 40 mm long), of variable length even within one radial row, commonly magenta-tipped."
i'm not 100% as it's not like the typical H. malu anemones i've seen collected in hawaii which is beyond the dist. range of H. crispa, any others care to i.d. it?? phender???
phender
Active member
I haven't been visiting this forum recently. I am surprised I caught your request.
The distinction between H. malu and H. crispa is very blurry considering physical characteristic change dramatically according to health. In my far from expert opinion, I will only ID an anemone as H. malu if it has faint rings around the tentacles.
In almost all other cases, they grow out of looking like H. malu and into looking like H. crispa.
Personally I would consider all the purple anemones in this thread to be H. crispa, even Minh's.
Just my opinion.
The distinction between H. malu and H. crispa is very blurry considering physical characteristic change dramatically according to health. In my far from expert opinion, I will only ID an anemone as H. malu if it has faint rings around the tentacles.
In almost all other cases, they grow out of looking like H. malu and into looking like H. crispa.
Personally I would consider all the purple anemones in this thread to be H. crispa, even Minh's.
Just my opinion.
OrionN
Moved on
Marc,
I am not sure. I consider my Purple one pictured above as a H. malu because it is small, does nto get very big even with feeding, and it live in touch with my green anemone that I think is and H. malu.
Both of these anemones are quite different from anemone commonly sold as Sebae anemones (H. crispa)
I am not an expert at anemone ID although I have keep all of the host anemones except S. gigantea and S. Mertensii (plus these two which I consider H. malu)
So IMO, it is difficult to ID for certain between H. malu and a small H. crispa
I am not sure. I consider my Purple one pictured above as a H. malu because it is small, does nto get very big even with feeding, and it live in touch with my green anemone that I think is and H. malu.
Both of these anemones are quite different from anemone commonly sold as Sebae anemones (H. crispa)
I am not an expert at anemone ID although I have keep all of the host anemones except S. gigantea and S. Mertensii (plus these two which I consider H. malu)
So IMO, it is difficult to ID for certain between H. malu and a small H. crispa
Dragonlady
Premium Member
I always find out where an anemone is collected from before I purchase to match water temperature etc.... The anemone pictured was collected from Hawaii.
H. crispa is not native to that area.
marc price
Active member
that would be very helpful but how sure of that are you? i.e., are you going on the word of your lfs who is reading off of a wholesalers list? was it a direct transship from the diver/collector or from a wholesaler in hawaii who may have included animals collected elsewhere which is not uncommon in the trade.
i'm not in the business however over the years have frequented three wholesale operations in my area one near newark airport another in philly and a impeccable one in south jeresy (don't think any are still around), and have had livestock and availability list sent to me from diver collectors in hawaii and egypt. the latter being the only ones who under no uncertain terms knew what they were selling.
flameangel9
OnyxInc.
Orian, What kind of clowns are those? They are beautiful.
Dragonlady
Premium Member
certain of the collection area
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taylor t
New member
My LFS had mine labeled as a "milk anemone". I'm certain 0%, as the LFS I got it from closed, and they didn't really know what was what to begin with, so for me, I may as well toss a coin, or get someone to ID it for me, and even then, I may or may not believe. Doesn't matter, I like it and am keeping it anyways. I'm pretty sure it's a sebae, that's all I know...
When I first got mine, the tentacles were like little bumps, not long at all. Now they're really long, compared to when I got it. I don't feed mine very often.
...I'm 100% sure it's not a BTA. And, I like it, and, that's all that really matters...
When I first got mine, the tentacles were like little bumps, not long at all. Now they're really long, compared to when I got it. I don't feed mine very often.
...I'm 100% sure it's not a BTA. And, I like it, and, that's all that really matters...
marc price
Active member
sorry that i got caught up in the thread but am empathetic. you had a beautiful anemone and nine years is something to boast of. i like the way you captured the clownfish in the first pic., good shot.
at any rate, aside from i.d.'ing our anemones i'm curious to the size of it's tank and if you were running carbon with several diff. anemones present. also what other kind of anemones?
phender
Active member
If that is true then at least one of three things is also true.
1. The Fautin/Allen book is wrong in its description of H. malu. Your anemones is way too big and the tentacles appear to be too long to match their description of H. malu.
2. Fautin/Allen are wrong about the distribution of H. crispa.
3. H. sebae and H. malu are the same species and the perceived differences are environmental and not genetic in nature.
One of the purposes of the book was to set a standard for anemone classification, but there are a lot of things in the book that are not correct. There is no reason to believe that one or more of the above statements could be true.
It is also possible that unless you collected the anemone yourself or know the person who did, the animal got labeled as Hawaiian, but in fact was just passing through from somewhere else like the Marshall Islands. It happens all the time.
OrionN
Moved on
Dragonlady,
I am sorry that you lost your beautiful anemone.
Regarding my two anemones, I think they are of the same species even if they don't look very much like each other at this time. There was a time in the past my green anemone looks just like the Purple anemone at this time other than the color. They really touching each other without any problem whatsoever. I am fairly sure if they are of different species, there will be more aggressive competition.
I am sorry that you lost your beautiful anemone.
Regarding my two anemones, I think they are of the same species even if they don't look very much like each other at this time. There was a time in the past my green anemone looks just like the Purple anemone at this time other than the color. They really touching each other without any problem whatsoever. I am fairly sure if they are of different species, there will be more aggressive competition.
taylor t
New member
I'm not sure what they are. But, I do know, there was a time when my gigantea and haddoni touched each other in my tank for a couple months, neither one cared. Each day it seemed one flopped over the other, or visa versa. So, even though they weren't the same species, they could touch with no effects, until I seperated them. In my mind, that doesn't matter (sorry Minh, no offense, just my experience).
I also don't believe everything I read, see, hear, or am told. I've violated several "no no's" everyone touts... I'm not sure if that book Phender is refering too is right or wrong. (sure would be nice to know though, I've never read it myself)... There seems to me to be too many unknowns in this hobby. To me, the purple anemone's don't look like the crispa sebae I traditionally think of, that's why I'm not sure myself, asked, and would love to know. When I hear or think sebae, I think of that giant sebae in "davocean's" tank (I hope you don't mind me referencing you).
I just wish someone would chime in with solid evidence/knowledge in what they are....but, we'll probably just get opinions... That's all good too....
I also don't believe everything I read, see, hear, or am told. I've violated several "no no's" everyone touts... I'm not sure if that book Phender is refering too is right or wrong. (sure would be nice to know though, I've never read it myself)... There seems to me to be too many unknowns in this hobby. To me, the purple anemone's don't look like the crispa sebae I traditionally think of, that's why I'm not sure myself, asked, and would love to know. When I hear or think sebae, I think of that giant sebae in "davocean's" tank (I hope you don't mind me referencing you).
I just wish someone would chime in with solid evidence/knowledge in what they are....but, we'll probably just get opinions... That's all good too....
marc price
Active member
www.nhm.ku.edu/inverts/ebooks/ch1.html
colin j. lau of the waikiki aquarium published a report, Reproduction in the Sand-Dwelling Sea Anemone. some quotes: "H. malu Lives on sandy, shallow, reef-flates in protected bays or lagoons in hawaii. retract well into the sand when disturbed. often anchored. color varies beige-ivory to translucent pinkish hues. ADULTS Oral Disc Usually From TWO To THREE Inches ACROSS. domino damsel D. albisella form loose associations. seprate sexes became obvious both present in small five gallon aquarium exhibit at the waikiki aquarium. After Four months several Spawned..."
there is a very interesting picture showing the planula larvae within the gastrovascular cavity and concentrations of them within the tips of the tentacles. they actually pop out the tips of the tentacles. larvae are less than a sixteenth of an inch and swim very slowly within the tank settling onto rocks, algae...
draw your own conclusions.
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