Help I.D. new anemone

[somedude]

i just bought this anemone a few days ago for my pair of a. perideriaon. i purchased it under the impression it was a m. doreensis. and i did research on keeping these animals, but someone else has informed me that this new anemone might be a h. crispa because of the short uneven tentacles and underside markings. i was hoping some members here more informed than i could assist me with this.

seeing the a. periderion are natural hosts to both m. doreensis and h. crispa i think the clowns will still eventually host. so no worries there, but any ideas are appreciated.

~alex

 

[somedude]

oops, sorry forgot to post pics...

here they are:

thanks.

~alex

 

[ocellaris123]

It is a badly bleached M. Doreensis. What is your lighting looking like?

 

[somedude]

what!! bleached.

the lfs guy told me this was its color and that it would stay like this. that is why i got it. there were colored ones that were larger for the same price. crap...so will it stay 'whitish' or will it turn some crazy color?

i got it under a 4x24w t5 fixture. i am not worried about my lighting. the tank it is in is less than 16".

so what can i do to keep it alive, and vibrant. i noticed it's mouth is open but not gaping. i have fed it twice already and he closes up and eats but he doesn't catch anything on his own.

~alex

 

[clowns101]

I agree with ocellaris123 on this one.That anemone is VERY bleached.I would try feeding Mysis Shrimp and some Krill.

 

[ocellaris123]

Do as Clowns101 says and feed the anemone at least 2 times a week with mysis and krill. The reason you should up the feedings is to compensate for the zooanthallae loss. All you can really do is keep the water quality up and hope for the best. More than likely it will heal/regain its algae with time. As for what color it will be their is no real way to determine this since your anemone is stark white. It could turn out to be tan, greenish, blue, or if your lucky it can turn out to be a purple long tentacled anemone.

 

[gobygoddess]

My boyfriend said that it is not bleached. He had one exactly like that. There are so many different nems, he said it should stay this color and it looks very healthy, unlike a bleaching coral would.
Keep feeding it and it should be fine.

 

[dalston]

There are no white/clear M. doreensis, thats about as bleached as they come, Condy's are white, but it's not a condy... The mouth also looks open, which is not good but it's early days yet.

Make sure you acclimate it slowly to your lighting, keep your water stable, and feed small meaty foods.

 

[ocellaris123]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15381219#post15381219 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gobygoddess
My boyfriend said that it is not bleached. He had one exactly like that. There are so many different nems, he said it should stay this color and it looks very healthy, unlike a bleaching coral would.
Keep feeding it and it should be fine.

Does he still have it, and if so is it the same color? That anemone is severely unhealthy and it appears that it does not have a single zooanthallae residing in its tissue. All of the anemones I have seen like this either perish or regain pigmentation via their zooanthallae. In the future it is best to avoid purchasing white specimens or in the case of some species of anemones yellow specimens which are dyed.

 

[Toddrtrex]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15381219#post15381219 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gobygoddess
My boyfriend said that it is not bleached. He had one exactly like that. There are so many different nems, he said it should stay this color and it looks very healthy, unlike a bleaching coral would.
Keep feeding it and it should be fine.

Sorry, but your boyfriend is wrong. That is a very very bleached LTA (( Macrodactyla doreensis )). If it survives, it won't stay that color, and it doesn't look very healthy at all.


somedude --- it is hard to tell, but from that one picture it looks like its mouth is open -- is that true?

With the proper care -- good lighting, spot on parameters and feeding, it could make a recovery, but I wouldn't count on it -- but I wouldn't give it up either. I also would think about switching LFS's if they claimed that was a natural/healthy color for an LTA, because that was a flat out lie.

As for what color it will attain (( assuming it recovers )), can't say, I don't see any hint of a color to make a guess.

But, to give you some hope, this is what I received years ago,

a couple months later,

 

[elegance coral]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15381219#post15381219 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gobygoddess
My boyfriend said that it is not bleached. He had one exactly like that. There are so many different nems, he said it should stay this color and it looks very healthy, unlike a bleaching coral would.
Keep feeding it and it should be fine.

I'm sorry, but your boyfriend and the LFS are wrong. Zooxanthellae, the tiny algae that host anemones owe their lives to, are different shades of brown. For the anemone to be healthy, it must have zooxanthellae in its tissues. This will give the anemone a light tan to dark brown color. I see no sign of healthy zooxanthellae in those photos. In other words, the anemone is severely bleached. The vast majority of anemones that bleach to that extent do not make it. Your only hope is that somewhere in the anemones tissues there's at least one healthy zooxanthellae that survived the trauma that caused the bleaching. If you are that lucky, the anemone will need plenty of food to make up for the nutrition it's not receiving from its zooxanthellae until the zooxanthellae have a chance to reproduce.

 

[somedude]

so what exactly do the zooanthallae eat or need to redevelop. well, other than light.

i have been feeding it mysis soaked in selcon and phytofeast. i didn't know which would help more so i used both. he takes it and his mouth closes up and he gets all puffy. and i have been watching him at night under the led's to see if he spits it back up. and i haven't seen anything yet.

i am pretty ticked that this anemone might not make it. but i will do what i can to get it to redevelop its color and overall health. this sucks but i guess it happens...my e. quadricolor's never give me trouble, i switch to a new species and i get shafted in the first round....

~alex

 

[elegance coral]

The zooxanthellae use the waste produced by the anemone and nutrients in the water as fertilizer to grow and reproduce.

The mysis and selcon are great for the anemone. I would stop trying to get it to eat phyto feast.

 

[somedude]

any idea if my anemone will turn into this...

update: i have been feeding daily and still not coloring up but his tissue is firm and he is very sticky. and he hasn't been regurgitating. hopefully this anemone will make a full recovery.

~alex