Historical Experience with H. Mag (Be Honest!)

[ca1ore]

Thought it would be interesting to see what people's historical experience has been in keeping these anemones. My own:

Mag #1 - Bought from LFS around 1992, did not arrive in good shape, died after less than 2 weeks.

Mag #2 - Bought from fellow reefer, also in 1992; short transit distance with nem remaining attached to rock. Survived in my tank until 1997; got too big so traded locally - nem was still alive last time I checked in 2003.

Mag #3 - Bought from LFS in 1999; did not arrive in good shape. Treated with antibiotic (not Cipro; cannot recall which one) and recovered. Kept until 2005 until tank was sold. No idea on fate, but removal from rock I think almost certainly tore foot.

Mag #4 - Bought locally from fellow reefer in 2013; short transit distance but nem was removed from rock/tank; though no foot tear. Still did not acclimate well to my tank, however, so Cipro was required. Nem recovered well and is currently thriving in my display.

So, batting .750, but odds improved I think by having acquired two of the four 'pre-acclimated'. All of mine have been fairly standard looking animals with generally purple or brown coloration. would love to find a red foot Mag, but no luck so far.

 

[SNAKEMANVET]

I got a H mag from lfs( for free ) that was in bad shape.Tried to save it but to far gone.A month later had the lfs order me one,it arrived and looked good,got it home and did the cipro treatment anyway.After 8 months it's grown alot,got into my mp40 and nuked tank and has totally recovered and doing great.

 

[bradleym]

Mag #1 - Purchased 6/2012 from a LFS. Recently shipped but I was excited. 5 days in it deflated completely. I found that my salinity was low, my nitrates were high, and my Alk was at 7 so I adjusted using water changes and it recovered. I kept it until 11/2012 when I sold it to a local reefer. Removed completely from rock with no tears. Still living with the new reefer last I heard.

Mag #2 - Purchased 7/2012 from a LFS. Same shipment as previous nem, so it had been there for awhile. Never deflated, but it battled for top rock with Mag #1 and they both moved around for a while. Still have it to this day.

Mag #3 - Purchased 10/2012 online. Arrived in good shape, but due to my 2 previous mags still being in the tank (I was trying to sell Mag #1 but hadn't gotten it out yet) I kept this mag in a floating basket. During the first week, a suction cup came loose on a powerhead, which then swung up against the side of the basket. The mag lost several tentacles and a piece of the oral disk. It started to recover, but after another week, fell ill and died of infection before I could get a shipment of Cipro.

Mag #4 - Purchased 11/2012 online. It arrived in good shape and did well, but eventually decided to battle Mag #2 for top spot and lost due to being half the size and only in the tank for 2 months.


I am currently at 50% success, but the numbers will unfortunately be likely to shift as I won't be happy until I have one with a bright red base, either that or a nice blue base. However TBH I can't complain about my current centerpiece.

 

[Addicted2coral1]

My lfs just got one of these guys. Deflated 2nd day. Now it looks better but mouth is open.

Hope it makes it. Really big specimen. Came from another reefer. Wish I could have been around when that guy decided to get rid of it.

I really ain't to try the stich. Haddoni. Which I know are better but still are Challenging.

 

[hobogato]

1. circa 2006 - ok health at the lfs (not great). went downhill fast in my tank, didnt last 3 weeks.

2. circa 2007 - very healthy and large at lfs. acclimated well and was healthy in my tank for about 3 months. then, decided to go walkabout thru a seio 2600 powerhead. was so healthy that its nematocysts took out most of my fish (23 of 26) almost immediately and most of my coral over the next two weeks.

3. circa 2008 - very healthy at lfs. acclimated well and survived in my tank until i sold it. the person who bought the tank and most of the inhabitants was successful with it as long as we stayed in contact. he eventually passed it on to someone else, so i have no idea where it is now (i am going to choose to believe that it is still doing well).

4. july 2012 - very healthy at the lfs. acclimated well and is still doing well. almost lost it a few months ago to a mini crash, but it pulled thru and is coming back strong.

so i am at 50%, but would likely be 75% had it not been for my stupid mistake with #2

 

[sberman]

Just one a month ago today dt for 2 weeks started to deflate put in qt with cipro back in dt now doing ok so far fingers still crossed

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

got my mag from a LFS after they ordered it for someone else.

it came in bleached and too big for the other guy so I decided to attempt it in my 220. It grew huge and deliberately cleared an area around it's rock perch by stinging neighboring corals. When it got caught in an overflow it released nematocysts and killed all the fish in the aquarium except for my ocellaris clownfish and my Cardinalfish.

As it turns out, others have had similar experiences.

 

[Winwood]

I love these creatures and it pains me to admit, that in my attempts to obtain a healthy one, I've killed more than I can remember. Usually it never had anything to do with my husbandry practices, just the animals were sick when I obtained them. This was all before the advances of antibiotics.

 

[bjledbetter]

I obtained mine accidently. I asked the lfs for prices on a mag, malu, and a rbta and instead of pricing them he ordered all three. Of the three the mag is the one that survived and is doing great. I had no idea when i was trying to price these thing how hard mags were to take care of, and how hard it is to get a healthy one. I must be lucky I got a healthy one on the first try. Ive had it sense December 2012 and he's growing quickly.

 

[cichlidconvert]

I had one a lil over a year ago. If I knew then what I know now. I had it in a tank with bta's and didn't know about signs and symptoms of infection. I bought it at the lfs while it was deflated during the middle of the day. It did that everyday till it died a tad bit longer than two weeks. I know I'd have had a better shot at it with cipro. I'm not sure if I'll attempt one in the carpet tank but I do want one one day. So I am 0/1.

 

[OrionN]

I got my first one in 1997 from one of the chain store in Seattle, Petco, I think. It did not do well and died in 1 week.
Secone one I got from a LFS in Houston in 2002. It did great. Cloned in my tank from one to two then to four. I documented the slit here on RC way back then. I think that was the first time anybody documented in picture the split of a H. magnifica anywhere. Gave one to a reefer here in Corpus, it died in his tank. Gave on to a RC member in Houston. When moved he got it to another member here on RC (both still very active here on RC). It died in one of the hurricane here in South Texas.
Two I got in my tank until a total tank crash in around 2007. Loss all my animal including the two Magnifica and 20 clams (one was a 16 inch T. gigas) My tank was a 450 g tank and use up a lot of calcium. I use Ca reactor and add Kalk. It was a Kalk automated that malfunction that wipe my tank out.
Did not get back into reefing for a long time.
I started to collect Magnifica again in about 2009. I got a very nice yellow tipped Magnifica with red orange base and a very beautiful Bright reg Magnifica. Both doing great in my 100 g cube but I got greedy and buy a newly imported Purple tipped red base Magnifica that seem healthy at the LFS. It got something and died in 1 week, my other two died 2 weeks after that.
I got my last Magnifica was a porple based green tipped small one. It got sick, I treated it with Cipro and documented it here on RC. Got better and healthy again. However I am our of space for it and sold it, and another Magnifica that I got from another reefer to a reefer in Houston. As far as I know both was doing well. I decided to concentrate on Gigantea and Haddoni at his time until I have more room.

I don't want to calculate my batting average, it is depressing. More than 1/2 of the Magnifica I kill was due to my stupid mistakes

 

[xtlosx]

Temporarily adopted, and treated a beautiful purple column'd Mag two weeks ago and have since returned it to the LFS... I don't have much experience to offer, but seems as though cipro is a God's send to these animals.

 

[joerm13]

I am 0/1. Bought from LFS and looked healthy for about a week of being in the DT. Then it began deflating and actually stayed deflated for a couple of days. The mag perished before I had a chance to begin Cipro treatment. I will try another and do the Cipro treatment right away next time even if it appears healthy on arrival.

 

[hobogato]

I will try another and do the Cipro treatment right away next time even if it appears healthy on arrival.

not sure if this is a good idea, you may put a perfectly healthy anemone thru lots of unnecessary stress.

 

[roni]

1st - purple based ritteri in 1996, right after I started reefkeeping. Kept through 7 years until I had to break down the tank and sell

2nd - purple based yellow - 2005, kept 2 years until sold with tank

3rd - blue based yellow tentacle - nicest one I've ever owned. 2010. Died after 4 days

4th - brown based grey/brown tentacles - 2011 to current, acquired from reefkeeper who had it 5 years, traded to another guy, who traded it to another person so ~8 years in captivity and doing well

5th - purple based yellow tentacle - bought 2 days ago. Looks good so far...hopefully continues to do well.

 

[SweesFeesh]

One of my lfs's (Aquatouch) actually has a mag with a brilliant reddish/pinkish foot, and it is just massive. First time I walked in there, it took my breath away. Too bad my tank isn't big enough and I don't have enough money. One of you guys should totally check it out. I think they may ship. Its in Arizona, they have a website.

 

[bradleym]

1st - purple based ritteri in 1996, right after I started reefkeeping. Kept through 7 years until I had to break down the tank and sell

2nd - purple based yellow - 2005, kept 2 years until sold with tank

3rd - blue based yellow tentacle - nicest one I've ever owned. 2010. Died after 4 days

4th - brown based grey/brown tentacles - 2011 to current, acquired from reefkeeper who had it 5 years, traded to another guy, who traded it to another person so ~8 years in captivity and doing well

5th - purple based yellow tentacle - bought 2 days ago. Looks good so far...hopefully continues to do well.

Not to derail, but do you have any pictures of the 3rd one?

 

[SNAKEMANVET]

not sure if this is a good idea, you may put a perfectly healthy anemone thru lots of unnecessary stress.

I would treat any mag or gig.Mine looked great and I put it through the treatment anyway .

 

[roni]

Not to derail, but do you have any pictures of the 3rd one?

Unfortunately, I can't find any pics of it on my photobucket. I know I took some when I first got so will search. It was truly a sad moment. I've had really good luck with Ritteris (not so much with gigs) so it was an even bigger bummer that my favorite one melted away.

 

[bradleym]

Unfortunately, I can't find any pics of it on my photobucket. I know I took some when I first got so will search. It was truly a sad moment. I've had really good luck with Ritteris (not so much with gigs) so it was an even bigger bummer that my favorite one melted away.

I know the feeling. My 3rd was fire engine red with yellow tentacles. I still get sick thinking about it. I would be inconsolable if I found a blue one and lost it.