Let's talk about Ritteri

M Woodhill

New member
since last research almost tells its kinda impossible to find a nice gig now in the market, id now like to suggest having a conversation about ritteri.

to my experience, ritteri is the most tender one or difficult one to take care of. mine usually stays on the plate where i place them--i had two ritteri once before but they just liked balling up--whenever they did this, they looked so horrible and whenever they did so, they tended to move--though they didnt take wide actions in my tank.

i usually place them directly under the bulb and on a rock mound--and sps rocks around it.

but the problem is:

1. its apparently not as colorful as gig.

2. they take really too long time to acclimate.

3. they ball up occasionally.

so how'bout ur experiences? please share with me!

big big big thanx!
 
I think the key is finding a healthy one to begin with. It's the initial acclimation and settling period that seems to be so difficult with this species. Once settled, they do need excellent water conditions to thrive, though can will tolerate less than ideal conditions for a while, though they will not look their best. I've had mine for years and once established have been quite hardy.
 
I got a mag that was partially bleached/loss of color. It seems to be be great on the recovery road as it has doubled its color since a month and half ago when I got it. I also have a S. Gig and the color that they can get IMO and it seems in other peoples eyes is the intensity of the light which brings out the colors the most and makes them what they are. My Mag looks to have very bright green coming out of the tips compared to its purple tentacles which once full recovered I'm sure is going to make him pop out way more than the gig I have I'm betting

Also mine has not moved more than an inch from the orig. location I put him at. Its more of the settings they get put in like great flow/light and peak of the rockwork not touching anything like the glass/rockwall that keeps them in place it seems.

Mine never balls up unless I am doing a water change and for some reason am messing with the nem, he doesn't even ball up when getting fed. He moves it in without doing that.

I love Mags and Gigs equally as they both have what I want in a carpet nem, larger in size/color/tentacle length that sways and finally a natural home for my clowns. Also a uncommon/rare creature in my tank for many years to come:fun4:

Conrad
 
all depends when it comes to color. there are some plain looking mags out there. there are also some that have amazing color. mine have vibrant yellow tentacles with a purple base. vibrant yellow is a rare thing in terms of zooxanthellae containing creatures(usually it ends up being a dirty yellow). compare that to a gig, blue is probably the most unique color form, and there are blue mushrooms that have brighter color IMO.
 
I think the biggest issue is size. They are large animals. They are also demanding in terms of light and flow. Aside from that, they are usually hardy and will asexually reproduce in tanks fairly commonly.

I wouldn't say they are less colorful than S. gigantea. They can be some of the most colorful of the clown anemones.
 
I personally rank magnifica as the most challenging of all the host species to keep. They're also my favorite of all the host species. I don't see them balling up as a negative. I actually think it's kinda cool. Other species do it as well. Doreensis, quadracolor, even my crucifer does it occasionally. Their tentacles typically aren't as colorful as some other anemones, but their column can be incredibly colorful.
 
Some color morphs of H. magnifica:

magn1.jpg


magn2.jpg


magn3.jpg


magn4.jpg


magn5.jpg


magn6.jpg


magn7.jpg


magn8.jpg
 
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Hey bonsai.. Assuming these are dive photos? see that protruding mouth there in the 3rd photo..? ;)
 
Those are some nice photos! Thank you for sharing those.
Like you guys, Magnifica is one of my, it not the most, sought after and prized of marine specimens. I've been looking for a healthy specimen for over 4 years.
I'd take a healthy mag over any LE SPS without batting an eye.
 
IME, once you find a healthy specimen and provide them with the proper conditions, they are actually very resilient. I have had mine for about 5-6 years. In that time it has been shredded twice in a powerhead and recovered completely both times. There is a guard on the powerhead, but sometimes if falls/or gets pushed off.
 
the blue one is really stunning. but the balls--eh

In the wild, they ball up like that at sunset. Don't know why. Most of the time they re-open at night but sometimes they stay balled up. During the day you don't often see them balled up.
 
Sign me up for one of these:

magn7.jpg


I personally like the balled up look. I want to setup a species tank for these some day.
 
In the wild, they ball up like that at sunset. Don't know why. Most of the time they re-open at night but sometimes they stay balled up. During the day you don't often see them balled up.

Mine balls up every night for about 15 minutes or so when the lights kick off.

In last month or so I've been running LED's to extend my viewing hours. They flip on just before main lights off. When the halides kick off the nem balls up immediately, then returns to normal form in that same 15 minute window.

I dig it when it balls.
 
I dig it when it balls.

You must have a big tank :) I agree when they ball up they look really cool - as long as you have the room for them. In the wild you can find some that are as big as beach balls.

When they ball up, if they host a lot of clowns, the clowns are sometimes left stranded outside the anemone. They try to stay up by the tentacles but sometimes they have to hide around the base. During the day the clowns are much more free-swimming. In fact, the easiest way to find these guys in the wild is to look for clownfish in the water column - they hover one or two feet up from the anemone. When you get close they dive down into the anemone which is why so many photos show scared clowns peaking out of tentacles. However they don't always stay so close if you back off a little.
 
That green one is just wild I would love to have one that color. Maybe when I get my 200 up and going I will see if I can order a green one like that.
 
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