LTA hiding

[BlindZide]

Hey guys. I recently got a LTA on Saturday. Purple foot with green Tentacles. Looked great in the store. Mouth was closed and foot looked to be good. I have fed it so I know it eats.

Ok, on to my question. Last night it was on a rock facing the front of the tank. This is where I put it when I put it in. It stayed there until last night. I woke up this morning to find it missing. I looked around all edges of the rocks and nothing. So I began taking the rock work apart and found it on the same rock I originally put it on but it was inside a cave. Any idea why?

Params -

Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 10
pH - 8.1
P04 - 0
Temp - 78.7

 

[nemmy]

Are you sure its an LTA? If so it may be making its way to the sand that's where they like to dwell. A magnifica anemone can be mislabeled as an LTA though so can a bubble tip. So either its trying to find sand or its hiding itself from flow or lighting. Give it some time and see what it does. Cover your powerheads and try to grab a picture for an ID.

 

[davocean]

I was thinking same, this is what the foot/base should look like, and if it is an LTA it will want to be in sand bed.

 

[sh0ck]

Yes as already mentioned - LTA is sand anemone, it likes to burrow into sand and retract when scared - 4"+ of sand to be happy.
Or big enough cave in rock can work.

 

[BlindZide]

I turned the rock that is was on around this morning before I left for work and it got off and began moving along the sand. I come home from work and now it is on a rock at the back of the tank. Sorry for the bad pic but its the best I could get with it on the back of my rock work. Foot is def purple. At LFS it was on the glass toward the top.

 

[davocean]

Tentacles are not best for positive ID, but just looking at that it does not look typical of an LTA, and they will go to sand as long as it is deep enough and light is decent.
Of course a sharper pic would help, but know how that goes.

 

[BlindZide]

Thinking Ritteri nem then? Its the only other one it looks like.

 

[nemmy]

The blunt squared ends of the tentacles make me think magnifica/ritteri. I'm not going 100% with that but it would be my guess with the blunt tentacles, being on the rocks, and the purple foot. Only other thing similar would be a bubble tip they can rarely have a purple foot but the tentacles are all wrong.

 

[BlindZide]

Here is the foot. It has now moved from the back toward the front but still in the shade. My lights are better than the LFS so maybe it is hiding from the light.

 

[nemmy]

Thinking that's just an awesome colored bubble tip. The column looks smooth with no "warts" on it. Ritteri/magnifica have fait warts under the oral disc.

Unless you see these:

 

[BlindZide]

I don't recall seeing those but I am kinda confused about the bubble tip. Where are the bubble tips?

 

[nemmy]

Bubble tip anemones lose their bubbles in a lot of peoples tanks. Its unknown why.

 

[BlindZide]

This thing wont stop moving. I came home from work and found it on my WP25. Turned it off, got him off, and put him some place safe. Left the 25 off and he got his foot again. Turned the 25 back on and went out to eat. Came back and it again had moved and was floating around the tank. What do I do?