Malu vs. Crispa

[RLeclerc]

Whats they physical difference between these to anemones? i tried to research but they look the same to me.

 

[Reefvette]

Its funny

Its funny

One anemone two months ago that was brownish green with purple tips and white base, typical crispa.

I placed an order from BZA and got a anemone that looked nothing alike.

 

[jasonrp104]

Malus tend to have more color and they have stubby, pointed tentacles. I believe they don't get as large as a crispa.

That's off the top of my head but there are a few here who could give you a much better answer

 

[davocean]

^^ Actually that's pretty much about it, maybe less light needy is all I'd add.
8-10" max, and stay in sand bed same as crispa.
I'm real happy w/ mine.
Only bummer is they seem to be harder to find sometimes.

 

[jasonrp104]

I kind of wish I went malu. My crispa takes up about a third of my 45

 

[RLeclerc]

i tried to google the pictures but they all look the same. i hate to be a pain but can i get some aid with the visuals? thanks in advanced!

 

[elegance coral]

The columns of these two anemones are completely different. Crispa has a very fat leathery column. Malu has a skinny, more delicate column. With some individuals, it can be next to impossible to tell them apart from the oral disk alone.

 

[RLeclerc]

ahh nice id hate to buy a crispa thinking it was a malu pics still would be nice!

 

[davocean]

^^Yep, especially small ones, in fact some sites I looked at only said sebae, when I was pretty certain they were Malu.
Sometimes there are rings/stripes on Malu tents, but not always.
I'll look for pics of some I found that I saved.

 

[elegance coral]

This is one of the malu's that can be difficult to distinguish from crispa. There are fewer tentacles than crispa, but the easiest way to tell them apart is the column. This anemone had its foot stuck in a hole in the rock that was about 1 1/4" in diameter. A crispa this size would not be able to fit its foot into such a small hole.

 

[RLeclerc]

oh so its the crispa that i want... i like the one with more tentacles. and i understand the crispa get huge?

 

[Toddrtrex]

oh so its the crispa that i want... i like the one with more tentacles. and i understand the crispa get huge?

I had one many many many years ago, it took up about 1/3 of my 75.

 

[RLeclerc]

whoaaa! maybe malu is where its at then!

 

[elegance coral]

whoaaa! maybe malu is where its at then!

LOL. Ya, crispa does get much larger than malu. I had a crispa, somewhere around 16". Malu is arguably the smallest of the host species.

 

[RLeclerc]

i dnt want a tiny nem though do u noe its usual radius?

 

[davocean]

Yeah, this is my crispa, max'd at 2'

 

[davocean]

Here are some other Malu pics I had saved(not mine, and I think Orion is the owner of the purple and yellow together)
Mine was about 3-4" when I got it about 4 months ago, now it's close to 8", good size for me and my clowns.

 

[Big E]

That red one is mine

 

[elegance coral]

i dnt want a tiny nem though do u noe its usual radius?

They're reported to get about 8" in the wild. The one I had (still going strong in a friends tank) can reach about 10" on a good day.