Mertens?

[Mirror Pond]

I picked this up from a LFS that took it in from a customer. It was hosting a pink or orange skunk clownfish so I took a chance that it was an S. Mertenensii. I've never seen one in person so please correct me if it is something different.

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[D-Nak]

Tentacles look right, but it could very well be a haddoni or very ****ed off gigantea. Does it have orange or brown or red verrucae? They should start as dots at the top near the oral disk and become lines or even connect at the end of the foot.

 

[Mirror Pond]

That's the issue, it doesn't have any colored verrucae but the tentacles and the folds look right for a mertens. I also placed it on the bottom of the tank next to a rock and it immediately climbed and attached to the top of the rock. I have two gigantea and a haddoni in the same tank and have owned many others and it does not look anything like any of them.

 

[Cliving1]

Whatever it is, thats a sweet pickup. Post more pics when possible

 

[Ron Popeil]

more pics dave!

 

[Mirror Pond]

Mertens?

I put it in my small additional tank that's plumbed into my main tank in case I have to remove and treat it. This tank acts as a refugium and houses some of my other anemones but it collects a lot of algae and doesn't look so great. Here's a few additional pictures. These were taken under a SB reef light with the blue channel off.

One with a little blue added.

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[D-Nak]

I don’t think it’s a mertensii. The foot looks too big in comparison to the oral disk, and there’s no sign of colored verrucae. All of the merts I’ve seen have brightly colored verrucae.

 

[OrionN]

It does not look like a Mertensii to me either. The foot is too big for the oral plate and the coloration of the column is not typical for Mertensii. However, the coloration of the tentacles seem most like Mertensii.
Take this with a pound of salt since I never keep a Mertensii. Only pictures and about 4 in real life at LFS. Never really observe this species closely as the speices that I keep.

 

[Mirror Pond]

Thanks for the opinions, I agree that it doesn't fit the mertensii descriptions that I have read about. It still wasn't a bad deal for a purpleish haddoni.

 

[WatDatThing]

I thought haddoni only stay in the substrate. It is beautiful.

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[D-Nak]

I thought haddoni only stay in the substrate. It is beautiful.

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While we typically think of haddoni as sand dwellers, I've seen exceptions in our tanks. When acclimating, they tend to move a lot, and some may end up temporarily in the rockwork while looking for a more permanent location. Furthermore, I've seen many small haddoni attach to the rocks. It may be that when they get bigger they move down into the substrate.

 

[LesMartin]

How did this pan out ? I have pictures from a European dealer of an Ultra Stichodactyls Ice Blue. It's pricey and they are good with a camera so I'm hesitant. It's not a regular blue haddoni thats for sure but I'd hate for it to turn up and be gray mertens....

 

[nemmy]

While we typically think of haddoni as sand dwellers, I've seen exceptions in our tanks. When acclimating, they tend to move a lot, and some may end up temporarily in the rockwork while looking for a more permanent location. Furthermore, I've seen many small haddoni attach to the rocks. It may be that when they get bigger they move down into the substrate.

I've had a haddoni for years. When I moved I ditched my sand and stayed bare bottom. He don't care at all.

For not having brains they sure do have varying "personalities."

 

[Mirror Pond]

How did this pan out ? I have pictures from a European dealer of an Ultra Stichodactyls Ice Blue. It's pricey and they are good with a camera so I'm hesitant. It's not a regular blue haddoni thats for sure but I'd hate for it to turn up and be gray mertens....

I turned out to be a very pretty purple haddoni. I sold all my anemones a while back so I don't have a current picture but I'll try to find one from before I sold it.

 

[Mirror Pond]

Its the purple haddoni in front.

 

[LesMartin]

Thanks. I decided to give it a miss in the end. Pic below: