New mertens

[adtravels]

Unfortunately for me a couple of my old clowns jumped a few months ago a few weeks apart when I was using an autofeeder. I was pretty down and traded my mag at this point an have been running sps but soon got the anemone bug again. I cleared the tank and put in some new rock and waited, I had been looking for a gig again.

I stumbled upon this in a shop i visit and they had another that was 75cm across, it was the biggest anemone I have seen in a shop.

The one I bought was smaller and they were the first ones I had ever seen here in 10 years.

 

[OrionN]

A purple Mertensii. What a find. Best of luck.

 

[joshky]

Great find! What kind of clowns are you planning on getting for it?

 

[adtravels]

Thanks, Minh
The colour is strange, I cant work it out. It will probs end up brown when acclimated. I will see as it fully expands. It has a green hue around the mouth and white tips to the tentacles.
As for clowns I will see. I am considering some A. Sandaracinos, A. ocellearis or A. Allakopsis.

The anemone is in rude health. It has eaten sunk its foot. I am working on making it face the front of the tank with some additional rock placement.

 

[OrionN]

Brown? Looks purple to me. I guess it is the actinic color? I can see the white tips

 

[adtravels]

Don't get me wrong. I think it is purple i have not color adjusted thr images. But they are under led's!

 

[cali9dub]

You'll love it. Mertens are awesome, but grow SO fast !!

 

[Winwood]

Great looking specimen! Congrats

 

[taylor t]

Nice! I am interested to see how it progresses. I have a mertens it had green tents, with a green mouth (s) ...(5 years ago) few years later, it's tents are all brown (orange tips) with green mouths (flourescent)... about 10 of them... White stripes are from stress... For me, once acclimated, super bulletproof! Easier to keep happy than softies... I'm looking forward to see how the purple color keeps. Update please!

 

[adtravels]

Here we are after a few days of settling in.. Twice as big, eating and looking mean. there will be no coral in the tank and I have added a pair of WC ocellaris.
They settled in immediately and have been eating more and more each feed.

 

[Reef1589]

This is gorgeous ive alwayed wanted a merts

 

[Winwood]

I really like your setup for it. It looks happy.

 

[cali9dub]

Cover your powerheads!! I left a cover off of mine one day and that is the one day my mertens decided to walk right into it. Devastating loss. When you least expect it....expect it !!

 

[Mirror Pond]

Great setup and nice mertens. I have never seen a mertens for sale at a LFS around here.

 

[adtravels]

Thanks for the comments,

The 6095's are on their lowest settings on a long slow pulse to give the surge I need.

None of the rocks are touching the walls. I may cover them.

It is currently a 10 x 7 inch oval shape. In my experience of wild specimens they usually take an oval form.

 

[Winwood]

Cover your powerheads!! I left a cover off of mine one day and that is the one day my mertens decided to walk right into it. Devastating loss. When you least expect it....expect it !!

That's odd. I have never experienced much movement in any of the specimens I've kept. Did something trigger the move?

 

[adtravels]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL8ImUpiork

Here are the new additions and the anemone is doning well, I have not directly fed it much.

 

[blackgate]

Very nice, love the flow settings on that tank

 

[cali9dub]

That's odd. I have never experienced much movement in any of the specimens I've kept. Did something trigger the move?

Wish I knew. It stayed put for six months, then just got on the move. Something must have happened it didn't like. Nothing I recall though. Usually my nems are great indicators when something is going wrong in the tank. This one gave no warning, just got on his horse and rode!!