purple LTA \condylactys?

[salt no pepper]

I just bought what I believe to be a Purple LTA 3 days ago. How do you distinguish LTA from condylactys anemone? both look very similar to me.

Also, I place mine on the top rock work to be closer to the light before reading that they prefer to be placed in sb. He hasn't move since putting him there. He is attached and appears to be happy. Is this that critical to be in the sb and will my LTA die being on the rock? how do I get it to the sb? I've read from other sites that they don't require MH and they are the easier anemone to keep. He seems to be fine and is eating and doesn't mind the moderate current. What is the likelyhood of my clowns accepting the anenome? Is there adequate lighting for him?

Also, for about 6 months I been having huge probs with green hair algae!!! whats up!!!!!
Ive been battling this and no solution.
the algae has been suffocating my corals and my live rocks is starting to turn white in some areas.
I do see some new coralline algae growth on the glass and other areas though lately. Not as often as before. coralline algea used to flourish in my tank when I first started.
I change about 10 gal /week for the past 6 months
bulbs were changed early this year. I added cheato to my sump to consume extra nutrients too!!!

here is my setup, feedback is appreciated.

started in Nov '04

72 gal bf
20 gal sump no bioballs
260watts corallife 10000K cf ( are on for about 10hrs/day)
temp 75F

ph-8.3
kh(carbonate)-?
po4- 0- 0.1ppm
ammonia- 0-0.1mg/l
nitrates- 5mg/l
sg- 1.024
calcium-420mg/l

2 captive b clowns 2"
1 regal tang 5"
1 goby
1 bicolor angel 3"
1 cleaner shrimp
3 snails
1 urchin
bunch of mushrooms
greenstar polyps
zoos
hammerhead coral

 

[dantodd]

no real idea why all the green hair.

As for the anemone. You do not have sufficient light for an LTA in that tank. CF do not penetrate water very well and a 72bf is 22" deep not a good combination. I don't know of any condy that is purple though others may be able to confirm that as I have little experience with non-hosting anemones. Quite often purple LTA are H. crispa though I've heard of (never seen one in person) some purple M. doreensis. the fact that it is on the rocks is also an indication it is more likely crispa.

If you want it to have any chance at survival you will need to significantly upgrade your lighting. I would suggest looking in the for sale forum for 250w metal halides or iwasaki lights. I've also heard a lot of good things about T-5s lately but wouldn't know how many watts to recommend and bulb selection is a little more complicated than other systems.

 

[JahReefster]

When my live rock started bleaching back in the day when I was a newbie it was because I'd let my alk get way low. That's where I'd start... get a test kit and see what's up with that.

 

[raoul]

http://www.marinedepotlive.com/long...-macrodactyla-doreensis-inverts-anemones.html

Does your nem look like the one in this link? You should be able to click on the pic for a larger look see.

I have a crispa, and it prefers to stay closer to the bottom, but I think M. doreensis do like to be higher on the rocks - I could be confusing it with some of the many other anemonies out there though!

We've been fighting hair algae for quite some time - too long to mention! I know how frustrating it is, so I hope you find your answer soon! Our phosphates are always high, so we know what's feeding the algae, we just haven't been successful in lowering the phosphates down to a good level. We do have some more things to try (better skimmer, and sump for macro) and hope they get done soon!
Good luck!

 

[theop]

Phosphates are often the cause of hair algae problems.

1. What type of water are you using to make SW and for top-off. Anything less than RO+DI and you're likely to have too much phosphate in the water. If you do have DI already, check your water TDS (should read zero) - it may be time to replace your DI resin.

2. What do you feed? There is phosphate in foods, especially the "juice" of frozen cube food. Rinse any frozen food before you put it in the tank.

3. A phosphate absorbing media can be helpful. For a small tank it can be placed in a filter bag. For a bigger tank, a phosphate reactor is a good idea. Rowaphos, phosban, etc are good media and DrsFosterSmith.com has their own house brand.

 

[r00onmac]

if it has attached to the rock and looks happy then i doubt its an LTA (M. Doreensis) because they like about 4" of sand around their foot...

 

[dantodd]

M. doreensis are sand dwelling anemones while H. crispa will go onto rocks when they are in lower light environments.

Since your phosphates are low I don't really know what is causing the outbreak. You might try a LOT of ceriths and/or mexican hermits.

 

[theop]

Forgot to mention... even if phosphates measure low on a test kit they can be the cause of algae growth. I've read that the algae will take them up from the water and therefore the test reading will be low.

If you can, test your top-off water for phosphates.

 

[raoul]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7996715#post7996715 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dantodd
M. doreensis are sand dwelling anemones while H. crispa will go onto rocks when they are in lower light environments.

Since your phosphates are low I don't really know what is causing the outbreak. You might try a LOT of ceriths and/or mexican hermits.

Mine has been in rocks before, but mostly low lying ones that are just there. Prefers being close to the sand. I can usually tell when my lights are starting to get old, because it stretches up tall towards the light instead of stretching out horizontally.

I think it's amazing how we can have the same kind of animal, and have completely different experiences. I guess that shows that as much as we try to make our aquariums like a tiny ocean, it's just not the same. I think once you take an animal from the wild and put it in an aquarium, most of the things we know about them from the wild are not guarentees for tank life, just good starting points. Just like the sebae and sand vs rock. In the wild these are sand dwelling creatures. In our tanks, they'll do what suits them best. Mine has been comfortable in the sand, and in the rocks, but never on a rock, it's always had a feeling that the foot was protected.

Just my 2c! I have to say though, that if the anemone in question is the same as the picture in the link, that's a beautiful specimen. Good find, and happy reefing!

 

[dantodd]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7997778#post7997778 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by raoul
Mine has been in rocks before, but mostly low lying ones that are just there. Prefers being close to the sand. I can usually tell when my lights are starting to get old, because it stretches up tall towards the light instead of stretching out horizontally.

Sounds like pretty typical crispa behavior to me.

 

[Clarkii Clowns]

I personally don't think it was a bad idea purchasing an anemone with the tank in its present condition. To rid the algae and get the tank water parameters you will be adjusting the water chemistry and with a new anemone in there isn't a good idea. As you know they require pristine water conditions as well as the right substrate in the LTA's and other sand dwelling anemones case. I would if it were me feel the best thing for this delicate creature would be to return it and get the tank back up to scratch, get the water quality top notch and all perms in check and try to illiminate the problematic algae.

 

[raoul]

It's ironic that we're talking about a nems preference of rock and sand. Mine moved around some this week. I thought it had settled in, but it moved again last night. I'm happy with the spot it's chosen, and it's only moved a few inches either way. It's being well behaved and staying on its side of the rock barrier

We played with the skimmer earlier in the week, and it didn't like the flow, so it pulled out of the rock it was securely embedded in and moved a few inches forward burying its foot in the sand. The rock wasn't huge, and it was nestled between a big rock and the glass. Well, today, I guess it wanted it's old spot back, and the skimmer has calmed down some, so it moved a few inches back. We moved the rock it was in so now there's just sand. It seems perfectly content there, but it's attached to the big rock under the sand. I guess it just can't make up its mind whether it wants sand or rock! :rollface: Must like them both!

This is the most it's moved in the 1 1/2 years we've had it!

 

[salt no pepper]

right now my LTA is hunkered in a rock, sheltering its foot.
My guy is a pale beautiful purple, not like the one Raoul sent.
What are some obvious diffs between LTA and condylactys

 

[raoul]

Don't forget, there's a couple different anemonies that get lumped into the LTA category, so it might be hard to give you differences between the two. I think your best shot at getting an ID is to post a picture. You may also be able to search online for pictures of ones that look like yours if you don't have access to a camera.
Another thought comes to mind though, if it's pale it could be in the process of bleaching, so color may not be the best way of identifying at this time.
I'm sure this post has cleared up many things for you since it's as clear as mud
Sorry I can't be more help, someone with more knowledge will hopefully jump in.

 

[raoul]

http://www.saltcorner.com/sections/zoo/inverts/softcorals/anemones/Mdoreensis.htm

Since I was so helpful in my last post, I thought I'd try another picture to see if that helps.
It's an M. doreensis, and as you can see, its foot is an orange color, which I understand is an identifying characteristic for these guys.
What color is the foot of your anemone's foot?