Purple LTA Day 1

[Dwarfpufferfish]

Well I have finally found the anemone that I wanted for my 65. It is a purple LTA. (picture bellow)

Tanks Specs:
3 years old
125+ lbs live rock
all params normal
tons of mushrooms/zoos
a few torch/frogspawn type corals
misc. other corals

When it settles and looks happy I am going to get a pair of clowns to keep it company. Maybe some skunks or caps (if I can find them).

It seems like it is doing okay so far in the dark sand. I will keep updating as things develop.

 

[GSMguy]

looks good keep it fed well great color

 

[Dwarfpufferfish]

The color is the main reason I bought this one... I hope it keeps it!

 

[TOURKID]

beautiful color!!

 

[davocean]

Looks really nice, especially for day one.

 

[Dwarfpufferfish]

Well, this tank has had an osc. I raised from birth in it that has ignored all substitute hosts (such as hammers, frogspawn, torch, zoos, shrooms, long tenticle plates) and with in hours of putting in the LTA he jumped right in!

Sadly, he will be finding a new home once I find the clowns I really want for this tank.

As a side note, the osc. has had a 100% attitude change, he used to be agressive and attack my hand while in the tank, now he just runs to the LTA. I guess he feels safer now!

 

[davocean]

While occs are not my favorite, I gotta say the contrast between the two looks beautiful.
And, you got a occ that's taking to your nem.
I'd keep it, especially if you had it since birth.

 

[GSMguy]

that is really cool when its right its right

 

[TOURKID]

they dont call em clowns fer nuthin

course.. the only time my maroon LEAVES her nem is to bite me lol

 

[Dwarfpufferfish]

Well I have another tank with a breeding pair of occs. I want to try my hand at breeding other clowns like the skunk or even caps.. I know its a great thing for occs to pair up with a nem, but for some odd reason, I have never had a problem with that.

I even have a pair living in a host condy. My occs seem to want to live in a nem, no matter what type! but I am going to keep this occs with the LTA until it gets big enough to support a pair of larger clowns...

Who knows, I might go out and find another nem, and put this one in another smaller tank and let the occs enjoy its new found home!

Also, the wife saw the purple LTA and said "I want a tank full of them next to my bed with a bunch of clowns", so are LTA's able to exist in groups? I bought this one from a LFS that had it, a green, and a brown LTA all in a smaller tank and they were bundled up. I know that what happens in a LFS is not always ideal, but is that something I could eventually do for my wife? Something like a 30 with 5 or so LTAs?

 

[GSMguy]

LTA gets 22inches side to side so they would need a big tank to have a bunch
there are nice blue ones out there as well could mix colors

 

[davocean]

Having more than one LTA in a tank wouldn't be a problem, except that they get pretty big.
Mine is about 20" in diameter, hard to keep it from touching stuff.
usually having more than one pair of clowns doesn't work, but I guess if you have occs from the same brood you may have luck, but I personally wouldn't put more than one pair of clowns and one nem in a 30.

 

[RedSonja]

Gorgeous anemone! Congrats on the find!

-Sonja

 

[davocean]

Uh, yeah, gorgeous!
Nem looks good too!LOL

 

[Willie_6]

Why would you kick the guy out of his house??? I would love for my ocellaris to host. Are LTA's natural hosts for ocellaris? I might try that. I know carpets are natural hosts, but I was worried about it getting to big for my tank. LTA might be just what I am looking for.

 

[Willie_6]

After further research it appears LTA are not natural hosts for percs:

http://www.petsolutions.com/Colored+Ultra+Long+Tent+Anemone-I-151800L-I-C-16110-C-.aspx

Lucky!! I am sooo jealous.

 

[dodo99]

Willie_6, that website isn't showing an LTA (M. Dor.), look s like a condy to me.

 

[Willie_6]

Unless I am missing something, it does say it is a long tentacle anemone. The picture may not be accurate, but the description is clearly for a LTA. I have also looked at LTA's from several other sites and they all do not list the LTA as a natural host for the ocellaris.

 

[illcssd]

The lta is not a natural host for a ocellaris, but alot of times they will readily host them. The picture on that website is of a condalactis anemone. AkA condy. But yours is a lta. M. dorensiss. And a very beautiful one at that.

 

[Dwarfpufferfish]

Well the reason I want to kick him out of his home is that I already have a few occs in a nem. I want something differant.

When I was talking about getting multiple nems for a 30, I only want one pair of clowns, and if the LTAs get that big, maybe just 2 or 3... Or I might be able to sell her on GBTA/RBTA combos!