Ritteri died what now?

mike126

New member
A week ago my nem got sucked into my powerhead and i got it out but it just seemed to be declining so i moved it to my qt tank and it just seemed life less so i tossed it... but now my clowns just sit in the same spot that the nem was and they look sad... are they going to be ok? should i get another nem?
 
well, let us know more about your tank. Ritteri anemones (heteractis magnifia) can be some of the most difficult inhabitants anyone could ever keep in captivity.
 
Re: Ritteri died what now?

Clowns in captivity will be just fine without an anemone.

Avoid Ritteri/H. magnifica.

As requested provide some data on your system, a BTA may be in reach.
 
well the tank is a 55gallon it has 4x54w t5, aqua c urchant pro skimmer. has around 90lbs of live rock 40lbs of live sand it has been running for over a year now temp stays around 77 ph around 8.1. the only thing i have had a problem with over the past 6months was the calcium and alk levals, alk was 4dkh calcium was around 560 but has come down due to the change of salt from oceanic to instant ocean. i have had the nem for about a year and a half always did fine up until about 4months ago when it started to decrese in size i thought it was because it had moved it self onto the glass right in front of my return from the sump. I also due weekley water change of 5 gallons..
 
Sad to hear, but fairly common an occurence with magnifica.

A 55gal with T5s is a good candidate for BTAs, E. quadricolor. Make sure the heater, power head, and filter intakes are covered. They tend to wander a bit as well.

Good luck.
 
Thanks alot for your help what about a seabay? also do you now why it would of shrank like that? when i first got it thing was the size of a softball when it died was probly around the size of a golfball, i dont know....
 
They shrink as they consume themselves, i.e. starvation. IME, T5's would need to be well ventilated and changed at 6month intervals to support magnifica. It would also want to be directly fed appropriate meaty foods every 2-3 days.

Magnifica is quite touchy, most frequently they are dead in weeks. On occassion they hang in there for 9-15 months of slow starvation even when fed frequently. Then there are the specimens that grow like wild fire and get 18-24" across in the first year and live for many years. Have had at least one of all the above situations, in the same system no less. So little rhyme and reason, I refuse to spend money on them anymore.

In the business, most "sebae" anemones are stressed H. crispa. Less frequently H. malu or M. doreensis.

H. crispa will recover well if given a chance, they tend to prefer attaching to rock under the sand, but some will tolerate a rock pile.

For a 55gal mixed environment, BTAs are a far better selection in my opinion.
 
Sebae would be possible but with how difficult it is to find a good healthy specimen I would really opt for E. Quadricolor because they are so much easier to keep and ship a whole lot better. IMO, I only see a sebae anemone worth buying only about once or twice a year.
My experience has been the same as Traveller 7 on magnifica's.
 
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