Stichodactyla mertensii
- Thread starter taylor t
- Start date
taylor t
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Thanks guys. Yes, they rip them off constantly and eat them. They only really rip them off around the mouth, they don't do this around the edge. This has gone on for a long time now. Originally, few years ago, after it recovered from shipping and intro, it did have longer tents around the mouth. Now it's bald in that area. Doesn't seem to affect it's health, but I've been thinking of changing clowns because of this. They for sure think they own the tank, all 3 of them. Tank is 210. The anemone never shrinks, although last week it did, first time, it spawned. The anemone is a confirmed male... I took some tank water and dumped it into my 75 gallon gig tank, Just for kicks, maybe they can cross breed like Minh & Tom's gadonni's... Doubt it... But worth a shot. I went down at 1am, tank was very cloudy. I emptied the skimmer every couple hours through the night, and by morning, tank was clear, couldn't even tell the event took place, other than I watched it happen, and the anemone was smaller than normal. Coral polyps were hyper extended during the spawn event. Anemone shrank from 2' down to 1'. After one day, it was back to normal size.
Reefahholic
New member
Very nice!
taylor t
New member
Great minds think alike.
I was thinking of just regular pink skunks, I think they'd be easier to find. I really like Deepsea's skunks, after seeing theirs, I thought it looks really nice. I may call Mitch to see what he's got, I know he's the clown man.210 is the main tank. Starting in the sump, the return pumps up to a 20 long above the 210, that is dark all the time, but has 4 inches of crushed coral, and sponge growing on the substrate. Sponge almost covers the bottom now. That overflows into the 210. THen the 210 overflows into a 40 breeder, with a skimmer, and liverock (dark no light) then that flows into another 40 breeder that I use as a fuge. Then the pump does it's job, sends it back to the dark 20 long up high, repeat.
I'm ashamed to tell... I know I'm horrible...
My tanks are the farthest thing from complex. My temps range, I've seen it as low as 74 degrees with polar vortex weather. Usually, it's 78-84 degrees. It's a wide range, I know. I aim for 80-82, but I've seen it as high as 85-6 before.
I don't use filter socks (I used to), I don't use dosers, reactors, CO2 tanks, etc. I have them all, I don't use them. I manually add 2 part in the morning before I head out the door. Once in a while, I add mag, maybe once a month?... I clean my skimmer cup when it's full. The skimmer is an old euroreef CS180 with an eheim 1260 pump motor-not fancy. That's my filtration. I only test for KH, and once in a while calcium. I haven't tested for mag in a long time, but do add some once in a while, depending on what the KH part of the 2 part looks like when I add it. KH ranges, as low as 7, but I try for 9. The anemone really looks the best with higher KH. Top off is RO water, sometimes I add kalk when I get red slime or other things growing. Calcium is around 420 last checked a few weeks ago.
I'm horrible at keeping up with things, I know.
Lights have varied over the years. The mertens started out, I think, under LED, then added T5. For the past year+ it has had 250 watt MH with Geiseman megachrome 10K lamps. I have only one 250 MH in the center, with DIY LED on both sides, supplemented with T5 right now.
If you look, I have other threads with this anemone. Some of the pictures I've posted it looks green, and now that you mention it, it has changed in the color. I just like the look of it under the 10K MH lights, it just overall looks healthier. In some of my earlier pictures, you will see it does have longer tents by the mouth. Not anymore due to the clowns eating it every day.
taylor t
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Thanks!
SNAKEMANVET
PREMIUM MEMBER
That is a awesome anemone.How long have you had it.
taylor t
New member
Thanks! I can't remember exactly, but my guess would be 2009? I think I have a thread somewhere, it may say.
taylor t
New member
I have (2) 40 breeders that are drilled and silicone together as a fuge. Here is the one on the right, with my skimmer.
Here is the fuge and return on the left. Freshly cleaned out, another couple weeks, it will be full of plants. Dump, repeat.
20 long in back. The 10 gallon on the right is a qt tank, not tied to the system.
Sponge growing along the bottom of the 20 RDSB.
Here is the fuge and return on the left. Freshly cleaned out, another couple weeks, it will be full of plants. Dump, repeat.
20 long in back. The 10 gallon on the right is a qt tank, not tied to the system.
Sponge growing along the bottom of the 20 RDSB.
taylor t
New member
FTS from today.
Three anemone's total in the tank, that I'm aware of...
My, what I consider, a malu. I've had this guy for a few years too.
I haven't had this guy long, maybe 2 months? It's only been in the tank since end of march maybe? It's been in captivity for, I'm guessing, 2 years? I'm reefer #3 to have this guy. It's not doing as well as it looks.
Here's this morning around 7am. Light time is from 10am to midnight, so this is towards the end of the dark cycle. It's got some white patches, they don't show up with lights on.
This guy got a little burned, it touched the gig when I first introduced it. I since moved them apart a little more.
Three anemone's total in the tank, that I'm aware of...
My, what I consider, a malu. I've had this guy for a few years too.
I haven't had this guy long, maybe 2 months? It's only been in the tank since end of march maybe? It's been in captivity for, I'm guessing, 2 years? I'm reefer #3 to have this guy. It's not doing as well as it looks.
Here's this morning around 7am. Light time is from 10am to midnight, so this is towards the end of the dark cycle. It's got some white patches, they don't show up with lights on.
This guy got a little burned, it touched the gig when I first introduced it. I since moved them apart a little more.
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taylor t
New member
So this guy has been acting a bit off lately. It has been opening up, (almost like a scrape on a sidewalk to us), and sending out these little curly Q balls, then closing up. Here is one from this morning. It's at about 4-5 o'clock from the mouth in the picture.
Here's from today. It looks to be scrunched up a bit more than usual.
Here's all 3 today. Only thing that has gone on, is my hairy mushrooms nuked a porcillapora sps coral, it got brown jelly, I tried to break off the stuff that had it, but the whole coral got it quick, died, and I left it in the tank. IT lost the battle with the mushrooms. It's the only thing I can think that's gone on. Everything else looks fine. Levels are all where they normally are. Water changes have been light the past couple months, but I'm trying to get back on task.
Here's from today. It looks to be scrunched up a bit more than usual.
Here's all 3 today. Only thing that has gone on, is my hairy mushrooms nuked a porcillapora sps coral, it got brown jelly, I tried to break off the stuff that had it, but the whole coral got it quick, died, and I left it in the tank. IT lost the battle with the mushrooms. It's the only thing I can think that's gone on. Everything else looks fine. Levels are all where they normally are. Water changes have been light the past couple months, but I'm trying to get back on task.
taylor t
New member
Thanks Pete!
Mertens has made improvements in it's appearance, the chocolates were really impacting how it looked. It seems overall "better". I'm in the process of removing all my KH hungry corals.
Mertens tents are looking longer with out the chocolates eating it's tents every day.
I think it's looking like they are growing a little better. In removing some corals, the large rock above it crushed it's foot, or rather is now resting on it's foot. The foot is so big, there's a gap between the rocks, the anemone is actually holding the two rocks above it. I put the big rock on the top to keep it from tumbling forward. This thing is a beast!
And instead of peppering the other thread with pics, here's a picture of the 2 of 7 gigs I would consider "well acclimated", not just "stable". The left blue was not a cut, and the green in the 75 was not cut. The right blue was cut, but seems to have acclimated, but in the back of my mind, I know it was cut, so it doesn't get the "well acclimated" label from me.
Closer pic. Those middle tents are quite long.
I think I need to start thinking of space issues coming soon.
