A
Len":2yr9g3w8 said:How big is that maroon? If that's a H.magnifica, it makes it look tiny!
Nicely composed, BTW
She's a solid 5" long, maybe closing on 5.5" by now, and close to an inch thick. If she rams your hand while it's in the tank, she can actually push your hand to the side (and leave a nice welt from her bite! 8O ). Her male is just over 2". Question...as the male slowly grows, do I have to worry about them becoming 'unmated'? I was worried for a bit when they stopped spawning.
After talking to a whole bunch of people and reading several books, I'm almost positive the anemone is a Stichodactyla Gigantea and not a magnifica. When I got the anemone several years ago, it was about the size of a teacup saucer and bright bluish white with the appearance of a haddoni carpet. Over the years it's grown (and grown and grown!). Its stalk is now about 7" or 8" diameter, the oral disc around 18", the tentacles anywhere from an inch to 3" depending on extension. I was thinking it might be a mertensii (spelling?), but the merts have tentacles of varying lengths (if I remember right) and my guy's are all the same. I was led away from thinking it was a magnifica or ritteri because it's super aggressive and sticky. Even brush your hand against it and you'll come away with at least 3 dozen nematocysts. 8O I can't touch it w/o surgical gloves anymore, it's hit me so many times I get welts and a rash from it. It'll consume a 4" prawn shrimp in under half a minute. 8O
Plus it's just tough as nails. It's been through 4 tank moves and survived the leaching of whatever heavy metals came out of the miracle mud I had used for awhile (which wiped out every other invert in the tank).
I really need to get the camera set up soon and take some good recent pictures of it.
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