New Merten's Nem

[dbraun15]

I've wanted one of these for a while and found one locally from a fellow hobbyist for a great price. It's about 8" and am excited to see it grow and mature. Purple with orange tips. Let me know what you think!

 

[Mike N]

Looks great! Already hosting a clown I see :)

 

[dbraun15]

Yep...tank currently has a Green Haddoni, Purple Gig, and now this Merten's...clowns seem to think all are their playground, moving from nem to nem.

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

I've never heard of a Merten's anemone before, how aggressive are they and how big do they usually get?

 

[Mike N]

Yep...tank currently has a Green Haddoni, Purple Gig, and now this Merten's...clowns seem to think all are their playground, moving from nem to nem.

Well you def have some happy clowns then lol

 

[Lance M.]

I've never heard of a Merten's anemone before, how aggressive are they and how big do they usually get?

There's one on the other forum that is huge. I can't remember the thread but I think it was 3'+ so far?

 

[dbraun15]

I've never heard of a Merten's anemone before, how aggressive are they and how big do they usually get?

They are pretty hard to find. In the same family(Stichodactyla) as Haddoni and Gigantea. They grow to pretty massive proportions(approx. 4' in diameter in the wild) and I think that is why they are seldom collected. They also are pretty drab colored as they mature. Hoping mine keeps it's current color, but we will see. Think of them as a Haddoni that can get really big.

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

I can't remember the thread but I think it was 3'+ so far?

3 Feet in Diameter??

 

[dylana407]

Purrrrtyyy. Lucky you. I want to see the gig and the haddoni as well. Next up a mag?

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

They are pretty hard to find. In the same family(Stichodactyla) as Haddoni and Gigantea. They grow to pretty massive proportions(approx. 4' in diameter in the wild) and I think that is why they are seldom collected. They also are pretty drab colored as they mature. Hoping mine keeps it's current color, but we will see. Think of them as a Haddoni that can get really big.

So not appropriate for nano reefs? ;)

Wow, that's incredible, no wonder they aren't very common in the hobby. I've always liked the way big carpets looked but didn't necessarily want to deal with the non-clownfish predation.

 

[Lance M.]

3 Feet in Diameter??

I think I found the thread but it was hit by the photobucket plague so no pics. He mentions it went from 16" to 3' in two years. People mention 5-6' in wild but I don't know. Too big.

 

[dbraun15]

Purrrrtyyy. Lucky you. I want to see the gig and the haddoni as well. Next up a mag?

Here you go...enjoy the nems more than coral/fish.

 

[dylana407]

Here you go...enjoy the nems more than coral/fish.

Man, that gig is gorgeous. How big is your tank? You are doing a great job with them.

 

[dbraun15]

Man, that gig is gorgeous. How big is your tank? You are doing a great job with them.

Thanks...220. I have a bunch of rock nems as well along with mostly soft corals. The nems have become my favorite though.

 

[dylana407]

Nice. You have plenty of room for the mertens.

 

[dbraun15]

Agreed. My Haddoni is about 15" across, Gig only about 8". I don't feed them much as I don't need them to explode in growth. Thanks for following along.