The coolest anemones on the market! What are they?

[El Grunto]

hehe, i've been drooling over this one too, but it's just not in the budget right now. (>__<)'

colorado sunburst is the other one i plan to eventually add to my 180G DT.

i'm curious though ... it seems that BTAs split and multiply like rabbits. i imagine that some hobbyists have more BTAs than they know what to do with. are we eventually looking at a saturated market with so many hobbyist sellers even for the fancy ones?? (i certainly don't mind paying $200 for what used to be a $1500-$2000 nem). ;Greedy

For sure. Look at the designer clown market. Black Storms were going for $400+ just a few years ago. Lightning Maroons were well over $1k 10 years ago. Now Black Storms can reliably be had for under $100 and Lightning Maroons are down to $40.

 

[aurora.k]

Lol.... in the south warm apple pie and ice cream sir...lol

what? Who likes cold pie? What kind of monster are you, @joe0813 ??

 

[aurora.k]

For bunches its hard to beat the rock flowers

I love those sun corals!

 

[aurora.k]

It will be cool to see what happens when she splits. If she gets babies that are two faced as well. If she does I’d be interested in a spilt

+1

 

[H3rm1tCr@b]

I would die for some killer rock flowers... but... I just can't keep them alive! I love those ones that are black and white striped; they're pretty cool.

 

[Sdot]

what? Who likes cold pie? What kind of monster are you, @joe0813 ??

Lol... right!?

 

[Phycodurus]

For sure. Look at the designer clown market. Black Storms were going for $400+ just a few years ago. Lightning Maroons were well over $1k 10 years ago. Now Black Storms can reliably be had for under $100 and Lightning Maroons are down to $40.

haha black storms are exactly what i want to pair up with my anemones. a small harem.

 

[Humanzee1966]

Personally, while I love BTAs, LTAs are the absolute best of them all. They don't split willy nilly, they get massive, and you can find some pretty freaking insanely colored ones (Yellow, green, zebra striped). They only downside is that they get very big and require a sandbed, but that second issue can be solved by just giving them a tall glass of sand to live in. They host clownfish seemingly more readily than BTAs and look far more like the natural host nems of many clown species.
I may be biased though, because in my whole 6 years of reefing I have never been able to keep a BTA alive lol So maybe that has something to do with it?

I'm starting a nem tank and I've been thinking more about making it LTA but the sand bed thing is a bit of a deal killer. How tall would the glass have to be?

 

[Humanzee1966]

A Healthy Mag anemone with a pair Ocellaris clownfish is like having warm apple pie on a cool winter evening.

Starting a nem tank and also considering doing it with ritteri. What has your experience been? I think I have strong enough lighting and can get the flow right. What makes them harder than BTA?

 

[Sdot]

Starting a nem tank and also considering doing it with ritteri. What has your experience been? I think I have strong enough lighting and can get the flow right. What makes them harder than BTA?

Oh brother..... how much time you got? Im actually in the middle of posting a YouTube video, in the meantime you can check out my journey here. Flat out if you haven't been in the saltwater game for a while or cant keep sps corals for any length of time (proving you can provide stable conditions).... stay away! Seriously. They are expert level animals and I completely understand why.

They are not nearly as forgiving as BTA's, are prone to bacterial infections, can wipe out all your non clownfish. You can treat them, however at least in my experience treating it caused it to bleach (another issue) and shrink (yet another issue). Once you get them acclimated (very tough it took me 7 months to turn it around) they are solid if you provide them what they need (stable water parameters, bright light, random forceful flow, and no path to higher ground).

 

[beolson25]

Sorry, no pic at the moment. My favorite is a Sherman Rose Bubble Tip. They are super awesome in color and stay attached to the rocks and split frequently.

 

[dmantz1]

My pics are blue heavy. The nems are more orange than the pics. 40+ nems in the second pic. I only had 2 move and now they stay in place.

 

[lapin]

Starting a nem tank and also considering doing it with ritteri. What has your experience been? I think I have strong enough lighting and can get the flow right. What makes them harder than BTA?

I dont think they are much harder.
An aquarium thats 6 months to a year old or older is the best. A tank that old usually is stable.
You want a middle of the road tank thats not too low or too high on nutrients not too high or low on alk.
Good light and a place high up with some moderate flow. 2 perches for it to chose from, because they can be picky. It will love light and once it has found the most lighted spot, it will prob only move if flow is too much or too little. Start it out medium height in the tank and it will move up as it gets used to the light and figures out where the source is. It might take the long way around to get higher. I would cover any powerheads and keep rock structures away from the glass and over flows
I would recommend one thats in good shape to start out with as with any nem.
A week in a qt tank with cipro treatment can help prevent infections that they are prone to get when being moved.
Here is my 4" in qt on its glass perch. Now in a little over a year its about 24" across.

 

[Pinky80]

Heteractis Magnifica for the win. Pink with yellow, or purple with green. Love em!

 

[Sdot]

I dont think they are much harder.
An aquarium thats 6 months to a year old or older is the best. A tank that old usually is stable.
You want a middle of the road tank thats not too low or too high on nutrients not too high or low on alk.
Good light and a place high up with some moderate flow. 2 perches for it to chose from, because they can be picky. It will love light and once it has found the most lighted spot, it will prob only move if flow is too much or too little. Start it out medium height in the tank and it will move up as it gets used to the light and figures out where the source is. It might take the long way around to get higher. I would cover any powerheads and keep rock structures away from the glass and over flows
I would recommend one thats in good shape to start out with as with any nem.
A week in a qt tank with cipro treatment can help prevent infections that they are prone to get when being moved.
Here is my 4" in qt on its glass perch. Now in a little over a year its about 24" across.

Sorry brother, I respectfully disagree. There is a reason why Mag’s have the reputation they have…. I challenge you to go on any forum regarding the difficulty level of these anemones…Easy will not be in the title. Perhaps you are the exception to the rule…or maybe I am.

Speaking from my own personal experience, while these anemones are majestic… acclimating them can be very difficult unless they are bought locally and come from a line of anemones reared in aquariums; maybe then I would agree with you. I would caution anyone tempted to keep them make sure they have the experience, patience and the capability otherwise you are asking for trouble…..

 

[eel]

My Sherman Rose Bubble Tip has split many times over the last 8 years. I've sold the babies and that nem has paid for itself many times over. It has killed coral. I have had to rescape my tank to accommodate it, but we've reached an understanding. It's now in a spot that we both like and if it starts to move at all I have learned how to coax it back to it's spot. Here's a pic of mom & some babies.

 

[beolson25]

Sherman RBTAs are seriously the best anemone I've ever kept.

 

[Pkunk35]

It’s not mine but man I loved this one!

 

[lapin]

I would die for some killer rock flowers... but... I just can't keep them alive! I love those ones that are black and white striped; they're pretty cool.

Black and Pink

I love those sun corals!

They have grown a bit

 

[JANSCH]

The redcarpet ( S.haddoni) is the most beautiful.