White Anemone ID Please

[zook]

 

I just got this anemone from a local reefer. It's about 2" and the reefer said it has been splitting at this size. It's very white with a green center. It doesn't seem to like a lot of light. The tentacles are very very sticky. Seem to have a dot pattern on its stalk. Any idea?

[revaltion131]

Looks like a variety of rock or flower anemone to me. I'll let the 'experts' chime in on the species.

[redfishsc]

I've seen ones like this, with the frilly tentacles, called a "zebra" anemone and the care is supposedly as for a rock/flower anemone.

 

Either way, she's a beauty. Congrats on the new critter.

[zook]

Thanks for the comments. The original reefer didn't know what kind of anemone either, but he said it came from a well known reefer(?) and that it's quite uncommon.

 

 

I've seen ones like this, with the frilly tentacles, called a "zebra" anemone and the care is supposedly as for a rock/flower anemone.

 

Either way, she's a beauty. Congrats on the new critter.

[dshnarw]

Phymanthus sp.

 

looks like a bleached Borneman nem

[zook]

I concur on the Phymanthus sp., but not on the bleach part. The reefer I got the anemone from had four that came from a single parent and they're all white with green center. Under the T5s in his tank, they buried themselves under rocks right down to substrate and I'm seeing the same light-shyness with mine, which is in the shadows under my 70w MH.

 

Interesting specimen and I'm growing to really like anemones =D

 

Thanks DSH on your input.

 

 

 

Phymanthus sp.

 

looks like a bleached Borneman nem

[dshnarw]

I concur on the Phymanthus sp., but not on the bleach part. The reefer I got the anemone from had four that came from a single parent and they're all white with green center. Under the T5s in his tank, they buried themselves under rocks right down to substrate and I'm seeing the same light-shyness with mine, which is in the shadows under my 70w MH.

 

Interesting specimen and I'm growing to really like anemones =D

 

Thanks DSH on your input.

 

Sure, the babies are all the same color because they came from the same parent. If the parent lacks zooxanthellae, the offspring will too. That said, it's not something to worry about with Phymanthus - they're not particularly light needy corals, preferring to eat solid foods anyway, and even unbleached specimens tend to hide out in the rocks for much of their lives. I only mention it because if you add more Phymanthus to the system, you may see a change in its color, as it may decide to pick up zooxanthellae from others in the tank, and because it has a very distinctive tentacle arrangement similar to the "borneman nem" phymanthus, which is usually brown with a blue center and the babies of which are always bleached at first - same color as yours.

[zook]

That's great info DSH. Let me know if you have some resources on them. Thanks!

[dshnarw]

That's great info DSH. Let me know if you have some resources on them. Thanks!

 

your welcome.

 

unfortunately, theres not much on them - the scientific name eludes me at the moment, i think i wrote it in my biotope thread once, but its extremely long and german. They're indo-pacific, reproduce mainly by pedal laceration and sexual reproduction.

 

As far as I know, they've come into the hobby as hitchhikers, and although there's a lot of Phymanthus species that are extremely similar in morphology, the Borneman species was first noticed by Eric, who propped it out in Texas and it's been spread out since then. Mine came from a local who got them from Eric, then moved to DC. I know some of the CA reefers have gotten them on live rock and such, and I sent a couple out there at some point. I'm sure others have spread them as well.

 

They seem very hardy, appreciate a good feeding (mine seem to like mysis-sized foods), but not especially light demanding - had them in my sump and they were fine, but lost color, or in the rockwork at all heights in my tanks.

 

Anyway...you now know everything about them I do