Malu or LTA Anemone ID?

[vdubers]

Hi I recently purchased what was described to me as a Malu from my LFS. It was a bit of an impulse buy which I normally try to avoid and do lots of research etc.


However upon reading I am not 100% sure it’s a Malu.

It has curly tentacles, a large bright red foot, white spots on the column and appears to prefer sand.

It originally took a bit of time to attach and when I turned on pumps it would float around however landed here and since then has not moved at all. It is partially shaded but I figure it will move if it isn’t happy.

I am also assuming it is bleached?

My clowns are interested but not gone over to investigate it yet.

Thanks for your help just want to know what anemone

 

[OrionN]

That is a LTA. The curly tentacles positively ID it.

 

[vdubers]

That is a LTA. The curly tentacles positively ID it.

Thanks for the reply, I don't mind it being a LTA apart from the size they get too. Do they grow especially fast? I am planning on upgrading in a year or so from the 3ft long the tank is currently to at least a 6ft long.

 

[OrionN]

How fast he grow depends on how much feeding you give him. No feeding and he will hardly grow at all.

 

[vdubers]

How fast he grow depends on how much feeding you give him. No feeding and he will hardly grow at all.

Again thanks so much for your help. That is good news!

Would you say he is badly bleached from the pics running daylight colours? If he is bleached I have read multiple threads around it. Some say feed often others say not at all as they are weak. When I did feed him a small piece of mussel he grabbed on and started moving it towards his mouth but took him a while. I also have reef roids and other foods available. When I feed my BTA it completely engulfs the food very fast enveloping the whole piece with his whole body however the LTA didn't do this.

I also read about transplanting zooxanthellae and do have a healthy BTA at the opposite end of the tank however he is young and I would rather not cut a tentacle off him tbh.

 

[bradleym]

The anemone is pretty bleached, but the dark brown in the tentacles indicate that the zooxanthellae are not all gone. It should recover completely as long as the tank conditions remain favorable. I would recommend feeding it a bit until it regains color on the rest of the tentacle and mouth areas though. After that it can live on photosynthesis and trace nutrients.

 

[vdubers]

The anemone is pretty bleached, but the dark brown in the tentacles indicate that the zooxanthellae are not all gone. It should recover completely as long as the tank conditions remain favorable. I would recommend feeding it a bit until it regains color on the rest of the tentacle and mouth areas though. After that it can live on photosynthesis and trace nutrients.

Thanks will aim to keep conditions stable and feed it while it recovers. Not impressed with the lfs saying it’s a Malu but even if they said lta I would have still taken it.

 

[OrionN]

This anemone like fairly thick sand bed to be happy. Not much current and relatively lower light than Gigantea or Magnifica.
loe current and thick San is most critical. He may move if does not get this.

 

[vdubers]

This anemone like fairly thick sand bed to be happy. Not much current and relatively lower light than Gigantea or Magnifica.
loe current and thick San is most critical. He may move if does not get this.

Thanks its in a low flow area and has plenty of sand. It is slightly in the shade but I guess it will just move out if it wants more light.

I am upgrading my pump significantly so this will change the flow but I will slowly ramp up the new one and hope that the anemone will just move if it decides it doesn't like it. Not many corals in the tank right now so not much damage it can do as long as it stays along the sand bed.