Moss/Atroturf in a reef?

[Mr. Microscope]

Hey there UC! I was browsing your site today (awesome new stuff BTW), and came across this:
Epicystis crucifer - Rock Flower Anemone (White Banded Color Morph) Approx. 2" WYSIWYG Specimen - NEW!

What's going on here under the nem? Looks like some sort of moss or astroturf.

 

[uniquecorals]

Ahh, that's Astroturf. This is an old industry trick used to keep anemones in holding systems. We line their holding tanks with this material, because it's much easier to remove the animal from the tank when it's attached to this material as a substrate than it is if the animal attaches to say, the front glass or rocks in an aquarium.

LOL, I was looking at the pic again and thinking, "How freaking COOL would that be if there was some ultra green, well-behaved low-growing moss that worked in saltwater?"

However, reality- it's Astroturf.

Astute observation on your part!

Scott