Mystery critter splitting

Intricateart · Jan 15, 2014

We have these weird polyps that resemble ricordea but stay about the size of a nickle. They split a couple times before, but we managed to get pics this time! In the first one you see how they looked before the split

In the second one you can still see that they are touching and there is a thread still attaching 2 of them

In the last one you can see that one of them moved all the way to the right and is going onto the anchor, about an hour after the second

KSzegi · Jan 16, 2014

Did they come in as a hitchhiker .... if so, very cool one! Looks like the "True" maxi-mini anemones in the pics.

Davesgt · Jan 16, 2014

^+1 maxi mini what it looks like in pic.

ohio reefer · Jan 16, 2014

Very nicely colored maxi minis!

Intricateart · Jan 16, 2014

We like to buy struggling corals and raise them back to health.They came along with a piece of rock.They weren't open much so we didn't know what they actually were.We think there are eight of them now.Thanks for the ID. We were wondering exactly what they were.We like our Rics and mushrooms but knew they were different.

Intricateart · Jan 25, 2014

More splitting!

Mike J. · Jan 25, 2014

Nice.

cparka23 · Jan 25, 2014

Those appear to be mini carpet anemones. The maxi mini anemones are the larger ones that grow to 4-5" in diameter, while these stay about a couple of inches. They look cool, but they multiply very quickly - perhaps too quickly.

Melev has a nice write-up on these guys.
Reef Addicts - Invert of the Week - the Mini Carpet Anemone

bitumenman · Feb 7, 2014

I have a maxi mini and that thing is about 6-7", I have had it for afresh years and never seen it multiply

The new fish on the block · Apr 7, 2014

Nice maxis

Intricateart · Apr 7, 2014

Thank you, but unless there is a totally seperate subspecies, they can't be maxis. They never get bigger than a nickle. If anyone can show me anything that identifies maxies that small, I would appreciate it alot.

hollback · Apr 7, 2014

cparka23 said:
Those appear to be mini carpet anemones. The maxi mini anemones are the larger ones that grow to 4-5" in diameter, while these stay about a couple of inches. They look cool, but they multiply very quickly - perhaps too quickly.

Agreed. These were going around a lot locally about 8 years ago until they started taking over tanks. They are basically pretty aiptasia with a nasty sting.

cparka23 · Apr 7, 2014

Intricateart said:
Thank you, but unless there is a totally seperate subspecies, they can't be maxis. They never get bigger than a nickle. If anyone can show me anything that identifies maxies that small, I would appreciate it alot.

Did you read the link I posted? Seemed like a good reference, IMO.

My understanding is that there are the "mini carpet anemone" and the "maxi mini carpet anemone." Obviously, the maxis are larger variety, but the two names get mixed up all the time. KSzegi called them "True" maxi mini carpets, for instance. The names are used so loosely, that it probably depends whom you ask, but I agree -- to me, those are not maxis.

Melev had these and would give them away, since they multiply rapidly. They can become pests if left unchecked, as hollback mentioned. I used to see these for sale from an online vendor, but people eventually wised up. They're nice but can be a bit of a nuisance in the long run.