Shipped anemone coloration

maethuu · May 11, 2023

Goaway said:
I can pull it from the rock if you like.

I feel like regardless of what the lighting it's pretty clear you didnt get what you thought you were going to get. I wouldnt have been as disappointed if it at least looked a little like the nem I was suppose to get. We'll see if it colors up but I can't help getting the feeling like I got ripped off everytime I look at it.
I've bought from other online stores (Tidal Gardens and AquaCorals) and have been satisfied despite not knowing the exact item I was going to get.

afrokobe · May 11, 2023

definitely full blue light with orange filters and the saturation turned up. glad to hear everyone else's experiences. I have always browsed and been curious on a couple of pieces.

Goaway · May 11, 2023

maethuu said:
I feel like regardless of what the lighting it's pretty clear you didnt get what you thought you were going to get. I wouldnt have been as disappointed if it at least looked a little like the nem I was suppose to get. We'll see if it colors up but I can't help getting the feeling like I got ripped off everytime I look at it.
I've bought from other online stores (Tidal Gardens and AquaCorals) and have been satisfied despite not knowing the exact item I was going to get.

i have been buying coral online since 2010. Diver's den didn't do the photo magic, but everywhere else did. The mushrooms I got were on sale, and I was willing to take a chance. The piece I wanted was a pectinia. I am going to be honest, they are really lacking color and over the last 2 weeks have gained some.

I also had an inferno bta that was delayed shipping. Stayed with ups for 36+ hours and still looked amazing once out of the bag.

Goaway · May 11, 2023

maethuu said:
I bought it for $250 from Corals Anonymous. Its called a CA Ultra Galaxy Burst BT.
The other picture is the Rose BTA I got from a LFS for $50. Much more vibrant in person of course.
I'm pretty disappointed. My clownfish likes it though so... I suppose thats something.

The good thing about bubble tips, they will change colors and often times can. My first went through a yellow phase and slowly went into an orange/red phase.

pennied · May 11, 2023

maethuu said:
I bought it for $250 from Corals Anonymous. Its called a CA Ultra Galaxy Burst BT.
The other picture is the Rose BTA I got from a LFS for $50. Much more vibrant in person of course.
I'm pretty disappointed. My clownfish likes it though so... I suppose thats something.

Yep typical. Must be new to the game of doctored photos from online shops…

Mr.OK · May 11, 2023

There website state this, so you should of known from the start it may not look identical..
"Please keep in mind that due to variances in species, your item may not appear exactly like the one pictured. Individual specimens' approximate size ranges may also differ."

Dbichler · May 11, 2023

Mr.OK said:
There website state this, so you should of known from the start it may not look identical..
"Please keep in mind that due to variances in species, your item may not appear exactly like the one pictured. Individual specimens' approximate size ranges may also differ."

If that’s the case they can sell run of the mill btas and sell them under the designer names for $250. Highly unethical and hopefully will go out of business if that’s truly what their policy is.

maethuu · May 11, 2023

Mr.OK said:
There website state this, so you should of known from the start it may not look identical..
"Please keep in mind that due to variances in species, your item may not appear exactly like the one pictured. Individual specimens' approximate size ranges may also differ."

I expect this from anything I buy online. But when something looks totally different that statement is an excuse any retailer can use to legitimately scam people with. I could have just went down to my LFS and picked up a $50 BTA if I knew that what I was going to get from Corals Anonymous was what I got.

Mr.OK · May 11, 2023

maethuu said:
I expect this from anything I buy online. But when something looks totally different that statement is an excuse any retailer can use to legitimately scam people with. I could have just went down to my LFS and picked up a $50 BTA if I knew that what I was going to get from Corals Anonymous was what I got.

Yea, i agree with ya, but to be honest, I would be suprised if its still alive in few weeks. When ever i have one look like that it was on its last legs. Did you contact the vendor and talk to them about it.

maethuu · May 11, 2023

Mr.OK said:
Yea, i agree with ya, but to be honest, I would be suprised if its still alive in few weeks. When ever i have one look like that it was on its last legs. Did you contact the vendor and talk to them about it.

Its actually doing very well health wise no issues there. Its about 4" or more across when spread out. That pic is from the morning ramp up. I'm working on contacting right now will see what they have to say.

D-Nak · May 12, 2023

This is all just online marketing. Unfortunately, it really is a buyer-beware environment. One of the tricks of the trade is taking top down shots of coral and anemones. They almost always look nicer from the top down, even with minimal color correction and white balance adjustments. Have you ever seen tridacna clams from the top, and then looked at them from the side? They look completely different.

This isn't a solution to the issue that you originally posted, but my recommendation is to stick with your LFS instead of buying online, especially since it looks like you're in Sac and you've got a few nice stores that should have brightly colored anemones (in no particular order):

1. Splash Aquarium
2. Aquarium Depot
3. Your Reed
4. Aqua Life Aquarium

You can also reach out to local reefers. If you have a FB account, check out (916) Reef Club.

krak256 · May 12, 2023

maethuu said:
I bought it for $250 from Corals Anonymous. Its called a CA Ultra Galaxy Burst BT.
The other picture is the Rose BTA I got from a LFS for $50. Much more vibrant in person of course.
I'm pretty disappointed. My clownfish likes it though so... I suppose thats something.

I bought a neon green gigantea anemone from them that looked nothing like the reference pic. Wouldn't even be considered green. I would ask them to refund you; they offered me credit but I asked for a refund and then they stopped responding. I ended up doing a charge back.

James M · May 12, 2023

Goaway said:
Agreed.
Bought 2 mushrooms and 1 pectinia frag from these guys. All the coral I got from them isn't remotely the same color.

Vs

@maethuu there are a few hobbyists that grow some beautiful nems on these forums. If you're ever willing to try again, I'd shop around. Most of them will post pics of the nems in many light settings.

Hopefully your bta colors up though.

Unfortunately many people have been in your situation. They even create fake accounts on R2R and only post about how good coral anonymous is and everyone should buy from them.