Where to acquire Magnifica anemone?

Wrasse-cal · Apr 16, 2018

Does anyone have any recommendations on where to acquire a magnifica anemone? I'm looking for one with a strong purple foot and green tentacles (like the picture). I'm not in any rush, but I'd like to start planning for this to be the centerpiece of my 75 gallon tank.

false-clownfish-nestling-in-purple-green-anemone-DD4BY9.jpg

Amoo · Apr 16, 2018

I've gotten all of mine through Divers Den.

I don't know who or what Alamy is, but the color of that photo is disengenuous. Look at the color of everything in the background and I think you'll see what I mean.

The "green" tipped mags are more of a neon yellow under "regular" lighting or even a slight blue hue. Either way the green/yellow tipped with the red base is probably the rarest of all combos. Here are two out of focus images of the same nem to give you an idea of what they actually look like:

D-Nak · Apr 16, 2018

Alamy is a stock photo company. I assume the photo was taken in the wild, I'm guessing under less than ideal conditions and with a flash. I don't think the intent was to be disengenuous.

Wrasse-cal · Apr 16, 2018

D-Nak said:
Alamy is a stock photo company. I assume the photo was taken in the wild, I'm guessing under less than ideal conditions and with a flash. I don't think the intent was to be disengenuous.

I agree. I've seen a purple and green Magnifica anemone like that while snorkeling in the Maldives. I assume they can be acquired, but maybe I'm wrong?

aherre07 · Apr 17, 2018

I have had 2 in my years of reef keeping. The first I received from aquasd was not as purple in the base but had really yellow tips. The new I just got last week from bluezoo is more purple in the base and I am hoping that the tips of the nem get more yellow as it settles in and adjusts to my lighting. The mag from bluezoo came in very healthy looking and has not delfated/inflated while the mouth remains completely closed and has also stayed in the same spot since introduction. I will say that I am very happy with the nem from bluezoo.

dieselkeeper · Apr 17, 2018

Amoo said:
Either way the green/yellow tipped with the red base is probably the rarest of all combos.

Is this really rare?

aherre07 · Apr 17, 2018

Here's mine from bluezoo

Amoo · Apr 18, 2018

dieselkeeper said:
Is this really rare?

It's pretty much the toughest to find.

Solid purple no biggie.

Green tips is a step up.

Red base is a step up.

All combined is considered by most "The Grail" of H. Mags.

EmptyWallet · May 1, 2018

Awesome photos guys! Is it realistic to assume you can keep these alive for any reasonable amount of time? (assuming expert level care, perfect conditions, perfect lighting etc) ???

Amoo · May 1, 2018

EmptyWallet said:
Awesome photos guys! Is it realistic to assume you can keep these alive for any reasonable amount of time? (assuming expert level care, perfect conditions, perfect lighting etc) ???

I don't think we have discovered a hard end to life expectancy for these in captivity. So yes.

EmptyWallet · May 2, 2018

What is a reasonable time frame to expect in Captivity - a few years?

Any of my LFS that have dared to put one in a display I've just seen them wither away over the course of a few months

the smarter ones don't even bother to try...

Has anyone written a care guide / article about keeping a Magnifica, does anyone know?

Is their a resident Anemone expert on R2R (you know like Randy for chemistry, Humblefish for medicine/illness, ??? for Anemones??).

Thanks,

Breadman03 · May 2, 2018

EmptyWallet said:
What is a reasonable time frame to expect in Captivity - a few years?

Any of my LFS that have dared to put one in a display I've just seen them wither away over the course of a few months the smarter ones don't even bother to try...

Has anyone written a care guide / article about keeping a Magnifica, does anyone know?

Is their a resident Anemone expert on R2R (you know like Randy for chemistry, Humblefish for medicine/illness, ??? for Anemones??).

Thanks,

Look up treatment with cipro, which will also lead you to other instructions. The big hurdle is getting them healthy after shipping. Once that is taken care of, they are fairly easy to care for.

EmptyWallet · May 2, 2018

Thanks!

aherre07 · May 2, 2018

In my experiences (I have had 2) the key to these anemones is getting a healthy specimen to start with. The first one that I got I had for about 9 months when it released its foot and was sucked into my mp60. I really believe that I would still have that nem had it not released itself from where it was. Going on one month almost with my second one and have not had it deflate once. I started feeding it two weeks ago twice a week and is looking better and better. Fortunately for me I have never had to deal with treating a nem with Cipro. I would really recommend either asking a lot of questions of the vendor (reputable online vendor who you can trust) or if possible getting to see it in person before purchasing.

As for anyone here being the local nem expert I know that @gig'em has treated many mags and sold them when ready to ship. When I was looking into getting my mag I reached out to him and he mentioned that his qt/treatment tanks are down at the moment but will be back up and running in the near future.

EmptyWallet · May 2, 2018

Thanks for the advice. I had read that powerheads are a no no (or at the very least use the foam on the Vortechs, which I imagine would clog daily and be a real pain). In my current tank, my Moorish Idol's streamer nearly goes into my MP40's on a daily basis so i'll probably have to put them in anyway...

I'm going to design/build my next tank dedicated for a Mag, it will be a challenge to design high / random flow without using powerheads, if that's even possible - maybe a few Vectra's using the ecosmart closed loop settings?