Need help identifying my anemone

[xquisit1985]

got him today, LFS said its a geen bubble anemone, but i have my doubts, they had it under awful lighting so i am hoping that it being under my insane amount of led that it will color up, however, it hasnt yet, and i am curious if anyone here is able to identify it with me. hes a small guy, about 3-4 inches across and with less than inch tenticles, my clown hasnt hosted in him yet either :-/ please help! and thank you in advance, i am new to this forum still so if i am not being polite in someway i appologize

 

[reefer gladness]

That's a green BTA. BTA's come in a variety of colors, some have bubble tips and some don't. Here's a good source of info for BTA's if your just getting started: karensroseanemones.net - INTRODUCTION

Not sure what LED setup you're using but be careful about exposing your corals with too much light. You can't accurately judge the amount of PAR your corals (and nem) are receiving with the naked eye. I can't run my LED's at more than 40-50% safely but they're stronger than most.

As for the clown, sometimes the clownfish will jump right on the nem immediately, sometimes it may take a year or more, sometimes it may not happen at all, it may even host something else like a leather or open brain coral. It's just one of those things, nothing you can do to make them and nothing wrong if they don't. If the clown is interested in the nem it will happen in its own time.

 

[xquisit1985]

awesome reply! thank you for the great information. i suspected it was a green bta but, i am confused about why it isnt green, lol i did just get him this week, hes attached to the rock and sems to be ok, i wouldnt say happy yet, but he opens up for the light etc, hasnt eaten yet however, do you have any thoughts on pairing him with a porcelain anemone crab? ive considered it, im just trying to give him the best start in life that i can, hes young judging by his size. thanks again!

 

[reefer gladness]

I don't have any experience with the porcelain crabs but it's my understanding they like to eat the mucus secreted from the mouth of the nem and may do battle with the clownfish if/when the clown becomes interested in the nem.

The clownfish will also clean the mucus but they also grab larger chunks of food and feed it to the nem, really enjoyable to watch. I have a mated pair of percs and a large RBTA that recently split, my male perc is usually the one who feeds the nems and has actually been taking care of both, maybe I just got lucky.

Anyway, I would try feeding your nem about 1/2 of a thawed out silverside each week. If it's healthy the tentacles will be sticky and it will grab the silverside and pull it into it's mouth. If you see your nem turning white that's a bad sign but if your tank is mature and you maintain good water quality you should be okay.

 

[bjledbetter]

As posted above watch how much light it gets Led's are very powerful even if they dont look like it. Cover your power heads if you havent already. Bta's like to just let loose of there rock or roam for a while after being introduced to a tank till they find a spot that they are happy with, and will often meet a ugly demise in a power head. I have heard bad things about silversides more specificly their bones doing damage and killing nems I feed my two rbtas and Ritteri krill or mysis its alot safer. He appears to be in ok condition and should color up some for you, I would reccomend feeding it twice a week for now as it looks like its tentacles look stubby and short which means it has been consuming itself to stay alive. When the tips actually Bubble they dont look like that.