need an ID please

Hi everyone....been a while. Just brought home a new anemone. Sadly they wouldn't let me take the anemone without the ucky clarkii. I wanted you to check out the photo and tell me what you think it might be. I keep thinking it is an over-sized rock anemone for some reason. The tentacles resemble those of the RA. Hope everyone has been well. I'm heading to the frag swap at TFP tomorrow. Maybe I will see someone there.

about how big is it? It looks more like a white sebae nem.

White Sebae Anemone at PETCO

Saltwater Aquarium Invertebrates for Marine Aquariums: Sebae Anemone

Reefs2go.com Saltwater White Sebae Anemone

I really don't think it's a sebae. I thought that at first until I got a good look at the little tentacles. This anemone was right next to a sebae in the tank. They were completely different from one another. It is about 5-6 inches across. I know it needs its algae back but it has purple and green hues to it. The clarkii was buried down in it when I brought it home. Thats another issue that confuses me. Nothing normally goes to rock anemones.

yeah they won't host rock nems. at least I have never heard of an instance. clarkii's only host:
Sebae anemone
Long Tentacle anemone
Ritteri (Maroon) anemone
Carpet anemone
Saddle anemone
Bubble anemone

so it's got to be one of those.

what about the leathery nem?

I have a dinner plate sized sebae that I grew from the size of a 50 cent piece. This is very different.......no purple tips and wiggly tentacles. lol Maybe the clarkii is just retarded. Thanks for trying to help me out Glen. I appreciate it.

it is 100% not a rock anemone.... they really only have tentacles around the outer rim, not throughout like that one....

hmmm - can you get a pic of the foot?? thats usually a great way to ID most nems since tentacles change size and shape based on flow and nem happiness levels

HI JOANNE! That's why it confuses me. lol I have rock anemones to. The only thing that resembles the RA is the tentacles. Do you see how they have a spiral look just like the ra's. If it starts to move around I will take a look. But what am I looking for? lol

the color of the foot.

I moved it over a little bit and there was no foot extended and everything was white. That observation probably wont help you out.

Of all the different anemone types I've seen images of, the only one that yours resembles is a bleached out sebae anemone (at least to me). What kind of lighting is this nem coming from? Did you get it from another reefer who had it under the wrong lighting, or poor tank conditions?

That is likely a very bleached Heteractis malu or Heteractis crispa. The two species are both referred to as sebae anemones commonly. When the anemone is that unhealthy then it is hard to tell them apart since an unhealthy crispa will have shrunken tentacles.
A pic of the column would go a long way to helping with the ID. Either way it should probably be at the sand-rock interface and not up on the live rock. I don't know what lighting you have it under, but it might need some slow acclimation since it is so bleached.
If you put a gun to my head, I would guess it to be a malu. The rings on the tentacles are more indicative of a malu as is the different length tentacles and general tentacle dispersal.
If the nem is sticky then I would feed it small amounts of mysis daily. Small food is better since the nem won't have to expend energy it doesn't have to digest it.
A third option that keeps nibbling at the back of my mind, is that it is a tremendously bleached, and starved gigantea. That bare area around the mouth is more common in giganteas as is the location on the live rock.
All you can do it give it time to see if it moves to another area and if it eats. No matter what, this anemone has a long way to go in order to make it back to health.
Please keep us filled in on it's progress and let me know if you have any questions. I would consider moving the clown for now if you have another place for it. The last thing a recovering nem needs is to be constantly irritated by the clown.

If you can get a pic of the underside of the oral disk or the column it would help tremendously.

I hope it's not bleached. There are white ones, but more common than most they are bleached. I was hoping for the best!

The anemone is definitely bleached and unhealthy. It's tentacles look like that in part because it has been using them as energy in the absence of proper lighting.
And as far as I know, there are no white hosting anemones. There are some that might come close, but almost all should color up under good lighting.
Even the pic you posted above is likely not that anemones natural healthy color.

take a really good look. Is it white or does it have a little yellow in it. If there's a little yellow you have a chance. The prue white are typically bleached, but can come back with the right car. Just feed it regularly.

Originally Posted by Lonna

HI JOANNE! That's why it confuses me. lol I have rock anemones to. The only thing that resembles the RA is the tentacles. Do you see how they have a spiral look just like the ra's. If it starts to move around I will take a look. But what am I looking for? lol

hi!! yeah, I really don't ID things well - i just know the foot helps a lot lol

Originally Posted by postal

That is likely a very bleached Heteractis malu or Heteractis crispa. The two species are both referred to as sebae anemones commonly. When the anemone is that unhealthy then it is hard to tell them apart since an unhealthy crispa will have shrunken tentacles.
A pic of the column would go a long way to helping with the ID. Either way it should probably be at the sand-rock interface and not up on the live rock. I don't know what lighting you have it under, but it might need some slow acclimation since it is so bleached.
If you put a gun to my head, I would guess it to be a malu. The rings on the tentacles are more indicative of a malu as is the different length tentacles and general tentacle dispersal.
If the nem is sticky then I would feed it small amounts of mysis daily. Small food is better since the nem won't have to expend energy it doesn't have to digest it.
A third option that keeps nibbling at the back of my mind, is that it is a tremendously bleached, and starved gigantea. That bare area around the mouth is more common in giganteas as is the location on the live rock.
All you can do it give it time to see if it moves to another area and if it eats. No matter what, this anemone has a long way to go in order to make it back to health.
Please keep us filled in on it's progress and let me know if you have any questions. I would consider moving the clown for now if you have another place for it. The last thing a recovering nem needs is to be constantly irritated by the clown.

If you can get a pic of the underside of the oral disk or the column it would help tremendously.

+1 perfect info postal!!!! I think you are spot on (at least my gut tells me that I think you are right at least )

I was finally able to get back on here. I posted the photos the evening I bought it. The next morning the anemone was opened up double and had its foot secured down into a hole in the LR. With it being open you can see shades of brown,yellow, and purples. So I am hoping it didn't spit all the algae out. It did accept mysis shrimp. The tentacles are still bumpy and knobby with white bands. Postal: thank you for the links....I didn't know there were other types of sebaes out there.

I forgot to add the photos of the foot. Its tough to see but the close up is in the center of photo. The other pic shows the foot at the bottom left corner. It can give you an idea of how far down in the rock it is. There are brown stripe patterns on the foot.

Any updates on the anemone?

So far so good. Seems to be turning a yellow color.