Anemone Help Please

[kimsie]

Ok - so on another thread I asked for an ID on this anemone... I didn't think it was a BTA as I've had them before and this one seems different. I bought it white from the LFS where he'd had it for a while - I've had it for about a month and a half - it always eats well - acts happy and healthy - has almost doubled in size since I've gotten him... However - the other person said it it was a BTA that was bleached in need of some TLC - do you think this is the case? If SO - then what should I do to help him? He's all white - but sometimes he has little brown dots on his tips... The place he found that he likes in my tank is in this whole in the rock - his foot is in a hole about an inch and a half deep - during the day he keeps himself just above the rock surface - then at night when the clown is there he gets bigger and hugs it...

What do you all think?

Here he is at night with his clown...


And In this shot you can see where he is in the tank... top center of the rock...

[kimsie]

Oh - you can click on the pictures to see a larger image...

[garygb]

From the pic you posted, my best guess would be a bleached BTA, too. With regular feeding and good lighting, you will probably see the anemone become darker and get its zooxanthellae back. I would be concerned that the clownfish might irritate it. The anemone's diameter should be ~ 3 times the length of the fish. You said the anemone likes the HOLE in the rock, this is very characteristic of BTA's.

[danorth]

Man, what is that long legged thing on the back side of that rock? Looks like a giant spider. Also what is that big thing on the left?

[kimsie]

Arrow crab is the long legged thing - it won't stop growing! but so far he's been gentle with everything...

Fox coral is the big thing on the left...

As for the NEM - I guess I didn't think that it was a BTA because it seemed so different from my last one - same lighting and feeding as the last one... and it did great - and this one seems happy, eating and is growing... I've had it for a month and a half - how long until it's unbleached?

[kimsie]

Also - why doesn't he have bubbles on his tips - he never has? Could it be a different kind of anemone?

[garygb]

A pic of its column would maybe give more clues whether it is a BTA or not. It really doesn't look like a H. crispa, though they are often bleached terribly when in lfs. The absence of bubbles is very common in captive BTA's. In fact, they are probably absent more than present.