Moody Malu/Heteractis/Systems/Health 8/15/09 Can you help me. I have a lovely white malu that my Clarkes Anemonefish has made his fortress!!. <OK> He's been in my tank for around 3 months, but in the last 3 weeks he decided to move across the tank (fair enough - let him choose his spot), but at least twice a week he goes from being big puffy & proud to a limp lump of an imitation (not fully deflated for water exchange though but around a third of his showy size). Is there any preferred lighting or water flow area they prefer. <Your halides should be fine, 10-14K lamps is what I would favor. A random turbulent water flow seems to work best for both corals and anemones alike, at least 10X the tank volume. A wavemaker and three or four powerheads with protected intakes will provide the effect. This anemone prefers to attach firmly to a smooth surface with its pedal disc and most of the column buried in a fine, sandy substrate, about 4 inches deep. I might add that this is a difficult anemone to keep for any length of time.> If he wants to be higher in the tank I will move him as he won't get there himself. <Do read here and their care/systems. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm The below link refers to Heteractis crispa, but most information here can be used for Heteractis malu as well. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/heteraccrispa.htm> I tend to let the Clarkes feed him (she bites if you go near anyway). My system is 240ltr, 40kgs live rock, metal halide lighting. Strong to medium water circulation, Vector V2 protein skimmer, Marysis 240 filter system (I also have Fluval canister filter running for ultraviolet steriliser and fluidised sand bed filter) Water parameters are Nitrite 0, Ammonia 0, Nitrate 5ppm, Phosphate 0, SG 1.022, <Too low for keeping this anemone, more like 1.025/6.> Calcium 420, Carbonate 9, Ph 8.3. Thanks for any help, <You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)> Simone Re: Moody Malu 8/15/09 Desperate help. The anemone started moving around the tank and then look bit rough in the night so lifted him <Generally not a good idea> to place in lower water flow and this is what I found. It looks to me like something in the substrate has taken him for dinner and eaten away his foot. <Yikes!> This can only of happened in the space of a couple of hours as he showed no signs of any deterioration when placing him right side up. <Can rot quickly> Is there anything that can be done to help him. (Needless to say I have taken him off the sand and place him on a flattish rock to try and stop him being eaten completely.) Any help and advice would be gratefully received. Thanks Simone <... read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/CnidIndex2.htm the sections on Actinarians period; as James suggested previously. Bob Fenner>

Malu Anemone... sel., gen.   2/10/08
I have seen a beautiful Malu in my local LFS and would like to know a few things before I say yes to buying it. Its a creamy to white colour with purple tips about 5-6" diametre and healthy looking but I have heard they can be hard to keep.
What I need to know is what size tank and conditions it ideally likes and what kind of water flow it prefers. Does it like higher spots in the tank or more towards the bed - I've also read they tend to stay more or less where placed rather than roam. I do weekly water changes of 20% and have 0 in Nitrate, Nitrite and phosphate. S.G is 1.205 with temp of 80%.
<Sorry to give such a bland reply, but if you use the search function, you will find your answers. Specifically, start here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/sebaesysfaqs.htm and http://www.wetwebmedia.com/hetmalufaqs.htm. What I will add is that the anemone is likely bleached, so makes the challenge of keeping it successfully ever more hard right from the beginning. If after searching you still have questions, then by all means come back to us. Mike I>

Anemone Identification 10/20/07
Hello WetWebMedia Staff People!
<Hi Kevin>
As my subject suggests, I need help in identifying an anemone that I am attempting to purchase. I am trying to complete my fishtank with a Heteractis malu,
<Difficult critter to keep/acclimate.>
but I'm having issues going to different LFSs and finding the one I want. I've seen different anemones that look like long tentacle anemones, Heteractis crispa and Heteractis malu, but at some point they all seem to be labeled as sebae anemones.
<One and the same. Read here. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/heteraccrispa.htm><<... these are separate species... RMF>>
I have tried doing picture searches online to try and distinguish which anemone is which, but the pictures seem to come up looking very much the same. The WWM pictures are too small for me to effectively identify the anemone I'm looking for. What are the clear differences between the three anemones that can help me distinguish one from the other, including foot / tentacle color, etc?
<Oboy, as far as color, it will depend on how healthy the anemone is. They generally do not ship to well. But I'll give it my best. Heteractis Magnifica can grow to an enormous size of about three foot and the tentacles are greenish in color with purple tips. Heteractis Aurora, sometimes called the Beaded Anemone, has characteristic knobs on the tentacles and a striped oral area. It likes to bury it's column in the sand. Heteractis Malu likes to do the same and has short tentacles creamy in color with small purple tips. Heteractis Crispa has numerous long pointed tentacles creamy in color, and is one of the more commonly found anemones.>
The reason for me attempting to get a Heteractis Malu is because its occasional appearance in certain parts of Hawaii. I decided a while back that I wanted to have a Hawaii themed aquarium, not including those pesky triggers or butterflies that eat inverts. Thanks for all of your help!
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Kevin <<See here as well: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm. RMF>>

Malu Question  6/4/07
Hi WWM just firstly to say what a sterling good site you have! right my problem, I have a Malu Anemone which has been in my 180Lt Jewel Vision for over a year now and feeds happily on cockles and shrimp, the problem is when I bought the anemone he was a fantastic Vanilla with pink tips but has turned into a not so pretty brown? the tentacles have also gone from thin flowing tentacles to a short stubby ones, my Nitrite is at 0 Nitrate is at 0.10 Ammonia 0.1
<Mmm, do check this last... REALLY needs to be zip, zero, nada... Check your checker...>
and PH 8.5, The Malu is also host to 2 common perculas, I am running a UV Prizm skimmer Fluval 405 external, I have converted my lighting
<Recently?>
and currently running 2 T4 which look very bright but the lighting has always been good, any help would be appreciated, sorry fish in tank are 1* large Yellow tank/1 orange spot goby/1 dart fish/1 devil blue/2 common perculas/ 1 cleaner wrasse & about 10 turbo snails and 2 cleaner shrimps, all my soft coral look great and have grown a lot in a year just the poor sad looking Malu !! any advise appreciated
Regards
Harvey
<Well... "something" is amiss here... perhaps circulation, maybe the Clowns are brutalizing this specimen... could be water quality of some sort... Nutrition... Incompatibility... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/index.htm
Scroll down to the tray on Anemones... re their Systems... Compatibility... and Malu's in general. Am hoping this "something" will become live to your consciousness by this process. Bob Fenner>

Bleaching Malu Anemone
Hi,
First, I just want to complement you and your crew on your wonderful site.  I have been an avid aquarist for over 25 years and I really enjoy & learn a lot from your site.  I have a question about a (what used to be) very large malu anemone.  This anemone has been alive and
well in my tank for more than 5 years.
<How nice!>
It is host to a mating pair of tank raised ocellaris clowns who will occasionally feed it.  I only rarely provide supplemental feeding.  It has survived one previous bleaching episode when our A/C broke (no chiller), it turned mostly white (from a usual creamy mocha color) but recovered within 2 weeks after the A/C was fixed.  My wife and I recently had out first child, and due to this event, my reef tank husbandry has been somewhat lacking.  I regretfully allowed an organic film to develop on the surface of the water and also did not clean the glass canopies for about 2 months.  The resulting loss of light has taken its' toll on the anemone, some star polyps, zooanthids, and mushrooms.  I was recently able to restore the tank to its' original state, new bulbs, new canopies, no film and now plenty of light.  The mushrooms, zoanthids and star polyps all appear to be recovering nicely.  The anemone, however, is still a completely creamy white color and only about 1/3 of its' original size (it has been this way for about three weeks).  It appears to be feeding & still remains planted in its' spot.  My question is, should I increase supplemental feedings (again, this anemone has survived and grown well for 5 years with only about 2 monthly supplemental feedings of fresh shrimp, as well as whatever the clowns bring).  Also, is there anything else I can do to help the recovery of this specimen?
<Mmm, not much more than you have done... keep feeding, stable... and hopefully the animal will reincorporate zooxanthellae/color>
  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  The tank specs are as follows:
55 gallon AGA w/overflow
JBJ formosa dlx compact PC lighting
20 gallon sump
Urchin skimmer
water parameters WNL
60 lbs live rock
sand bed
inhabitants (all original 5 y/o fish):
1 Yellow Tang
3 Ocellaris clowns
1 Orchid Dottyback
1 Pygmy Angel
1 Firefish
1 Yellow-Tail Damsel
Assorted soft corals, 1 open brain, 1 bubble coral & 1 malu anemone.
small hermits, brittle star, astrea & Nassarius snails for cleanup Small population of Aiptasia
No new additions for the last 18 months.
Thanks you much for your time & assistance.  Have a great day!
Rodney
<Thank you, Bob Fenner>