how to keep ritteri mag in one spot?!

FishPersonFL · May 18, 2023

Hi
Ive had mine since 2017, but recently moved it to a new tank. "he" perched in same relative spot in the new (smaller 65 gallon) tank at first, walking left and right along the ghost overflow. Today he decided to go alllll way left busting through my 'fence' of stag typ acro (that was the nem block that didnt work anymore). Now is making rounds. Should I eventually try to put him back where he was and just turn the flow up 100% from my two tunze stream power heads? and put the light from 70% to 100% from my two kessil 360s?.
any advice? I'm thinking it's just going to have to be wherever he's happy. At least im here at home most of the time to move any corals out of the way he's about to run over and kill.

TIA!

OrionN · May 18, 2023

You have to give him enough light and current, and in order for him to get to better light and current he must endure poor conditions, namely less light and current. I would not turn the whole tank light up and would not increase flow to the whole tank, but only to his specific area.
You do this by build a perch for him, flat piece of rock facing up with deep drop off on all side. In order to get off that rock he has to craw down where there is less current and less light. In addition to this you must have random current blow at him. You can easily do this by using something similar to a Vortex random mode. If you tank hav etoo low light level, you must spotlight him with some fixture. Make the light clearly superior (and have to be adequate for him) where you want him to be. If you tank light, and flow is adequate, put him on a pedestal is good enough, but if not then you must add additional pot light for just him. If light, flow or water quality is too poor for him, he will just inflate his feet and sail away, right into the PH and wipe out your tank.
If you tank is light is lowish, increase it will just encourage him to walk to find better place.

BTW, before anemone start walking, they will inflate their foot. When you see this, watch out, here come the bulldozer of death.

FishPersonFL · May 18, 2023

TY min that makes a lot of sense. you think a flower pot would work (lol ugh)?. Im trying to think of someting with a shape like that. even an upside down bowl, but would have to be compatible with aquarium water, not leach anything. I may have a caribsea life rock hmmmm... I'll need to redo my tank , but that's not a big deal only 60 gallons. Trick is to have it so he cant touch with tentacles any side of the tank. he's 10" diameter then moves in wave motion so probably 14" needed. it's 15" or so from front of tank to my overflow. He's not allowed to grow lol.

D-Nak · May 18, 2023

Something else to add is that magnifica will move if they can "feel" the tank walls, so keep it far enough away from the tank wall where the tentacles do not touch it.

D-Nak · May 18, 2023

Flat works without crevices work the best for magnifica. They like to spread out their foot (I often describe it looking like a fried egg, where the foot spreads out as much as it can).

FishPersonFL · May 18, 2023

TY for all the replies. I have a life rock that is an arch. but broad enough I think to take hold of. There are crevaces, so it's not totally holeless. Next is a matter of getting nem off the glass where he is now. I did it already when I had to move him off the overflow of my past tank in order to move him (i drained the tank first then slolwy coaxed his food off the acrylic witha credit card). I really dont want to do taht again as I need to avoid any tears, but I have to do it, probably will drain enough water to have gravity at least help.

OrionN · May 18, 2023

If it is a flat glass, I use a razor blade. It is a trauma free way of removal an anemone from flat glass surface, even under water. No drain of water needed.
be careful with razor blade. Absolutely no risk of loosing balance is needed.

FishPersonFL · May 18, 2023

OrionN said:
If it is a flat glass, I use a razor blade. It is a trauma free way of removal an anemone from flat glass surface, even under water. No drain of water needed.
be careful with razor blade. Absolutely no risk of loosing balance is needed.

Thank Minh :-D

FishPersonFL · May 19, 2023

If the nem can touch a side of the tank with its tentacled even though the base is several inches away, then it can move on that that surface, right? or if the base is far enough away, it just cant move to that surface? . My nem's base is only 7" diameter and i'm going to try best I can to center him in middle front to back close to top of tank with kessil as offer it as possible and flow directed to it from both sides, 'random' flow.

FishPersonFL · May 21, 2023

Is an upsode down flower pot ok to use? Its perfect shape.

OrionN · May 21, 2023

I have my on a 6x6 tile. This is in my QT. When I have him out to DT get him on a more natural looking perch

Rmckoy · May 21, 2023

With the ritteri anemone I have always built the rocks up but eventually the anemone would always go to the glass .
typically the front glass about 6” down from the surface and how it’s managed to sting me multiple times on the forearm .

FishPersonFL · May 21, 2023

OrionN said:
I have my on a 6x6 tile. This is in my QT. When I have him out to DT get him on a more natural looking perch
View attachment 3162893 View attachment 3162894 View attachment 3162895 View attachment 3162897

What keeps him on the tile? I see a rock surface to the right on second to last pic. Im about to start my rerockwork right now. My nem found a spot he's stayed at for last several days on uppper left glass, but it's near a power tunze stream. Will they always crawl up? Mine has never evern went down. If I keep that stream intake far below the level of the nem level, is the nem safe since he's always above the stream (pump)? If somehow that's correct, I can just keep a clear path around perimeer of my tank and not need a perch? Or as a fall back if the perch doesnt work and the nem still touches the sides.
I'm nervous soon I'll have to find a bigger home for my mag though, since growth happens if nothing else.
Maybe there are carpets 8" diameter max that are more workable?

OrionN · May 21, 2023

My anemone get plenty of current balance light where he is at so he just settle there ever since I put him there.

Rmckoy · May 21, 2023

This was by far the biggest ritteri I’ve ever owned .

I’ve measured it at its largest at 23” across .
It was always the top of that rock or on the front glass roughly the same height in the tank .

I’ve read so many conflicting information regarding it .
one would say it’s happy and healthy . While others would suggest it’s searching for higher light and why it’s at the top and so large .
These anemones can grow huge ( I believe 3’ dia in the wild )

OrionN · May 21, 2023

Rmckoy said:
This was by far the biggest ritteri I’ve ever owned .

I’ve measured it at its largest at 23” across .
It was always the top of that rock or on the front glass roughly the same height in the tank .

I’ve read so many conflicting information regarding it .
one would say it’s happy and healthy . While others would suggest it’s searching for higher light and why it’s at the top and so large .
These anemones can grow huge ( I believe 3’ dia in the wild )

It seem healthy to me. It seek high place for light and current. Apparently it found it where it is or else it will continue to be on the move. If a good place is "on your glass", then "on your glass" it will be. Certainly I hav ehad Magnifican that is 24"X24" before in my previous 420 gal tank. It was massive, roughly 3.1415 square foot. (pie-R-square)

Rmckoy · May 21, 2023

OrionN said:
It seem healthy to me. It seek high place for light and current. Apparently it found it where it is or else it will continue to be on the move. If a good place is "on your glass", then "on your glass" it will be. Certainly I hav ehad Magnifican that is 24"X24" before in my previous 420 gal tank. It was massive, roughly 3.1415 square foot. (pie-R-square)

That huge anemone was in a 90 gal

FishPersonFL · May 21, 2023

Crazy big nems lol.
i have my pearxh set uo and the nem on it. Im waiting for ilhim to take hold, keeping him in place with long handles of tongs. Still hard to keep him balanced there. No flow yer otherwise hed blow off. Ugh lol. I have hik right under the spot light. And will get tons of randomlike flow. Just if hed finally stick :-D.

Rmckoy · May 21, 2023

FishPersonFL said:
Crazy big nems lol.
i have my pearxh set uo and the nem on it. Im waiting for ilhim to take hold, keeping him in place with long handles of tongs. Still hard to keep him balanced there. No flow yer otherwise hed blow off. Ugh lol. I have hik right under the spot light. And will get tons of randomlike flow. Just if hed finally stick :-D.

In the end you might be wasting your time trying to get it to stick in that particular location .
if it’s not favourable to the anemone . It will travel .

FishPersonFL · May 22, 2023

I got him on there. He started sticking after i turned up some flow. I was turnijg it off and on quick. Then left it on longer and longer as he was taking hold. Hes still on the perch this morning but on front side of the perch. Tentalces almost touching the front glass. With light about to come on right over him maybe he'll like this spot anybow and not try and reach for the glass. It took most of my sunday doing this set up. Hopefullu not for nothing.
but looking forward theres not guarantee he'll stay there. Still possible can somehow bubble lut his foot and reach front glass. So i have my tinzeals wrapped in foam pad. I dont think he'll have chance to kill too much coral since everything is below him.