My new Blue haddoni anemone :) Pics!

[Reeffreak]

CJ,

If we were looking to buy a haddonis and were afraid it might be dyed, what characteristics of the anemone would be present to inform us of the situation?

Steve

 

[jimmy n]

CJ,

Thanks for the prompt response. I too think that dying a coral is unethical and puts the unsuspecting aquarists at a disadvantage from the start.

I am confident that the one I purchased, though, is genuine.

I used some specific criteria in selecting this one. They are not unique to this anemone, but apply to selecting any anemone.

1. It was incredibly sticky
2. It had attached its foot
3. Its oral disc was closed

I don't guarantee that this will exclude a dyed anemone. I do feel that this will help you select a healthy anemone, which I think we can agree is usually not the case when an anemone is dyed.

Jim

 

[Anonymous]

Reeffreak, besides looking for the typical signs of a healthy carpet (which Jimmy mentions), the best advice I can give is to look for coloration or pattern variations. Dyed haddoni carpets tend to look very uniform; tentacles all largely the exact same color and shade, except for the outer ring of tentacles which may provide some contrast.

I've seen very few truly 'solid' colored haddonis.. most have at least some small variation. Patches of contrasting tentacles, a pattern of highlights, something.

An earlier post recommended checking the base for dye concentrations. I can't speak for this because I haven't had opportunity to examine the bases of very many dyed haddonis, but it's worth keeping in mind as well.

 

[Anonymous]

I don't guarantee that this will exclude a dyed anemone. I do feel that this will help you select a healthy anemone, which I think we can agree is usually not the case when an anemone is dyed.

Actually, in the short term I'm not sure I agree. Anemones do tend to linger for a very long time while declining, after all.... it's what gave them the reputation of 'hardy' in the early days of the hobby. In the short term, in the couple of weeks immediately after being dyed, I think it likely for the anemone to still exhibit 'healthy' traits. After all, the only thing the dying causes problems with is the anemone's utilization of zooaxanthelle. And one thing the marine aquarium hobby has shown is that anemones take a long time to succumb to starvation.

Still, even if the anemone is dyed, if it's healthy to begin with it has a lot better chance of surviving long enough for the dye to fade.