Magnificent Anemones. Using WWM - 1/25/13
Hi Crew,
<Aaron>
I recently purchased an anemone which is creamy coloured with whiter tips.
<Very badly bleached... complete loss of Zooxanthellae... can reincorporate>
It is not that large about 12-14cms across. My two Ocellaris clowns which have been without an anemone for seven months ignored it for the first day but on the second day were both in it and never really leave it, only for food. I wondered if they need to secrete more mucus over their bodies before they can go inside one having been without an anemone for so long.
<Sometimes communication takes a while. Sometimes it never occurs>
This is great as it give me so much pleasure to see them rubbing their bellies on the tentacles. This leads me to believe that clownfish should only really be kept with the appropriate anemone as I don't think they will be complete without one. I have dived all over the worked and never seen a clownfish in the sea without an anemone.
<They (Amphiprionines) always live in mutual symbiosis w/ one of a few species of Actinarians>
I have a couple of questions, all may water params are good except......my phosphates were about 0.3 so I have added Seachem's Phosguard in a pouch which I hope will reduce the phosphate to negligible levels within 2-3 days.
<I wouldn't do this... see WWM re>
How sensitive are they to Phosphates?
<Not very... and do need soluble HPO4>
Also my temperature is a little high, I live in the tropics and my chiller is set for 30C Why 30C well with the aircon on during the day it hardly has to reduce the temperature, lower temps and it is on much more often and makes a noise and uses about 1amp. The anemone looks in good order, but when I drop New Life Spectrum small pellets on it it does not seem to respond.
<Needs meatier fare>
 I noticed the anemone is sticky but looking at your site where I saw "There are no naturally white-colored Magnificent Anemones... 
<This is correct. Do occur in quite a few other colors though>
    and it's rare for ones that are badly bleached to recover" do you think it could be another species or is it doomed?
<Most likely the latter, but is also likely Heteractis magnifica... see WWM re ID... the petechia on the column, its color>
Should I try another food?
<... yes>
I placed it about 15 cm.s below the water level between two rocks and it has not moved in four days so I hope it is happy. It looks great. Please find a picture attached. It is very close to a Goniopora, if they touch will either be hurt?
<Oh yes. Bob Fenner, out diving in the Philippines>
 Thank you in advance, Adam.