Carpet anemone

[FrontosaTony]

I really like the look and color of carpet anemone but reading some websites indicate they can be dangerous, eat bigger fish, etc. I wanted to put one in my 125 for my occellaris clown pair.

 

How hard are the to take care of?

Are there specific types that are less dangerous?

Any other concerns

Where can I buy/order one?

 

The red and blue here look really cool- but not $900 cool. :0)

 

http://www.aquacon.com/anemone.html

 

Thanks

Tony

[Crob5965]

I've had one for about 5 months, hasnt moved at all, they like low flow, just enough to make it move occasionally but not constant. mine eats mysis and brine just like everything else in my tank.

 

I have heard that they can eat slow moving fish, my clowns havent even noticed it's there yet. I think I picked mine up at Congressional in Rockville it's just a regular green one. my wife loves it, I think it fills a big space which is what I needed at the time.

 

mine opens up about the size of a dinner plate 

[Crob5965]

Here are some pics of mine, you need to factor that I took this at 6am when the lights have been out he is more than double the size during the day. 

 

 I like Carpet Nems but I probably wouldn't buy one again just due to the amount of space he takes up.

[smallreef]

They do spread out...and can easily take up a 2ft section of your tank...and I call that valuable real estate,lol

There aren't any 'less dangerous' carpets, but as long as you don't have alot of gobies or perching fish like hawks or slow fish, you should be fine, just make sure to have some kind of moonlights running on the tank so your fish could see where it is and don't run into it...getting eaten,lol

[Crob5965]

agreed on the space taken, I had lots of extra space I wanted to fill when I bought my Carpet, but I only have a 48" tank and when it's open al the way it's about 12-18" tall and about 8-10" wide.

[FrontosaTony]

Thanks for the Info all! I have lots of space in my 120 (Less LR than id like) and love the look. Plus two clowns without a home.Thanks!

[FrontosaTony]

Anyone buy for Saltwater Fish Depot before? Cool stuff, good prices.

 

http://www.aquacon.com/anemone.html

 

Thanks

Tony

[camelcruiser]

I have gotten stuff from them before and everything came in nice well packed and healthy. Mostly fish and coral the only inverts I got from them were a pair of gold coralbanded shrimp but they were also very healthy. They also do Saturday delivery if that's something you needed.

[YHSublime]

Tony, are you sure you want a carpet nem? That could be great real estate in the future. How old is the tank, and size, again?

[wildcrazyjoker81]

You couldn't give me another carpet to put into any of my aquariums. I had a haddoni that ate a pink spotted goby, a cleaner shrimp, a 2-3 inch mata tang (yes really), and the final straw an clown fish. When it eats the creature that hosts it...it's time to go. GL!!

[dave w]

I don't mean to be a wet blanket, but please consider the ethics of buying a carpet anem.  You're taking an animal out of the wild that would have lived 150 years and you'll be giving it a life of, what, 2-3 years in your tank?

 

Your clowns already have a great home.  They will pair up, make a breeding area and have all that interesting behavior without ever seeing a carpet anem during their entire life.

 

I don't like telling people what to do, but I wouldn't recommend them for an aquarist with less than 10 years experience with large tanks.  There are just too many things that will take the life of such a beauty and you will probably feel terrible as a result.  

[FrontosaTony]

Thanks for all the thoughts and advice. I have had fish tanks for over 15 years but have only been doing salt about 3-4 years.

 

I have a125 gal with LR, small angel and Two clowns. I have some snails and crabs. I have had smaller tanks, 30, 24, 28 gal salt tanks until I setup the 125. The smaller tanks were Fowlr. I set the125 up earlier this year but used much of the LR I had going for a couple years in one of my smaller tanks. The 125 is setup with a litermeter auto W/C daily, ~4 gal week + ato.

 

I don't have a lot of LR, about 1/2 way up full length. I only have a couple leathers, zoos and a couple new frags. It's seems to need a nice big piece of something and I really like the look of the carpet. I was seeing what's out there. Thanks for all the advice.

Edited April 13, 2014 by FrontosaTony

[dave w]

There's no doubt that few things look as beautiful as a carpet anemone.  My opinion of "10 years of saltwater experience" is because usually only newcomers think an anemone helps clownfish.  Experienced aquarists have learned that these animals live 150-200 years in the wild, and that 90% of carpet anems die within a couple of years even under the care of experts.  So most of us choose to forego that beautiful piece of eye candy because of ethical concerns.

 

That being said, it isn't my place to tell another adult what to do with their reef choices.  You will make the best decision for your tank.

[Crob5965]

There's no doubt that few things look as beautiful as a carpet anemone.  My opinion of "10 years of saltwater experience" is because usually only newcomers think an anemone helps clownfish.  Experienced aquarists have learned that these animals live 150-200 years in the wild, and that 90% of carpet anems die within a couple of years even under the care of experts.  So most of us choose to forego that beautiful piece of eye candy because of ethical concerns.

 

That being said, it isn't my place to tell another adult what to do with their reef choices.  You will make the best decision for your tank.

 

well I fall into that category, and yes I bought it because it was huge, cheap and pretty. not too concerned about clowns hosting with it but still, now I feel bad

[dave w]

You probably made your decision without knowing the lifespan of wild anemones, so your decision was innocent.  Now you will probably work harder than ever in keeping it well.

 

Also, the rare color morphs are more endangered than commonly colored carpets.  I heard somewhere that they've been vastly overharvested and are difficult to find in the wild.

 

So take good care of your beautiful anemone, we can't go back and undo decisions.