Carpet Anemone's

[DaveC]

I am just wondering how many people have carpet's in there reef tanks...I have had a green one since the beginning back when I had a 72 Bow tank, and he has grown quite alot..I have one sebae clown who loves the company..the reason I ask is because I know they are notorious for eating fish and over the months I have lost what seems to be very health gobies and chromis with reasons that seem unknown...all the fish in question had been in the tank for at least 2 - 3 months and then one day I just notice them gone...the fishes in question I know at least from my tank alway hide in the rocks at night..I am wondering if maybe moving around in the dark they may have ran into the carpet and ended up a free meal...and then again maybe they just died of other causes...I have been thinking of taking it out because he has been on the move lately and it is like a plow digging through 4 inches of sand like its nothing..leaving a deep trench behind..and then when he does settle the base is usually dug under one of my main base rocks where he hollows out a spot..at some points when he gets startled he completely retracts under the rock with nothing left to be seen at all...after he moves..what a hole is left behind..and I also am worried about the rock shifting from the excavation...I am alway trying to fill in holes left behind by the carpet...besides that..he is approx 15 - 18 inches around when he is open, looks beautiful and the clown would surely miss it...back to my original question..how many like carpets in there reefs and have no problems with them eating fish or plowing the sand??

Thanks
Dave C

[Chuck S]

I have a carpet however he never moves. He does retract into his hole if he is disturbed. After all is clear he comes out again. I have never had him eat any fish though. I usually try and feed my anemone's sparingly.

[Katspaw]

I was thinking of getting an anemone for my true percula clowns in the 255. They will host the carpet, ritteri, sabae or bubble. I know the BTA would be the easiest, but I had one years ago with my Maroon clowns when I had the tank crash. The bubble survived the crash and I got the perculas right afterwards. They would never go into it. I lost the bubble about three months later and never replaced it. What would ya'll suggest?

Tracey

[Chuck S]

Percula's are 50/50 on carpets. They will go into a ritteri like its magic. However this is a difficult anemone. I am lucky to have one thats over 4 years old and very healthy.

I have quite a few different types. I think a your best two choices for survival would be either the bubble-tip and Stichodactyla haddoni not the Stichodactyla gigantea. Even though for sake of making sure they make a home of it would of course be the ritteri most favorable but very hard to keep.

[Katspaw]

What makes S. gigantea that much harder to keep? Not that I am going to run out and buy one until I read, read, read. My lighting should be up to their needs if not past it. At 6.5 watts per gallon should be more than enough I would think. The tank is more than mature to handle one at this point. What are their specialized needs?, I guess is what I am asking. Thanks to all that respond.

Tracey