Check out this Bright Blue Carpet Anemone

[JeremyR]

Sheesh, calm down. Goodness.
I was just ribbing him a bit.. but if you want to get argumentative about it.. blue carpets don't just show up as box fill, extremely rare and unusual color morph as he put it blue carpets are very expensive and you have to order them.. and anyone who has been in this business for any length of time knows that blue carpets have a notoriosly low captive survival rate. How many hobbyists have been flamed on these boards for ordering/buying something they don't know what is, then asking for care advice after the fact? Shouldn't an LFS be held to an even higher standard? But like I said, I was just giving him a hard time for crying out loud.. that's why it was one line with a "" at the end,not a rant like this post is. See the difference?

I should know better tho than to post stuff like that I spose.. the internet being what it is, people can't detect emotion or intent.

 

[davelin315]

Jeremy, I agree with you, there was definitely a defensive overreaction there to your post (I have been guilty of the same, so I recognize it immediately). However, your message is very clear and is very true. LFS should have enough experience to care for the stuff they buy, unless, of course, it is something very very very exotic that they just couldn't pass up. I've seen blue carpet anemones before in more than one store, and have come to the conclusion that they are not as rare as we think (remember when Bangaii's came out and were $100 or more each as a new rare specimen? they're what, 6 for $49 now on FFExpress?). As a carpet anemone, it's care would not be significantly different from any other carpet anemone, although it never hurts to ask around to see if anyone has any new input on them. Just a side not on the picture posted here, it seems very blue, so I am wondering if there is a lot more actinic lighting on the anemone than needed in order to make it appear bluer. The rocks and substrate also have a bluish hue to them, and there is no coralline anywhere in the tank, just a speckling of what appears to be regular brown algae on some of the coral surrounding the anemone. Since it is a store this anemone is in, I would suggest one additional thing for it's care, put it under sufficient lighting. As I already expressed a concern over the possibility of gaping in the picture, insufficient lighting will certainly contribute to a decline in health.

 

[jimmy n]

I think there are a lot of these going around as one just appeared in my LFS in Tacoma, and has since appeared in my tank. It looks very similar to the one pictured. I traded in my old green carpet (which was enormous) and put this guy in his old spot. I anticipate it will require similar conditions to my other carpet.

Jim

 

[jimmy n]

Dave, I think that is a fairly accurate rendition as mine looks almost exactly like it under MH only without actinics.

 

[Len]

They eat fish. I had a $500 lesson when my 10" S.gigantea decided to make Centropyge joculator fish de jour. Of course, the anemone promptly died later that month just to spite me

 

[davelin315]

Carpets will also eat other anemones and corals. They have very strong nematocysts. VERY.

 

[Ben1]

Dr Mac also has these for sale now, along with a rare red carpet. Seems they are every where

 

[odenwell]

Exactly what type of carpets are these blue varieties that are showing up in stores? I bought a light blue one which appears to be a hadonni because of the short blunt tentacles. I am starting to wonder though, because in my experience these anemones prefer sand but my new blue one has thus far stayed on a rock. Could these be mertensii anemones? Here are a couple picutes that I took this morning before any lights came on:

Here's a pic of my new blue one.

and here's a red one that I've had for a year or so.

I also have a bright green one that I've had for at least 6 years.

[ October 19, 2001: Message edited by: odenwell ]

 

[jimmy n]

I'm pretty sure they are haddonis, at least that is what R. Shimek is calling them.

Jim

 

[jimmy n]

I'm pretty sure they are haddonis, at least that is what R. Shimek is calling them. He said that when they are juvenile they attacht to rocks, and move to the sandbed when they mature.

Jim

 

[2good2b2]

Leonard
Best website I've seen so far. Great pictures. Keep it up. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Anonymous]

Seems they are every where

Yes -- which should make you wonder, especially with the flood of dyed corals that have shown up over the past year or so. Blue and purple mertensii carpets show up infrequently, and command high prices when they do. Blue haddonis used to show up even more rarely, and command insanely high prices when they did. Now, Blue Haddonis are suddenly all over the place, and for a fraction of the money they used to cost. Anyone who buys a blue haddoni for less then $100, let me know in a year or so if it's still alive and still blue. Not to be a wet blanket, but I seriously doubt it will be.

Anyone who does buy one of these should make sure it's accepting food, and then feed it heavily. I doubt they'll be able to rely on much nutrition from zooaxanthellae while dyed, and regular feedings would probably be absolutely essential to ensure they don't starve.

 

[Anonymous]

FWIW, if you take a look at the pic of the blue carpet on Dr Mac's site, you'll notice the contrasting brown tentacles alternating with the blue. If you can see a trait like that, you can almost bet the animal is not dyed.

 

[Anonymous]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by cjdevito:
<STRONG>Seems they are every where

Anyone who does buy one of these should make sure it's accepting food, and then feed it heavily. I doubt they'll be able to rely on much nutrition from zooaxanthellae while dyed, and regular feedings would probably be absolutely essential to ensure they don't starve.</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Would the anemone visably shrink to indicate starvation or would it just suddenly puke and foul the system? Would this vary by species?

odenwell- would you please list your tank configuration/parameters or post a website that contains these? I'm very interest in anemones and like to compare success stories for hubandry.

Thanks

-Greg

 

[Anonymous]

With starvation, you'll see gradual shrinkage.

 

[odenwell]

Charles,

Mine was $120 but I had a $75 store credit. I wouldn't normally pay that much, but the credit made it easier to swallow. Hopefully I didn't get taken.

 

[Anonymous]

$120 is kind of on the borderline, but most of the stores carrying this influx of blues seem to be pricing theirs in the $60-$90 range (which suggests to me the wholesalers are probably only charging about $30 or so). Up until the past couple of months the cheapest I've ever seen a blue go for was around $150 (usually higher).

 

[hurrifan]

I just bought a purple carpet for $80, and I asked if it was dyed...they said No. I looked for a closed mouth, and other things this post has described, as well as, redish/brown tissue under the tentacles. I do not think this carpet was dyed, but he was realatively inexpensive compared to the prices listed in this post. I may have been had, but from what I have read and saw it does not looked dyed...Sorry no pics, I will try to get some.

 

[Xphixer2]

I would have to agree with Tony. Leonard has by far the best website I have seen.
Leonard, I see that you have your tank stand on hardwood floors. Have you noticed any damage to the flooring? Salt creep from spills, etc.... I have my 55+ on hardwood and had a slow leaking sump...

I was thinking about putting my next (much bigger) tank on a slab of granite. whatcha think?

Thanks, Rich