blue carpet anemone

[carolinaclown]

Just a couple of questions about this particular species. Has anyone kept it and if so where can you get it and how hard is it to keep. I just started reef keeping and would like to know how long I should wait before adding it to the tank.

thanks Carolinaclown

 

[Anonymous]

Don't.

If it is blue, there is a good chance some arsehole died the thing.

If it is a carpet anemone, it won't be easy to keep. Most anemones are very difficult to keep. They are harder to keep than most corals, for example.

The best bet is a captively propagated bubble tip anemone. You can get one from Dr. Mac & Sons. In my experience he won't sell it to you unless you have the right conditions, tank setup, lighting, etc., so focus on that first and learn the hobby and then if you still want to get an anemone, do that.

An excellent reference is Joyce Wilkerson's Clownfishes and their host anemones

 

[tazdevil]

I have heard that any carpet anemone are very difficult to keep. Apparently, they have trouble aclimating, and accepting food. I believe bubble tip anemones are supposed to be relatively easy to keep. IMHO, you probably want the tank running for at least 6 mths before adding anemones. John Tullock has a good book about reefkeeping that addresses the anemone issue very well- points out the few that could be classified as "easier" to maintain. I have never tried to keep a carpet, however, there are some on this board with success.

[ November 29, 2001: Message edited by: tazdevil ]</p>

 

[danmhippo]

It's care requirement is not any different from the common green carpet anemone. Loves light, need to be fed on constant basis, good water parameter.....all normal maintenance practice. One thing to watch out for is not to have slow/sluggish swimmer in the tank. Carpets are notorious of catching fish that touched its tentacles by accident.

However, since you are just started reefing, I would suggest you stay away from this rare specimen for the time being and start with other easier/cheaper speciments before you tackle this beauty.

I have one and is doing great. Have it for several months. I am feeding a cube of prime reef every other day.

 

[Anonymous]

I'll reiterate AOTS point about the recent wave of dyed blue haddoni carpets hitting the market. There's no guaranteed way to tell if the one you're looking at is dyed, but there are two things you can look at for indications.

1 - price. If it's selling for less then $100, odds are it's dyed.

2 - contrast. Dyed animals tend to have extremely uniform coloration. Check out all the tentacles and look for any that end in different colors. Often you'll find a few contrasting ones, occasionally in a pattern.

If this isn't a haddoni carpet, but rather one of the other species like gigantea, the odds of it being natural and not dyed are much improved. However, the other carpet species are harder to care for then haddonis, and haddonis aren't exactly easy to begin with.

 

[danmhippo]

Charles hit it right on the nail. The differences between the 2 is hard to spot unless you have a LFS that you can really trust. Even that, he may be wrong sometimes. BTW, the blue and red carpet is so rare that it is going exceeding $150 a piece, easy.

 

[Anonymous]

You should begin anemone keeping by trying your hand at aiptasias. He He He!!!

Just kidding.

Keep doing your home work and in six months or so you will be able to decide. Plus your tank maybe ready as well.

The best choice,for hardiness and environmental reasons,would be a captive bred BTA.

 

[dieselboy]

I have a very healthy, robust one right now, but I had 2 for a very short time a few years back. I bought them at the same time under the assumption that they were both haddonis, and would require the same type of care. Unfortunately, while one rooted into the sandbed within a night, the other refused to attach onto anything. Ultimately, that one died 2 weeks later.

While I had the anemones, I noticed a very slight difference between the two, but at the time, not enough to differentiate them as two separate species. One had a tight, compact tentacle pattern, having somewhat of a "cobblestone" appearance, while the other had a tad more of an "open" pattern. FWIW, the one with the "cobblestoned" pattern is the one that survived and is thriving to this day. Not sure which species is the one that survived (haddoni or gigantea?).

A few things you may want look for before buying....make sure it's attached onto something, no lesions on the foot (prone to infection), no gaping mouth or acontia filaments, "color patterns" (my blue carpet is definitely NOT completely blue) and check to see if it's nematocysts are still strong. Oh yeah, I also have to reiterate what lots of people on this thread have been saying, to be very wary if it was cheap. If the deal is too good to be true, it more than likely is. Anything under $100, I'd definitely pass on, just to be on the safe side. FYI, at the time I got the anemones (1997), it wasn't uncommon for them to fetch prices over $175, sometimes commanding as much as $225. Don't ask how I know this......

HTH and good luck!