Blue Carpet questions

[Zaphod]

I just got a blue carpet and have a few questions. How much flow do these guys like? he seams pretty happy so far I have a lot of flow but have redirected it so it isn't drectly hitting him with the full blast. I have 250 watt MH on a 24" deep tank. Do I feed him directly or I read the clown will give him scraps? My params are all in check I have SPS that are dowing very well.

 

[BonsaiNut]

Do you know what species you have? I am assuming S. haddoni (since they are most common) but did the store mention anything (or do you have a photo?).

 

[Zaphod]

I am pretty sure it is a S. Haddoni. I bought it from a RC member. It is very sticky which I hear is good. I tried feeding him some frozen food but he didn't take it. I will buy some frozen fish tomorow any sugestions. I don't have any pics I need to buy a digital camera.

 

[Zaphod]

it looks a lot like this one. a really beutiful blue.

 

[BloatedSwimBladder]

I have a green carpet. I feed him every few days with thawed seafood pieces. usually shrimp or scalops or small pieces of fish. I drop the piece right on him and he closes up on it.

Good luck

 

[annetate]

you should feed it, if you dont, it is liable to eat your fish...

 

[dantodd]

The picture you posted may well be gigantea. I am far from a carpet expert having never kept them but I believe that he wavy form the body is held in and the longer tentacles suggest gigantea rather than haddoni. It is really going to take a picture of your specimen for any of the real experts to help. Or you can read around and look for pictures/descriptions that will help you ID it first.

 

[Zaphod]

I will try and get a PIC in the meantime I am going to get some frozen food after work. this morning I checked and he found a more comfertable spot and one of my clowns was already hosting. what is the diference betrween a haddoniand gigantea other than what was stated above?

 

[dantodd]

Silverside (from your lfs) are very good as well as scallops, raw shrimp and other assorted raw seafood from your grocery store.

 

[Zaphod]

here you go.

 

[Zaphod]

he ate tonight too!

 

[BonsaiNut]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7413652#post7413652 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by annetate
you should feed it, if you dont, it is liable to eat your fish...

It is liable to each your fish whether you feed it or not

That is definitely a S. haddoni, and he looks very healthy and nicely situated in your tank. Light that is bright enough for those zoos will work fine for him - and he isn't that particular about flow either so long as there is a moderate amount. Feed him a lot and he will get huge - I tend to feed haddonis infrequently (if at all) to keep them medium-sized. They are sand anemones, so they tend to dig their column down into the sand and anchor to a rock (or the glass at the bottom of your tank).

In terms of telling the difference between a S. gigantea and S. haddoni, there are a number of different signs. The easiest and fastest is to check for highly visible verrucae (spots) on the columns. Giganteas have them, haddonis do not (See photo) Other indicators (longer tentacles, oral disk folds, etc) can be a little more difficult to determine if the anemone is stressed (as they often are when they come into the LFS).

 

[Zaphod]

Thanks for the info. I think I paid a little to much$150 but he seams very healthy and is definatly my favorite addition in a while. If he eats some of my fish I guess that is just part of the food chain but I will keep him well fed.

 

[BonsaiNut]

Best bet to reduce fish death is to make sure to have night lighting on your tank. Typically I would lose fish when my bright lights would go off and fish would blunder around for a bit before they found sleeping locations. Once I added decent night lighting to my tanks, fish could see well enough to avoid blundering into anemones, and my accidental fatalities dropped off. A single LED is often enough to make a difference.