Carpet help needed

[Mt. Dreamer]

Have a few questions about Carpet Anemones:

Honestly, dont know how to ID species of carpet anemones. Aside from color, is there physical characteristics that differentiate species of carpets?

Which of the carpets is considered the most hardiest/difficult?

Tank mates to stay away from? Plan to keep with large angels and a Sohal Tang. Presently have a pair of Gold Stripe Maroons that are taking residence in a very large ritteri. This brings me to my next question; if the clowns decided to abandon the ritteri for the carpet, will it have any ill effects on either the ritteri or the clown pair? Dont want to see my pair break up and my ritteri unhappy. The trio have been together for a while now.

What can I expect to pay for either a red, blue or purple carpet?

Heard bright green carpets have a very strong sting... true?
Which species has the least sting power?

Thanks,
Mt. Dreamer

 

[Mt. Dreamer]

Yes, I did try to view the FAQ post. However, could not get it to open. Tried several times.

Mt. Dreamer

 

[Mt. Dreamer]

Finally got the FAQ post to come up. Guess I just didnt give it enough time before. Good resource! However, still a question: Is there only certain colors that can be found in gigartea and haddoni carpets? Colors that should be avoided if found in these particular species?

30 some views and no reply? Help would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Mt. Dreamer

 

[phender]

The two species of carpet you are likely to find are S. gigantea and S. haddoni. Both species can be found in all four colors you mentioned. Purple haddonis are rare as are red giganteas.
Prices:
Red: $250 - $700
Blue or Purple: $80 - $250
Green: $40 - $125
Larger anemones are more expensive and deep/bright colors move the price up to the upper end of the spectrum. Giganteas are "usually" a little cheaper than a haddoni of the same size and color.

There is no "better" color. Only about 1 in 10 carpets(worse odds for gigantea) are healthy enough to purchase. There is a better chance of finding a healthy green carpet, because there are simply more available to choose from. Reds are the least common and therefore it might be a year or more before you see one that is in really good shape.

Gigantea are much more difficult to keep. They ship very poorly and a healthy individual is difficult to get. They normally need high light levels of 250 - 400 watt metal halides. They prefer a lot of water movement. Most people find a surge works better than a constant blast.

Haddoni are "relatively" easy to keep. They can be kept under PC lighting if your tank is <18" tall. Their need for water movement is not as dramatic. A gentle lifting of the oral disk on occation is plenty. The difficult thing about haddonis is that they can catch and eat fish almost as big as themselves. Color has no relation to the strength of the sting as far as I know.

In my experience, it is not good to introduce an alternative anemone in a tank with a mated pair of clowns. The clowns urge to "move up the ladder" is stronger than their urge to be the male in a pair. Another anemone provides the male with a chance to be the female of its own anemone and it will often break up the pair.

 

[Mt. Dreamer]

Phender-

Thanks for the information. Kinda figured that adding a new anemone to a tank that already houses a clown pair and anemone might cause problems. Just wanted to get a second opinion.
Also my concern is with carpets (especially haddoni), is that I might find prized fish disappearing. If the fish are not consumed then they may get stung so bad it could lead to death. Not sure if size of fish really plays a role in determing rather its fair game for food and or death.
For now, I just wanted to get some information/opinons on carpets. May not add any new anemones. Not sure it would be worth breaking up the happy and healthy relationship my clowns and ritteri share. Both clowns (small) and ritteri (size of a dinner plate) are doing very well.

Thanks again,

Mt. Dreamer