haddoni carpet anemone - Help, Please!

[alaska clowns]

I am babysitting a haddoni carpet anemone for a friend, she asked me if I'd keep it in my tank until her water parameters are better. However, I don't know how to care for one. My main question is about feeding it - what should I feed it (I have frozen brine shrimp and frozen mysis shrimp, as well as microvert and phytoplan on hand) and how often should I feed, and how do I feed it? so I guess that's three questions - and any other suggestions you have would be very helpful, I know you'll roll your eyes when you see what size tank I have. Thank you for your help!

 

[Toddrtrex]

Given the size of your tank, and the average size of a Haddoni, I wouldn't be feeding it all that often -- if at all. Though given what lights you have, kind of in a catch 22. I fed all of mine (( I have 4 Haddonis, the oldest one has been with me for 10+ years )) krill, and only fed them about once every 3 weeks. For what you have available I would use the mysis.

Keep an eye on your water quality --- these anemones can/will produce a lot of waste, and any fish you have in there --- they have been known to eat all the fish in a tank.

 

[alaska clowns]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15457588#post15457588 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Toddrtrex
Given the size of your tank, and the average size of a Haddoni, I wouldn't be feeding it all that often -- if at all. Though given what lights you have, kind of in a catch 22. I fed all of mine (( I have 4 Haddonis, the oldest one has been with me for 10+ years )) krill, and only fed them about once every 3 weeks. For what you have available I would use the mysis.

Keep an eye on your water quality --- these anemones can/will produce a lot of waste, and any fish you have in there --- they have been known to eat all the fish in a tank.

Sorry to sound stupid....(there's a reason I haven't bought an anemone of my own!) How do they eat the fish- are they able to catch them? I have a royal gramma, a bicolored blenny and a false percula, and I really like my fish! Do the fish know to stay away from them? Ahhhhh! another problem, are they hard to unattach from where they have attached themselves? She told me it would attach to a rock. So we gave it a rock and it attached for a couple hours. But it decided it likes its foot in the sand better, and I'm guessing it is attached to the bottom of my tank under the sand.

 

[patriots81]

It probably won't eat the fish, that normally occurs if the fish are sick. And yes, they do attach to rocks and can be quite difficult to unattach them.

 

[Toddrtrex]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15457653#post15457653 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by alaska clowns
Sorry to sound stupid....(there's a reason I haven't bought an anemone of my own!) How do they eat the fish- are they able to catch them? I have a royal gramma, a bicolored blenny and a false percula, and I really like my fish! Do the fish know to stay away from them? Ahhhhh! another problem, are they hard to unattach from where they have attached themselves? She told me it would attach to a rock. So we gave it a rock and it attached for a couple hours. But it decided it likes its foot in the sand better, and I'm guessing it is attached to the bottom of my tank under the sand.

Haddonis are one of the stickiest anemones around, a fish just has to brush up against it and would be stuck/stung. They have a very powerful sting too. I would keep an eye on the fish, blennies --- given how they perch --- are most at risk, IMO.

They aren't easy to remove, the last time I moved one of mine, it took a lot of effort. It will most likely be attached to the bottom of the tank, and can be very difficult to remove. When the time comes make sure to wear gloves, it will make it easier ---- they will stick to your hand(s).

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15457693#post15457693 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by patriots81
It probably won't eat the fish, that normally occurs if the fish are sick. And yes, they do attach to rocks and can be quite difficult to unattach them.

Sorry, but that info is wrong on both cases. Haddonis have been well documented to eat perfectly healthy fish. And they prefer to be attached to the bottom of the tank, in/on the sandbed, near the rock/sand interface. Gigs, (( another type of "carpet" )) will attach to the rocks, but not Haddonis.

 

[alaska clowns]

Thanks Toddrtrex for the info. Would you be able to tell me what kind of water parameters my friend should be looking for to get that nem into her tank? She's having an issue with nitrates and phosphates (I assume due to overstocking). Sounds like the nem won't help that any.

 

[rkelman]

It sounds to me like your friend should have just kept the nem in her tank. To put it in a tank that is too small and doesn't have enough light plus the fact that its now been stressed from moving. Then its going to be stressed again by taking it back to hers.. The nitrates / phosphate are not nearly as bad.

 

[rudipez]

I read that the more you feed the nem the more it grows. I feed mine with a turkey baster every few days with frozen brine shrimp. The same nem ate my beloved mandarin goby when he was taking a stroll. The goby had no chance when he bumbed into the nem. The most painful part was that I watched it happen and could do nothing about it.

 

[alaska clowns]

Ok so sounds like it's bad all around. Any suggestions for what I should do now or am I totally sunk?

 

[alaska clowns]

Has anyone had any experience trying to un-attach one of these?

 

[rkelman]

There are several ways.. What is it attached to? Ice cubes on the foot is one way. Using a credit card to pick back and slide under the foot. Or point a power head at it and irritate it into moving..

 

[alaska clowns]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15460623#post15460623 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rkelman
There are several ways.. What is it attached to? Ice cubes on the foot is one way. Using a credit card to pick back and slide under the foot. Or point a power head at it and irritate it into moving..

Thanks for the ideas. Probably this is worst case scenario. No, wait that would be if it ate my fish. The foot is attached, I believe, to the bottom of the tank - it dug down through the sand. My friend said it would attach to a rock. We gave it a rock. Guess this kind doesn't attach to rocks.