Wish I had the power to move it around in the stack, but the order is generated on the date of first post.
I can leave it or let it float, not that I think this thread will fall off page 1 or 2 naturally though ;>)
Let me know and keep us up to date
I Fragged My Carpet Last Night
- Thread starter phender
- Start date
I can leave it or let it float, not that I think this thread will fall off page 1 or 2 naturally though ;>)
Let me know and keep us up to date
Done and Doner.
phender
Active member
It looks like maybe the cut parts are coming together on both pieces after all. The feet on both are attached firmly. The one in the tank has been moving around a bit, but I think it has found a spot that it likes now. The body and oral disks on both seem to have nice water pressure in them. The tentacles are not as inflated as much as I would like, but that goes along with the body being a little over inflated so that there is more space between the tentacles than normal. The under inflating makes the tentacle tips look green. When they are inflated fully they are more yellow.
Here is the one in the tank at ~24 hrs. The cut is at about 8 o'clock if the anemone was a clock. I am sorry the pics aren't better, but I am hesitant to touch the amemone in fear that I might pull something apart, if in fact things are trying to fuse together.
Here are the anemones at 40 hrs.
The cut in this pic is at about 7 o'clock. The red spotted thing to the right is the anemone's foot. The red speckled foot is one of the identifying characteristics of a merten's carpet. It is the only clownfish hosting carpet that has this, however S. tapetum sometimes have it as do the Atlantic carpets. I'm a little worried about the clownfish, as she can get a little rough with the anemone. Right now she is preoccupied with trying to show the orange skunk who is boss.
The cut in this pic is at about 1 o'clock. This piece was a little bit bigger from the start. It is looking a lot bigger because the body is more inflated than the one in the tank. There is quite a bit of current going though the basket. The pump return for the aquarium is hitting the basket at an angle just to the right of the anemone. You can probably see the surface disturbance in the picture.
Things are looking pretty good. I am a pleasently surprized with how they look, considering that 2 days ago they had all their guts hanging out. It looks like they may pull themselves back into a circle and heal up after all.
Here is the one in the tank at ~24 hrs. The cut is at about 8 o'clock if the anemone was a clock. I am sorry the pics aren't better, but I am hesitant to touch the amemone in fear that I might pull something apart, if in fact things are trying to fuse together.
Here are the anemones at 40 hrs.
The cut in this pic is at about 7 o'clock. The red spotted thing to the right is the anemone's foot. The red speckled foot is one of the identifying characteristics of a merten's carpet. It is the only clownfish hosting carpet that has this, however S. tapetum sometimes have it as do the Atlantic carpets. I'm a little worried about the clownfish, as she can get a little rough with the anemone. Right now she is preoccupied with trying to show the orange skunk who is boss.
The cut in this pic is at about 1 o'clock. This piece was a little bit bigger from the start. It is looking a lot bigger because the body is more inflated than the one in the tank. There is quite a bit of current going though the basket. The pump return for the aquarium is hitting the basket at an angle just to the right of the anemone. You can probably see the surface disturbance in the picture.
Things are looking pretty good. I am a pleasently surprized with how they look, considering that 2 days ago they had all their guts hanging out. It looks like they may pull themselves back into a circle and heal up after all.
55semireef
Moved On
Phender, now what happens when both of your carpets reach that size again? Now you will have two large carpets, not one. Are you going to keep cutting them right down the middle or are you just going to let them grow and stay with two? BTW, what kind of lighting are you using.
Sorry about your fish.
Sorry about your fish.
phender
Active member
If both the pieces live I will find a home for one of them, maybe in one of my other tanks, maybe in someone else's. If this works out and it gets too big again in a couple years, I suppose I will consider cutting it again. This is a seldom imported species, I'm pretty sure I can find homes for the divisions.
The anemone is in a 48" 50gal tank with 4-65watt PC lights. Two are 10K, two are actinic. Its not exactly high tech. The tank has been set up for over 16 years. It is so old that it has wild collected Florida live rock in it. For the first 10 years or so, it had 5-40watt normal fluorescents for light. It does a good job with most anemones, LPS, and leather corals (including yellows), just can't keep those pretty colored sticks.
ClownReef®
Bubbletrousing
Sorry for all of your losses...but great things are proven and discovered by taking high risks..congrats!
phender
Active member
Thanks. The gigantea is doing pretty well. It had a little growth spurt recently when I increased my return pump from a Sen 700 to a Mag 9.5. It has always gone through a SQWD to alternate the current, but I changed the output from a flat nozzle spraying over the anemone to a 1" elbow that washes over the anemone.(the return hose is still 3/4") It acts a little more like a surge now, and the little gigantea seems to like it better. Not planning on cutting it, probably ever.
I never would have tried cutting the Merten's if it wasn't such a hardy specimen. I actually considered giving it to one of the big public aquariums in the area, Aquarium of the Pacific or The Stephen Birch Aquarium, but the last time it tried to give away my 18" crispa, neither of them had room. Their clownfish/anemone displays were too small or too crowded and they didn't want an anemone in their large coral displays for fear it might sting their corals.
It is something that I have been considering for about 6 months and it just seemed like the time was right. Either way, it is providing information for future aquaculturists.
One other thing to those who are reading this thread. Please do not go out and slice your anemone just because I did. Give it some time to see how my attempt works out. I have had this anemone for 3 years and believe me, it has been as bulletproof as any anemone I have ever had, and I've had a lot of them. We need to give this a month or two to see what is going to happen before you get dollar signs in your heads and start chopping up your colored haddonis.
BonsaiNut
Premium Member
Phil; I know you mention it here and there in this thread, but I think you should point out that you fragged you S. mertensii - NOT an S. haddoni or S. gigantea. In your post title you say "fragged my carpet" and I'm not sure everyone knows there are several different carpet anemones out there...
Phil.
Well said about not cutting any carpet and the reasons you decided to cut yours (i.e. bulletproof).
My Gigantea is similar in many ways, been through ph crashes, o/d on Kalk and also been seriously mangled by a couple of powerheads. But it keeps on growing. Been with me for 3 years now and just getting bigger and bigger. That's why I plan on dividing it on 16 September.
I agree to try this with many carpets, especially newly imported ones is just going to end up with a lot of dead carpets.
Matt
Well said about not cutting any carpet and the reasons you decided to cut yours (i.e. bulletproof).
My Gigantea is similar in many ways, been through ph crashes, o/d on Kalk and also been seriously mangled by a couple of powerheads. But it keeps on growing. Been with me for 3 years now and just getting bigger and bigger. That's why I plan on dividing it on 16 September.
I agree to try this with many carpets, especially newly imported ones is just going to end up with a lot of dead carpets.
Matt
bureau13
New member
Not that it has anything to do with the REAL point of the thread (anemone fragging) but the massive fish death now has me officially scared to death. I have a haddoni, a magnifica (up on the glass, but I'm not moving him now!) and a couple BTA in m tank. I only have a couple clowns in there right now (more fish in QT) but I'm seriously wondering if I should get some of these out before other fish more susceptible to whatever the anemones are doing when stressed go into the tank. Especially the magnifica...
jds
jds
sonofgaladriel
Shiny!
You are indeed a very brace man! Thank you for sharing your anemone knowledge with us. I'm a relative anemone newbie and I really enjoy and learn alot from your experiences.
I hope both halves of this anemone do well!
I hope both halves of this anemone do well!
phender
Active member
Thank you for pointing that out. Here I am trying to get people to realize that different carpets have different needs in some of my other posts and then I am guilty of the same thing.
For the followers who don't know the difference,
There is not a lot of data on captive Merten's carpets. I happen to be lucky enough to have two. My large one was ~14" across when I got it 3 years ago. Before I cut it, it had grown to ~24". It has been one of the least demanding anemones I have ever had. My smaller Merten's was about 5" across when I got it about 2 years ago and started to grow, but has actually shrunk a little since I upgraded the lights from 4-65 watt PC to 2- 150 watt DE MH + 2 - 28 watt PC actinics. It is not in the same tank as the large anemone.
The three species of clownfish host carpet anemones all have very different requirements and live in very different habits on and around coral reefs. To assume that what is good for one species will be good for the others will usually result in a dead anemone.
phender
Active member
I can't tell you about the magnifica, but I can tell you that I had disturbed the Merten's before and it had produced slime before and nothing ever happened. I had to pull him off rocks several times as he moved too close to one thing or another. The sump would get low and the pump would make bubbles. Both would cause the anemone to make slime. However, you have no idea the magnitude and the viscosity of the slime produced by taking the anemone out of the water. I don't know if that was the key for the people who lost fish to the their magnificas, but I think it was for me
