I Fragged My Carpet Last Night

[phender]

The surviving half did OK for a long time. It never did completely fill back into a complete circle and the tentacles on the scarred part never grew back to full size.

It never fed as aggressively as it did before the cut. When I was able to feed it, it would often deflate for a couple days afterward. To make a long story short, although it looked nice on the outside it never regained its vigor. At the start of the summer it deflated for three or four days and I noticed a little start of decay on one edge. I tried a 24hr. antibiotic bath that had been posted in this forum, but the anemone never made it out of the bath.

So I am without a mertens carpet for the first time in quite a few years, without a real good chance of getting another.

The good news is I got a T5 Tek light for that aquarium and its turning into pretty good sps tank.

 

[55semireef]

Be sure to post pictures of it.

 

[phender]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10554688#post10554688 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 55semireef
Be sure to post pictures of it.

Pictures of what?

 

[bluerug]

Nevermind as i have just read through it quick. Sorry to hear the news about the split but you gave it a shot and i cant blame you for that, and by the sounds of it you did it all by the book. You should have better luck next time.

 

[Ron Popeil]

sorry to hear that phil, but your attempt was greatly appreciated.

 

[55semireef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10555376#post10555376 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by phender
Pictures of what?

Oh, sorry I wasn't specific. I meant your tank with the new T5 lighting that is turning into a great SPS tank. I would like to see it unless you are already posting pictures in another thread.

 

[MJI]

Sorry to hear Phil, but as Jordan says, it was appreciated.... Thank you.

 

[Rod Buehler]

Bummer Phil. .. Sorry to hear..

Would you ever attempt to cut another carpet?

 

[OrionN]

I am sorry to hear about this too. Thanks.

 

[phender]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10556596#post10556596 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Rod Buehler
Bummer Phil. .. Sorry to hear..

Would you ever attempt to cut another carpet?

Thanks for the support guys. I knew it was risky in the first place. The surviving piece seemed to be healing slowly but consistantly, then it sort of hit a plateau and never got going again.

No Rod, I would never try another carpet. I know that Calfo says, Oh ya its easy. (That's not why I did it) But if it was so easy, I think there would be a few people out there chopping up blue and even green haddonis, but I don't see that happening.

I am not saying, "if I couldn't do it, then it can't be done". I'm just saying that carpets don't seem to naturally reproduce by fission, at least not overnight, like BTAs, so expecting them to recover from being cut in half as quickly and completely as BTAs is asking a bit much.

A really good carpet, of any species, is too much of a treasure to risk cutting it in my opinion.

 

[RedSonja]

Sorry to hear that Phil, it's hard losing an animal that you've had for that long.

-Sonja

 

[delphinus]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10560192#post10560192 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by phender
A really good carpet, of any species, is too much of a treasure to risk cutting it in my opinion.

I hear ya. I wanted to try this too with a gigantea about the same time you did yours and.. after waiting for so many years in the first place to get a gigantea, I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

Sorry to hear about your remaining carpet. I hope one day you find another..

 

[Rod Buehler]

Shortly after Mr Calfo started demonstrating the cutting of E.quads. I was having dinner with another well respected author. I asked him about cutting other species.. He said "why not? we cut shrooms ricordia etc.. They're all some sort of anemones" .. I then said OK, let me rephrase, and then asked, if he were me would he cut my old gigantea ( He is familiar with my gigantea). He paused.. "No".. . I then asked (if he were me) would he cut my 2 year purple? another pause.. "No" . I had made up my mind before hand that I would not cut my giganteas, but then I saw your thread here and it got me thinking... Now I believe I will wait and hope for sexual reproduction. Thanks for the great thread, Phil!

 

[delphinus]

Seems to me there could be potential in sexual reproduction in gigantea's. If only it were documented how to safely induce spawning (I don't know, I've never looked - I just assume it isn't documented). I know with my H.mag it seems to be just a matter of time (spawns near the equinoxes fairly predictably) or a matter of accidental O2 depletion (power failure, skimmer shutoff or cyano treatments seem to me to be about 50% probable to be followed by a spawning event in my H.mag) but I have never observed my carpets to spawn so I can't even hazard a guess to their gender (if they have a specific gender that is - again, I'm not really aware of any definitive studies that demonstrate 100% that gigantea are not hermaphrodites - but then again I'm not really looking so I could be way off).

 

[OrionN]

Tony,
Check this thread please.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1184600

 

[chrisstie]

This thread is so very cool thank you for taking the time to talk to everyone and for everyone contemplating where to go with this new information

 

[traveller7]

Been scarce for quite awhile Phil, sorry to hear about the loss.

Hats off to you for conducting and documenting the event in such an educational manner.

As far as not currently having a Merten's, who knows what this community can locate given a bit of patience ;>)

 

[Rhyno_NC]

Any new updates? Ever get a new Nem?

 

[CockyBrock]

Great thread...love the photos...looking great!!

 

[jasonrp104]

Lol