Mandarin with a carpet anemone?

[pree]

I think its just a matter of time before I relocate the carpet. I just need to find someone who understands the needs of this beautiful creature...

 

[Toddrtrex]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14540040#post14540040 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by OrionN

Our experiences does and should color our interpretation and guide what we do. My experience with Haddoni was not good in term of loosing fish while Todd's experiences was not too bad. Good luck at whatever you choose to do.

And I only wish I knew what I was doing differently to be so lucky. Though with only 2 eaten during 9+ years, there has to be something more then luck. But, for the life of me I can't figure it out. My tanks are set up pretty normally.

 

[pree]

Are the nems fed heavily? Also how heavily is you tank stocked with fish? Personally I have been very reluctant to get a carpet. That is one thing very easily available here. I simply can't accept any fish of mine being eaten...

 

[Toddrtrex]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14542805#post14542805 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pree
Are the nems fed heavily? Also how heavily is you tank stocked with fish? Personally I have been very reluctant to get a carpet. That is one thing very easily available here. I simply can't accept any fish of mine being eaten...

I would say that they aren't heavily fed, feed them about every 2-3 weeks.

In the 58, which has two Haddonis, I have a mated pair of pink skunks (( which are only hosted by one of them )), a pair of Potter's angels and a golden algae blenny.

The 75 ( with two Haddonis )) has a high bio-load (( at least as far as I am concerned )), a mated pair of Clarkiis, purple tang, flame angle and a blue face angel. The Clarkiis get mad if any fish comes near their anemone, but don't go after the fish. This picture shows the extent of how mad they get, (( not the best picture ))

 

[Elysia]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14542805#post14542805 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pree
Personally I have been very reluctant to get a carpet. That is one thing very easily available here. I simply can't accept any fish of mine being eaten...

I'm confused. It may just be a common name thing... Do you have saddleback clownfish (Amphiprion polymnus) and Ocellaris clownfish (A. ocellaris)? Or do you have only A. ocellaris, perhaps w/ some color variants? Which one(s) are in the carpet anemone?

Is it only the carpet anemones (Stichodactylus spp.) that are readily available to you? Can you get a Heteractis magnifica? I believe either clown would use such an anemone and it would be less of a threat to your mandarin.

 

[pree]

I have both Saddleback clownfish and Ocy clownfish. My main occy pair is in another 70 gal tank with my H.Mag. This pair was formed from a group of 4 juvis who lived together for 1 year before the dominant pair decided to give the boot to the 2 juvis which are now temporarily in my other tank with the carpet. My H.Mag tank may be dismantled soon and hence I don't want to introduce the Mandarin to that particular tank.

My carpet hosts a compatible pair of a 3.5 inch female and 2 inch male saddleback. The male is at max. allowed to stay under the carpet while the female reigns over it. So now the situation is that my mandarin tank has a carpet with 2 clowns hosting. My worries stem from the fact that the carpet is so sticky that it can grab on to and literally make me struggle to make it release the stick I use to feed it. A slight accidental brush would be the end of the Mandarin...H.Mags are available easily too but I guess if (when) I return the carpet, the mandarin tank will become anemoneless and my saddlebacks will have to deal with it.

 

[OrionN]

H. magnifica will not eat any of your fish. At least I have never lost any fish to H. magnifica.

 

[Elysia]

I think I understand. Which would be saying something because I have been functioning at about 35% mental capacity this week, for some reason.
So, you are dismantling the 70 gal w/ the ocellaris and H. magnifica. Is this a permanent tear down, or does something need to be fixed and then it could be set back up?
I believe you said before that you really wanted to keep both your saddleback and ocellaris pair. *I don't know the answer to this, I am merely asking* If you plan to keep your 70 gallon, would it be possible to keep both pairs togther, both w/ their anemones? I know that a 70 isn't the biggest of all tanks, and that anemones don't always stay where you put them, but if these are truly highly desired species for you, perhaps you could try it. You could even divide the tank w/ something (I don't know what you would have available to you, so I won't even try to make suggestions.)
I can understand not wanting to take a chance that your mandarin would be eaten by any type of anemone. Having to wait to acquire one for so long, no anemone in the tank is probably the smartest way to go. I hope everything works out for you and your fish.