FalsePerc
New member
Hi guys,
I finally got my hands on a carpet anemone for my clowns - I've been looking forward to this day since I first set up the tank. I got it for a steal as it wasn't looking too great at the LFS (but at least it wasn't bleached). Since it was introduced 6 days ago, it has been wandering around, seeming to prefer the rocks to the sand. The tank is lit by 30 high-intensity LEDs that are more than appropriate for maintaining colorful SPS as far down as the sand bed. When I placed the anemone on the sand yesterday and turned down the current, and it grabbed onto an empty conch shell and kept its foot above the sand. When I bury the foot in the ~2.5" sand bed, the anemone invariably brings its foot to the surface. However, it seems to be content with its placement for now and has not been wandering.
The anemone is ~9-11" in diameter, and becomes highly ruffled when inflated. It is eating voraciously, though the clowns have been stealing a good bit of its food. I believe this specimen is an S. haddoni, though I've never seen or heard of a color variant like this. The tank is a 28g nano cube modified for high output LEDs. It has 5 pumps on a wavemaker timer, though I've only got 3 on for now while the carpet settles in. The water is filtered by a tunze skimmer and a magnum canister filter containing carbon that is changed regularly. Since its addition, the anemone has expanded dramatically and has ceased gaping.
Am I right in assuming this is a haddoni carpet? What can I do to encourage it to "take root" in the sand bed? Also, how well do these animals tolerate a move? I will be moving into a permanent residence in a few months and intend to upgrade to a larger tank, with halide lighting.
Pictures to follow. Thanks for reading,
Mike
I finally got my hands on a carpet anemone for my clowns - I've been looking forward to this day since I first set up the tank. I got it for a steal as it wasn't looking too great at the LFS (but at least it wasn't bleached). Since it was introduced 6 days ago, it has been wandering around, seeming to prefer the rocks to the sand. The tank is lit by 30 high-intensity LEDs that are more than appropriate for maintaining colorful SPS as far down as the sand bed. When I placed the anemone on the sand yesterday and turned down the current, and it grabbed onto an empty conch shell and kept its foot above the sand. When I bury the foot in the ~2.5" sand bed, the anemone invariably brings its foot to the surface. However, it seems to be content with its placement for now and has not been wandering.
The anemone is ~9-11" in diameter, and becomes highly ruffled when inflated. It is eating voraciously, though the clowns have been stealing a good bit of its food. I believe this specimen is an S. haddoni, though I've never seen or heard of a color variant like this. The tank is a 28g nano cube modified for high output LEDs. It has 5 pumps on a wavemaker timer, though I've only got 3 on for now while the carpet settles in. The water is filtered by a tunze skimmer and a magnum canister filter containing carbon that is changed regularly. Since its addition, the anemone has expanded dramatically and has ceased gaping.
Am I right in assuming this is a haddoni carpet? What can I do to encourage it to "take root" in the sand bed? Also, how well do these animals tolerate a move? I will be moving into a permanent residence in a few months and intend to upgrade to a larger tank, with halide lighting.
Pictures to follow. Thanks for reading,
Mike
