New user/carpet anemone ?s identification and feeding

[Ohio]

I am new to the marine hobby and although I have done my research, I cannot seem to find answers to a few ?s. Hoping someone here can help.

First, I would like to identify which carpet I have. I thought that it was a Haddon but has attached to my liverock not the substrate. Tenticles are very sticky. Sometimes its body is up as in the attached pics and others it will hug the rock work.

Also, I have read to feed him cut up fish/shrimp once to twice a week rather than frozen food from local fishstore. Is this due to the quantity of food it needs? I am reluctant to feed him raw fish not specifically targeted for marine aquariums but I am afraid that I may not be feeding him enough.

I would like some advise on what and how much I should be feeding him. Any other advise would be appreciated, i know that these specimens can be difficult to keep. He seems to be doing well so far but he has only been with me for about a month.

 

[Frank Giacobbe]

Looks like a hadoni to me. What type of lights are you running and how tall is the tank? Hadonis typically like to be in the sand backing up to the rock structure, but it might be reaching for more light.

 

[Ohio]

Right now I have a t5 ho light. 1 blue and 1 10,000 k. The tank is 22in deep and he is in the bottom third. So it is very possible.

I have a Coralife 250 w metal halide combo light in the mail now. Should be here this weekend. I hadn't planned on buying a carpet until winter after I already had the halide bulbs in place. But they are so few and far between, unless you want them to be shipped, and I just happened to come across what I was looking for in a local store.

 

[Toddrtrex]

[welcome]

It appears to be an S. Haddoni, and it also appears that it is reaching for more light. IMO, the lights you have isn't enough, so it is a good thing that you have a new fixture coming.

What size tank do you have?

When you get the new lights, make sure to acclimate the Haddoni to the new lights. I prefer to use window screening (( supported by egg create )) b/t the lights and the tank. I start off with 3 layers and remove a layer every 5-7 days -- would look something like this, (( top, right of pic ))

 

[Ohio]

It is a 46 bow with a 30 sump/refugium. I now this gets to be a very large nem and we are intending to move up to a 120 next year.

I had intended on using screen to acclimate but was not sure how much to use or how often to reduce the screens. I planned to use the screens across the entire tank as I have some frags spread thoughout in there as well. Would that be your recommendation? Thank you much for the tip.

Do you have any advise on feeding? I have been giving it a partial block of frozen food, the same food that I feed the fish. But I am not sure that is enough food.

 

[Toddrtrex]

Using screening over the whole tank won't be an issue at all, and for that sized tank it would be easier just to do that whole thing anyways.

I personally feed mine (( currently have 4 of them, one has been with me for 12 years )), frozen (( thawed )) krill. IMO, it is better to feed small pieces more often compared to large pieces infrequently.

 

[Ohio]

need help please

need help please

My nem is doing something strange today. This morning before the lights came on he appears to be curling up on the edges(not like when feeding, not sure how to explain it). After lights came on the curling got better but did not go away. Also, his pigment seems to be deeper green; which i would consider to be a good thing, but overall i am not sure if he looks good.

I am currently acclimating him to 250mh, 96pc this is why he is stretching I presume. It also stretches when the powerhead is on(almost like he wants more flow), he gets moderate flow normally; when he stretches like this and the powerhead is on it is heavy flow.

All parameters are good. Nitrate is alittle high at 20, I am performing water change tonight. Any ideas.

There is a little of the curling i am speaking of in this pic

pic from above

 

[Ohio]

This is what he looks like tonight. MH off. 96pc actinics on. he shrunk to this in about a minute.

This is probably 1/4 of his normal size. I have seen him deflate before, but never this much!

 

[elegance coral]

It's common for them to shrink up after the lights start going off. I wouldn't worry about that. I would move that rock to the sand bed, with the anemones foot partially in the sand. That way it can bury its foot in the sand. I've never seen this species live long term on the rocks like that.

 

[OrionN]

Small Haddoni often stay on the rock until they get a little larger.

 

[Ohio]

I was afraid that if I moved the rock I might hurt his foot. My tank is built in a wall, so my only way to see what I am doing is through the top. I was hoping that he would move on his own. I have a spot prepared for him in the sand just below where he is positioned.

It really worried me because I have never seen him get that small. It must be because he it finally getting the amount of light he needs. If so, this has to be the smallest anemone to ever be sold/bought. That's ok though, I like him -I just want to be sure that I don't miss any stress signals.

 

[Ohio]

After all my concern yesterday; today, the nem looks the best it has looked since I purchased him. Thanks all who eased my fears. :dance: