Rare or common: carpets eating larger fish

[BL1]

Carpets have to be by far my favorite thing in the SW world. I'd really like one but I've always heard that they'll eat your fish. I wouldn't be so worried if it weren't for the fact that I have some slightly pricey fish. So, my question is would I need to be really concerned about it catching a foxface or wrasse?

 

[elegance coral]

I love "carpets" too, but if you're worried about your fish, you should pass on large anemones. Especially carpets. There's always a chance they could eat your fish. I haven't lost a fish to my haddoni in quite a number of years, but that could change tomorrow. In my tank, the anemones come first. Fish are secondary.

 

[BL1]

Thanks EC, that's kind of what I thought but, I was hoping that maybe bigger/faster fish might be ok.

 

[phender]

I have found that the "grazers" like rabbitfish, tangs, and angels seem to be more prone to getting eaten, along with bottom fish like gobies.

 

[BL1]

That would definitely suck my Mag is one of my favorite fish.

 

[kduen]

My Haddoni just ate a 5-6 inch copperband about a week ago. So even a relatively large fish can and will be eaten if given the opportunity.

 

[R33f3r]

My green haddoni just ate my newly bought coris wrasse...:mad2: I just got the wrasse 2 hrs ago...

 

[elegance coral]

My green haddoni just ate my newly bought coris wrasse...:mad2: I just got the wrasse 2 hrs ago...

If your haddoni is "healthy", meaning its been in captivity for about a year or more, you can gently pinch the edge of the anemone and wiggle it. The anemone should shrivel up and disappear under the sand. Doing this when adding new fish, allows the fish to calm down and get acquainted with the layout of the system, before the fish eater comes back out. The most dangerous time for a fish is when it's first added to a tank with a haddoni.

 

[pfan151]

A friend of mine lost an 18" coral cat shark to a haddoni years ago. They were together for about a year and then one day he came home to a half eaten shark.

 

[Pallan]

lost my purple tang to my blue carpet a few months ago. they were in the tank for over a year together. I think the carpet moved behind a rock and the purple ran straight into it. found the remains that night being ejected. Carpet went as a donation to the local aquarium

 

[R33f3r]

If your haddoni is "healthy", meaning its been in captivity for about a year or more, you can gently pinch the edge of the anemone and wiggle it. The anemone should shrivel up and disappear under the sand. Doing this when adding new fish, allows the fish to calm down and get acquainted with the layout of the system, before the fish eater comes back out. The most dangerous time for a fish is when it's first added to a tank with a haddoni.

This nem is only a few months old so Im not sure if it will work when I try that method, but I might give it a go anyways and see. Thanks.

 

[BonsaiNut]

S. haddoni commonly eats fish.

All other carpets - less common.

All anemones will eat fish to a lesser or greater extent - S. haddoni probably eats more than all other anemones combined.

 

[jestr]

My haddoni ate my achilles tang

 

[clowndude]

Long time ago my carpet nem ate my powder blue tang. Oh boy was my dad ****ed.

 

[ron69]

My wife wanted a tank with more aggresive fish than my reef tank. She bought a 6" lionfish and a month later a carpet anemone. The next morning...they were both dead!

 

[BonsaiNut]

Don't get me wrong - you know I LOVE anemones.

But I stopped buying haddonis because I like reef fish too much If I had a dollar for every expensive fish I've lost to a haddoni... I think you really need to consider a species tank if you want to keep big ones - and they will all get big eventually if you care for them properly. Keeping clowns in them helps - but is not foolproof.

 

[deangelr]

My wife wanted a tank with more aggresive fish than my reef tank. She bought a 6" lionfish and a month later a carpet anemone. The next morning...they were both dead!

Not intending to be offensive.. This makes me laugh :lmao: