Saddle anemone care
- Thread starter josh0302
- Start date
D-Nak
Active member
From the Fautin/Allen book:
"Haddon's Sea Anemone
Original description As Discosoma haddoni, from specimens collected on the northern Great Barrier Reef
Other names previously used include Stoichactis kenti (by Friese 1972, Moyer and Sawyers 1973), S. gigantea (by Friese 1972), S. haddoni (by Uchida et al. 1975, Moyer 1976, Moyer and Steene 1979).
Diagnostic field characters Slightly to deeply folded oral disc lies on or above sand surface; tentacles either bulbous or with basal "stalk," at the end of which is a blunt or swollen terminal portion that can appear puckered (on close examination). Exocoelic tentacles more robust than the endocoelic ones with which they alternate. Column sturdy.
Details Oral disc diameter commonly 500 mm, rarely 800 mm; yellowish to orange tentacle-free oral area 10-20 mm in diameter. Oral disc, lower portion of tentacles, and column drab -- commonly yellowish or tan. Tentacle ends can be green, yellow, gray, or rarely pink, which can give oral disc a variegated appearance. Exocoelic tentacles usually white, may be up to twice as long as endocoelic, point outward in well expanded animals. Tentacles sticky to touch, may adhere to human skin so strongly that they pull off the anemone; contact with them is painless but can raise welts. Small, non-adhesive verrucae on uppermost column are same colour as column or light rose to purple. Anemone can pull rapidly and completely beneath the sand when disturbed, leaving its fish to hover over the resulting depression.
Similar species Stichodactyla gigantea also lives in sand but typically in shallower water, and folds of its oral disc are less regular and more closely spaced. The oral disc of S. mertensii, which lives on firm substrata, lies fairly flat. The column of S. haddoni is more substantial than that of either, and its tentacles are longer and distinctively shaped. The other species lack robust exocoelic tentacles. Tentacles pull off of S. gigantea as well, but in massive clumps rather than one or several at a time.
Distribution Fiji Islands to Mauritius, and Australia to the Ryukyu Islands
Fish A. akindynos, A. chrysogaster, A. chrysopterus, A. clarkii, A. polymnus, A. sebae"
Of all of the carpet nems, haddoni are the most readily available and easiest to care for. Make sure you have a deep sand bed to allow the nem to bury its foot. Many times it digs down into the sand and secures its foot on the bottom of the tank.
In terms of minimum tank size, I always recommend at least a 60 gallon cube for any carpet, but if you're an advanced aquarist you can probably get away with a smaller tank assuming you also have a smaller specimen.
"Haddon's Sea Anemone
Original description As Discosoma haddoni, from specimens collected on the northern Great Barrier Reef
Other names previously used include Stoichactis kenti (by Friese 1972, Moyer and Sawyers 1973), S. gigantea (by Friese 1972), S. haddoni (by Uchida et al. 1975, Moyer 1976, Moyer and Steene 1979).
Diagnostic field characters Slightly to deeply folded oral disc lies on or above sand surface; tentacles either bulbous or with basal "stalk," at the end of which is a blunt or swollen terminal portion that can appear puckered (on close examination). Exocoelic tentacles more robust than the endocoelic ones with which they alternate. Column sturdy.
Details Oral disc diameter commonly 500 mm, rarely 800 mm; yellowish to orange tentacle-free oral area 10-20 mm in diameter. Oral disc, lower portion of tentacles, and column drab -- commonly yellowish or tan. Tentacle ends can be green, yellow, gray, or rarely pink, which can give oral disc a variegated appearance. Exocoelic tentacles usually white, may be up to twice as long as endocoelic, point outward in well expanded animals. Tentacles sticky to touch, may adhere to human skin so strongly that they pull off the anemone; contact with them is painless but can raise welts. Small, non-adhesive verrucae on uppermost column are same colour as column or light rose to purple. Anemone can pull rapidly and completely beneath the sand when disturbed, leaving its fish to hover over the resulting depression.
Similar species Stichodactyla gigantea also lives in sand but typically in shallower water, and folds of its oral disc are less regular and more closely spaced. The oral disc of S. mertensii, which lives on firm substrata, lies fairly flat. The column of S. haddoni is more substantial than that of either, and its tentacles are longer and distinctively shaped. The other species lack robust exocoelic tentacles. Tentacles pull off of S. gigantea as well, but in massive clumps rather than one or several at a time.
Distribution Fiji Islands to Mauritius, and Australia to the Ryukyu Islands
Fish A. akindynos, A. chrysogaster, A. chrysopterus, A. clarkii, A. polymnus, A. sebae"
Of all of the carpet nems, haddoni are the most readily available and easiest to care for. Make sure you have a deep sand bed to allow the nem to bury its foot. Many times it digs down into the sand and secures its foot on the bottom of the tank.
In terms of minimum tank size, I always recommend at least a 60 gallon cube for any carpet, but if you're an advanced aquarist you can probably get away with a smaller tank assuming you also have a smaller specimen.
CoralsAddiction
Active member
They are definitely easier than Gigantea but not as easy as Bubble Tips. Key is to give them plenty of room with not a lot of corals and no other anemones in close proximity. Some people would recommend a species only tank for carpets but it can be done in a mixed reef for sure. I would say 40 Breeder is min tank size. However that would limit other livestock one can comfortably have in that size tank. As far as clownish I would recommend A. Polymnus as they are frequently observed living in saddle anemones as are Clarkiis.
