Carpet Anemone Good Idea

[hobbyreefer]

I REALLY want to add a carpet anemone to my current sps build. Anemone and clownfish have always been my favorite part of the hobby. I had a small haddoni in my previous tank for 2 years and I miss it in my current build.

I have a 60”x26”w ~150 gallon DT and it’s filled with SPS frags. The tank has been up for 11 months and is stable. I have plenty of light with T5s and LEDs and mp40s everywhere (5 total).

I have experience with carpet anemones and know about the risk eating fish and their huge size.

A LFS nearby has a beautiful carpet in stock but it’s pretty large already. Should I hold off and try to find a smaller one? Here is a picture. It’s currently in a BioCube. I also included a FTS of my current tank. I’m actually considering rearranging my aquascape to make room for this beast!

Am I crazy?

 

[argiBK]

A Haddoni will require a sandbed in order to let it bury it's foot. I'm not aware of any examples of them being kept in a bare bottom tank.

If you want a carpet with a bare bottom, a Gigantea or Mertensii would be ideal as they mount on rocks.

The Mertensii might be the safest option as they don't sting and are easier to keep than Giganteas, but they do grow huge and have less of a variety of colors.

 

[hobbyreefer]

Hey thanks for the feedback. My previous tank was bare bottom and my haddoni was happy. I’m not disagreeing with you, I know sometimes luck is a factor... I would love to find a Gigantea nearby. I’ve heard they do not ship well.

 

[old salt reefer]

I have barebottom tanks with sand dwelling anemones. They live in containers with gravel in them. If it was me I'd go for it- that anemone looks health and nicely colored.

 

[OrionN]

Small Haddoni stay on the rock but as they get large, they will go to the sand. I have never keep large Haddoni in a tank without sand. It is possible that they can live, but IMO, it is unnatural for them and they will not be happy.
Perhaps you want to get a Gigantea or a Magnifica instead. Magnifica is not a risk for fish, like either of the Carpets. Both Magnifica and Gigantea are natural host of Ocellaris and Percula while Haddoni is not a natural host of these two clown species.
Several of my Gigantea anemones.

 

[chizerbunoi]

I am trying my haddoni in bare bottom now after reading your experience. We’ll see how long it lasts before I give them sand again.

Haddoni would be the least risk of moving onto the rocks to sting your SPS. Would also be easier to find in a multitude of colors.

But to be honest I like gigantea and Mertensii more. In my experience Mertensii has a habit of releasing from the rock to drift. And eventually end up in the powerhead. Gigantea and magnifica would be perfect with the high flow requirements of SPS.