Carpet Anemone Do's and Dont's

FrootStick

Member
Hey guys

I'm looking at getting a yellow carpet anemone. I've never kept one before so have a few questions regarding them.

Where is the best place for them to be kept?
What are the ideal parameters?
Feeding?
And really anything else that would be good for me to know.

Thanks
 

DaveK

Well-Known Member
A yellow carpet anemone is an extremely difficult anemone to keep. Here is a short article on them (offsite) - http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/carpet-anemones-beautiful-but-deadly

Between the problems with getting a healthy one, the demanding water and lighting, and that they can really sting fish, and you if your not careful, for most people, the best place to keep them is in the ocean.

If your still going to try, and this really applies to all anemones, you need a tank that is well established, at least running stable for a year, and just about perfect water conditions. You also need high quality lighting. This is a big anemone, so you want a tank about 70 gal or more. You might want to dedicate a tank to just the anemone and some clowns.

Feeding actually isn't too bad. A chunk of shrimp, crab or raw fish about once a week is fine.

When you purchase such an anemone, make sure it is healthy and not damaged. Also it should be if good color and not bleached. Be careful here. A bleached green carpet can look like a really good yellow carpet.

This is a large predatory anemone. Most fish that run into it, or land on it will be dinner. Even if they get away, they will usually end up dead. Clowns can be kept with them, but even they can sometime be eaten by the anemone. It's hard to still like your anemone after it's just eaten the fish you spent $50 on.

If you want to have an anemone, I recommend you get a bubble tip anemone or a long tentacle anemone. While still demanding, you'll have a much greater chance of keeping one of them.
 
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