Please help me ID my blue carpet anemone

[aquarookie]

Hi everyone

I am "brand new" here, and oh what fun it is to read all the threads!

I just bought a "used" blue carpet anemone which has lived in its previous owner's tank for months. It has grown quite a bit and the tentacles are still blue-tipped. Is it safe to say that it has not been dyed?

Anyway, my main question is this: is it a Haddoni, or a Gigantea, or...? It has very short tentacles, and its flesh is pinkish ("fleshy") colored, with just the tips of the tentacles being bright blue. I do not have a picture to post yet. Is there any sure way to tell which species it is? (I have done some research on different web sites and not all of them agree on the descriptions).

This anemone is going in its own tank (a 65 hex) with a 400 watt MH light (I currently have a 14000K bulb in it). The tank is 25 inches tall. Is this light going to be enough? Could it be too bright?

Also, how deep should the sand bed be? What would be the ideal setup for this thing (within reason: no 1000 gallon refugiums here)? Should I put a skimmer on the tank, or carbon or mechanical filtration? How much live rock should I have (if any)? Should I have a refugium with macro algae or is it not necessary? I have lots of equipment, but I do not want to install it until I hear what setups other people have used to successfully keep carpet anemones.

The anemone previously lived in one end of a reef tank, with not a whole lot of light directly above it, but it did not move so I would guess the light was enough. I would like to create optimal conditions for this critter, or at least as good as they can be in captivity.

Before anyone starts beating me up for buying a "difficult" animal, I would like to say that even though I have wanted one of these for years, I had done a bunch of research and waited on getting one until I knew I was able to care for it. I still need to fine tune some details and it would be great to hear from people who have experience with these animals.

Thank you all very much!

 

[Anonymous]

'Got a pic?

~wings~

 

[Anonymous]

A pic will help to ID it.

400 watt MH is enough for a carpet at 25", so lighting is not a concern.

As far as a skimmer goes, get the largest one you can. Carpets need to eat more IMO. Hence, more waste is produced.

Here is mine:

With the Clakii under it:

 

[Anonymous]

The one I have is S.haddoni.

 

[aquarookie]

Hey, thanks for the replies. Anemonebuff, I love the pic of your clarkii playing peekaboo (or hide and seek, or what have you). I will get a picture of the anemone as soon as I can (which probably won't be until this weekend).

Do you suppose an aqua-c Remora Pro skimmer would be good enough? It will be just the anemone, and a pair of clowns, and maybe a few sexy anemone shrimp, nothing else in the tank.

Thanks!

 

[fungia]

i think aquac remora pro will be good for your 65 gallon with your light bioload. i definitely would get a skimmer and do regular water changes. the lights and everything else looks great.

welcome to reefs.org!

 

[Len]

:welcome:

S.haddoni generally has shorter, stubbier tentacles that are more concentrated around the outer areas of the oral disk. The area around the oriface is usually sparse, with little to no tentacles. S.gigantea, on the other hand, has slightly longer tentacles that often "wiggle" on their own. The entire oral disk is covered with tentacles.

 

[Anonymous]

Hey, thanks for the replies. Anemonebuff, I love the pic of your clarkii playing peekaboo (or hide and seek, or what have you). I will get a picture of the anemone as soon as I can (which probably won't be until this weekend).

Do you suppose an aqua-c Remora Pro skimmer would be good enough? It will be just the anemone, and a pair of clowns, and maybe a few sexy anemone shrimp, nothing else in the tank.

Thanks!

Are you going to have a sump?

If so, I would suggest a larger, more efficient skimmer. An Remora is a good skimmer, but there are better ones that are comparibly priced.

As far as the sand depth goes, I would say that the sand should be at least 2" deep.

I would have at least enough LR to go around the anemone. They seem to like to be cradled by the rock(some even like to perch on the rockwork).

You could add a refugium, but it is not necessary as long as you have a skimmer.

Good luck

 

[Anonymous]

Is your anemone like this one?

http://www.melevsreef.com/id/gigantea.html

 

[aquarookie]

My anemone looks different from that one. Mine has shorter tentacles and it is fleshy colored with just the tips being bright blue. I have not been able to look around its mouth yet (it is kinda folded), although I do see that its mouth looks partially open. I have heard that it is not a good thing, but maybe it is still adjusting to its new environment.

I only have an inch of sand in the tank right now, I will go out tomorrow and get more. I may have to add it gradually since the cost is high and my paychecks are not.

I will probably have an under-the-tank sump/refugium with chaeto or something similar. I am still trying to fine-tune the setup and adjust it to meet the anemone's needs as much as it is possible in captivity.

Thanks everyone for your advices!

 

[Anonymous]

Does the anemone have colored verrucae?

They look like little dots under the disc.

It sounds to me that you may have S.mertensii. If that is the case, your sand issue is no longer an issue. They will live in sand, but usually occur on the rockwork.

They tentacle length is between the S.gigantea's and the S.haddni"s. Plus, they often have colored tips.