Carpet anemone. Is it worth it?

[Eagle.]

My LFS always brings these carpet anemones in and they are huge and sell really well. They sell them for 50$. I don't know what carpet anemones run for but my question is are these worth it? Also is it true that carpet anemones sometimes eat smaller fish and inverts?

 

[vetteguy53081]

If you have an established tank with good proper lighting and the room- decent price

 

[a hill]

Your photo shows a completely bleached carpet, I’d look into what it takes to get them healthy before purchase.
-Andrew

 

[Rmckoy]

Nice size , yes for sure they will eat small fish or even large fish if they get too close .
I lost a 6” foxface , naso tang , and many sand sifting gobies
Once you notice them on them, it’s too late .

that being said that anemone is cheap , but bleached .....

A sure sign it hasn’t had proper conditions whether it was inadequate lighting , unstable parameters
It can take awhile to get colour back !
My honest opinion ...
if you haven’t owned them or cared for them Shop around for a healthy specimen with colour .
A simple google search will show you what colour they are supposed to be

 

[Dolphins18]

Worth it for $50, for sure from a monetary stand point.
But they take great care and limit you as far as what you want to do with your tank. It is a species that requires research and commitment. I think most may say if you aren't truly committed to the ups and downs the animal bring it is not worth it.

 

[Jekyl]

I've heard they prefer some serious lighting. Same levels as sps or even more. I looked into it when thinking about getting a show gig. After what others responded with I decided it was a bad idea.

 

[Azedenkae]

Also is it true that carpet anemones sometimes eat smaller fish and inverts?

Yes. Welcome to the world of anemones.

 

[OrionN]

........Also is it true that carpet anemones sometimes eat smaller fish and inverts?

That is only partially true. They eat HUGE fish and small fish.
But they are oh sooo beautiful

 

[lpsouth1978]

I am a HUGE fan of Haddoni Carpet nems and have 2 of them in my current system. If you decide to get one, you MUST be willing to accept that you may lose some fish and/or inverts. I have been lucky and only lost a couple Turbo snails to mine.

I think that @OrionN will agree that it is a good idea to QT and most often treat Carpet nems (with Cipro) before adding them to your system. They do not ship well and usually have some form of bacterial infection. Starting with a healthy nem is key to success.

 

[Eagle.]

That is only partially true. They eat HUGE fish and small fish.
But they are oh sooo beautiful

That picture is fantastic. Can you tell me more about this photo? I am sure it was a dlsr camera but which one and what lens are you using? Give me all your secrets and tricks.

 

[OrionN]

It is a top down picture of my anemones with the female clown. Nikon D5600 with the standard 18-55 mm zoom.
the anemone was under Radion G3 pro maximum intensity.
I use an Acylic box to have clear top down picture of the anemone. I did not do any editing.

 

[Eagle.]

It is a top down picture of my anemones with the female clown. Nikon D5600 with the standard 18-55 mm zoom.
the anemone was under Radion G3 pro maximum intensity.
I use an Acylic box to have clear top down picture of the anemone. I did not do any editing.

I presume the camera setting was adjusted to playing with the blue lights. What setting has the biggest impact to make the image look good? Also, are you using an orange or yellow filter of some kind?

 

[OrionN]

I just use the automatic setting. That was a camera of a friend at the time so I did not know how to use it well. Just high light and automatic setting.
I like to use white natural light so no color filter. That is how my anemone look, very accurate color rendition, no color enhancement. I did adjust the ISO to get good Dept of field and very high sitter speed. I think it was about 1/500 sec