Haddoni anemone

Jrod381 · Apr 12, 2020

I have a large tank and anemones have always interested me. I’m considering getting one. What is everyone’s experience with a haddoni anemone? What is pros and cons to having one in a mixed reef?

vetteguy53081 · Apr 12, 2020

They move and they sting anything in its path. Theyre sticky to the touch but are gorgeous and can host several clowns.

Jrod381 · Apr 12, 2020

vetteguy53081 said:
They move and they sting anything in its path. Theyre sticky to the touch but are gorgeous and can host several clowns.

Wow beautiful that’s the reason I would love to get one the colors are amazing, just afraid it would kill off corals. If it’s a sting and a coral can recover I would consider

Mical · Apr 12, 2020

Besides what @vetteguy53081 mentioned they can be a menace to fish. Mine ate a 4" niger trigger who was trying to steal food from it.

Jrod381 · Apr 12, 2020

Mical said:
Besides what @vetteguy53081 mentioned they can be a menace to fish. Mine ate a 4" niger trigger who was trying to steal food from it.

Oh wow that worries me as I want to have lots of wrasses

Jrod381 · Apr 12, 2020

Basically I would like to get a nice colorful anemone that safe for other fish and coral that would be large enough to host some clowns. How safe are ritteri or Malu carpets?

lpsouth1978 · Apr 12, 2020

In general once a haddoni finds a spot that makes it happy, it stays put. They don't move around much, unlike BTA's. If you choose to keep any Haddoni, you must accept the fact that any fish in the system are possible meals for the nem.

One other potential issue is that they can get quite large. I have 4 in my system. One of them is so large, I have had to move most corals from about 1/3 of the tank to give it the room it requires. I have moved several corals since this picture was taken. The monti cap, galaxia, frog spawn, and leptastrea have all been moved further away from the purple haddoni for their safety.

20200406_170654 by Lyle Southard, on Flickr

Jrod381 · Apr 12, 2020

lpsouth1978 said:
In general once a haddoni finds a spot that makes it happy, it stays put. They don't move around much, unlike BTA's. If you choose to keep any Haddoni, you must accept the fact that any fish in the system are possible meals for the nem.

One other potential issue is that they can get quite large. I have 4 in my system. One of them is so large, I have had to move most corals from about 1/3 of the tank to give it the room it requires. I have moved several corals since this picture was taken. The monti cap, galaxia, frog spawn, and leptastrea have all been moved further away from the purple haddoni for their safety.

20200406_170654 by Lyle Southard, on Flickr

That green one is gorgeous. Do they need a lot of light? And is a tank that is 3 months old too new for a anemone? I’ve heard of at least a year but I have a heck of a good bacteria in the tank since that’s how did everything for my cycle to be quicker

Chefwheredyougo · Apr 12, 2020

Jrod381 said:
That green one is gorgeous. Do they need a lot of light? And is a tank that is 3 months old too new for a anemone? I’ve heard of at least a year but I have a heck of a good bacteria in the tank since that’s how did everything for my cycle to be quicker

You're looking for stability in your water parameters. Some people have success after a couple months (I'm one of them adding my bta at 5 months, added a haddoni yesterday), some people never have success with anemones. Make sure your parameters are stable first and foremost, then give it a whirl. Everyones tanks are different, so no one can give you a definitive answer without intimately knowing your tank

Jrod381 · Apr 12, 2020

Chefwheredyougo said:
You're looking for stability in your water parameters. Some people have success after a couple months (I'm one of them adding my bta at 5 months, added a haddoni yesterday), some people never have success with anemones. Make sure your parameters are stable first and foremost, then give it a whirl.

Thanks for the advice, that is one thing I can say since I got my 310 when they say bigger is better they were not lying. Parameters thus far have seem to be stable. I ask about lighting because I have some old lighting on the tank for now until I decide between g4, g5, and photon v2. With all the issues I keep seeing on the g5 they might be out the picture

Chefwheredyougo · Apr 12, 2020

I use mars aquas on 40% blues lowest setting on whites.

emilio365 · Apr 12, 2020

Have those Carpets eaten any fish? They look amazing, I been thinking about having a only species tank with anemones.

Jrod381 · Apr 12, 2020

My plan is to get one and let it settle in one location before I start adding corals I saw a nice electric yellow one on asd earlier

lpsouth1978 · Apr 12, 2020

emilio365 said:
Have those Carpets eaten any fish? They look amazing, I been thinking about having a only species tank with anemones.

I have not lost any fish to a nem thus far. I have had 2 of the greens for nearly 2 years, the 3rd green for about 8 months, and the giant purple for about 3 months.

Jrod381 said:
My plan is to get one and let it settle in one location before I start adding corals I saw a nice electric yellow one on asd earlier

I saw that yellow carpet as well. I would be willing to bet that in the conditions required for survival that nem will turn green. To my knowledge the only natural colors for haddoni are tan, green, blue, purple, and red. My nephew recently got a baby blue and green haddoni from ASD and once in his tank it quickly lost the light blue and has turned green.

OrionN · Apr 12, 2020

They are the most colorful of the host anemones. Nothing (no other host anemone) will beat the color of a colorful Haddoni. They stay on the sand bed so you won't have to worry about your corals. However, Haddoni are aggressive fish eaters so be prepare to loose fish if you have one in your tank.
But, they are so colorful.

fcmatt · Apr 13, 2020

A large Haddoni, when settled in and large, can stretch out to ridiculous proportions. You think when it is all curved up and wavy it is a cute 8-12 inches round. Then one day you look and it is 24 inches wide almost. It is to the point I have not mounted coral frags I bought and they are outgrowing my frag rack. Also my rock work looks like a war zone. They can bull doze anything they want almost.

Jrod381 · Apr 13, 2020

Yea at the end I decided not to go with getting a haddoni, I figured with time maybe get a nice BTA if I choose to add an anemone. I really don’t want to have to change my plans for coral selection and placement in the new build. I do appreciate everyone’s feed back.