carpet anemones

[nutrak]

i have a 150 reef with 40 or so corals. i've been thinking about getting an anemone (carpet) but in not sure i should. i've heard they're real pains when they roam. i'll be able to support it (5ft long, 3 400w radiums 300w actinic, no nitrates etc), but i dont know if it will mix well with the other inverts. do people commonly keep these in reefs, and do they add them to well established reefs?
please advise.
joe

 

[Hara]

i kept mine in a tank to itself, with a clownfish....my biggest problem is that it would eat any other fish that was put in the tank. You may want to consider that
too...I lost 4 fish to its appetites.

 

[cj10488]

I never really had a problem with my carpet at all except after I put all my powerheads on a Wavemaker.. It got upset and started moving... It was a rather large carpet so I wasnt going to take any chances.. I ended up giving it away to another guy who had a very mature stable setup and it only lasted 2 days... While it was in my tank for 1-2months prior... It never ate any fish that I had.. Almost ate my cleaners a few times.. I ran a moonlight during the night so the fish could somewhat see where it was...

HTH<
James

 

[nutrak]

eating?

how on earth can a carpet anemone eat a fish? i have several fish (tangs specifically) in my tank and i wouldnt want them to be dinner. does this happen a lot?

 

[Hara]

it happened alot with mine. It ate a baby porcupine puffer, a lawnmower blennie, a copperband butterfly and after "swallowing" the pencil urchin, regurgitated it back out as I imagine it was more than it wanted to handle.
Clownfish also will help "herd" fish towards an anemone..I saw this behaviour quite often.

 

[nutrak]

eating?

so this happens regularly? how does an anemone "catch a fish?" does it sting it and kill it? do they just lay there and wait to die?

 

[Brisc0]

It pretty much works like fly paper I believe.

 

[Doan]

That is exactly how it works.... I've lost a flame angel to mine already..


Doan