
Carpet anemones can also devour fleshy raw meals, these consist of brine shrimp, clam meat, whole shrimps, small fish like guppies, goldfish, etc. However, you shouldn’t overfeed them if you don’t desire a substantial increase in their sizes. Feed your Carpet anemones 2 – 4 times a week at most.
What do carpet anemones eat?
Carpet anemones can also devour fleshy raw meals, these consist of brine shrimp, clam meat, whole shrimps, small fish like guppies, goldfish, etc. However, you shouldn’t overfeed them if you don’t desire a substantial increase in their sizes. Feed your Carpet anemones 2 – 4 times a week at most.
How often should I Feed my carpet anemone?
The next thing to take into consideration is feeding. Carpet anemones are definitely carnivores and should be treated as such. A good meal once or twice a week is usually plenty to keep them healthy and growing.
Do carpet anemones need algae to survive?
Like corals, carpet anemones need the symbiotic algae in their bodies in order to survive; they can’t rely strictly on foods you may provide, no matter how much you feed them.
What should I look for when buying a carpet anemone?
Another important thing to look for is a closed mouth. A carpet anemone’s mouth is usually easy enough to spot, being right in the middle of its disc. It should not be gaping open. If a specimen’s mouth is opened up for no apparent reason (and especially if any of the “guts” are protruding from the mouth) you should not purchase it.

What can I feed my mini carpet anemone?
1:244:32All About The Mini Carpet Anemone - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd you really don't want that moister fils is another good one that I really like to feed in myMoreAnd you really don't want that moister fils is another good one that I really like to feed in my tank. They love that stuff origen they do come from the Philippines.
How often do you feed a carpet anemone?
Feeding Carpet AnemonesFeed your Carpet anemones 2 – 4 times a week at most.You will need to target feed them.
What can I feed my anemone?
What to feed your anemone. A well-balanced anemone diet consists of: Small amounts of frozen food such as mysis shrimp, brine shrimp or silversides as well as freeze-dried krill.
What nutrients do anemones need?
To accelerate the growth of your anemones, feed them once a week or more often. The ideal foods for anemones are protein-rich foods such as scallops, clams, shrimp and mussels.
How do you know if anemone is hungry?
As far as appearance goes, stringy tentacles mean the anemone might be hungry. If the tips have bulbs, the anemone is typically content. If it is closed up, it may be pooping.
Do carpet anemones need sand?
Carpet Anemone Types They require a deep sandbed of 2-3″ minimum and although they will find a rock, usually beneath the sand to attach to, they can also attach to the glass at the bottom of the aquarium. In the wild, if they feel threatened, they can retract completely under the sand.
How often should you feed anemones?
Feed the anemone one to three times a week. Smaller anemones need more frequent meals than large ones.
Can anemones eat pellets?
Vitalis Anemone Pellets deliver a palatable and highly digestible balanced feed. They are a complete pet food for anemones. Developed to suit the passive feeding mechanisms of carnivorous anemones.
How do you direct feed anemones?
1:133:53HOW I FEED MY ANEMONE - STEP BY STEP GUIDE - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo if you get a fairly big chunk like this you will want to cut it in half maybe even in 2/3.MoreSo if you get a fairly big chunk like this you will want to cut it in half maybe even in 2/3. Because it's better to feed two little pieces within a week then one big piece in one go.
How do I keep my anemone happy?
A Bubble Tip Anemone will receive most, if not all of the energy it needs from light. In a properly lighted aquarium the BTA will do well without additional feeding. If you wish for your BTA to grow quickly and produce clones then you should provide additional feeding every 3 to 5 days.
How do I know if my anemone is healthy?
Look for an anemone that is firmly attached to the substrate or glass and is well expanded. The mouth is the best sign of health for an anemone. The mouth should not be gaping open. A healthy specimen should have it's mouth closed up and somewhat puckered.
Do anemones need calcium?
Anemones do not need calcium. Calcium is for the corals so they can grow.
What to look for in an aquarium for carpet anemones?
Here are some of the things to look out for: A healthy Carpet anemone should have a closed mouth; an open oral cavity with the guts sticking out is definitely not a good sign.
How many gallons of water should I use for carpet anemones?
The minimum tank size for housing carpet anemones should be 50 gallons (200 liters), more capacity is even better as they need lots of space, especially, in case of Stichodactyla haddoni and Stichodactyla mertensii.
What are the three types of carpet anemones?
Varieties of Carpet anemones. There are three varieties or species of carpet anemones commonly found in the hobby, they belong to the genus Stichodactyla and includes: Stichodactyla gigantea. Stichodactyla haddoni. Stichodactyla mertensii.
What type of light do carpet anemones need?
Carpet anemones house symbiotic algae known as zooxanthellae in their tissues, just like reef-dwelling corals, and they are highly dependent on strong lighting to stay healthy. VHO, compact fluorescent, and T5 high output lighting, or metal halide lamps should suffice, depending on the depth of the aquarium.
Why do carpet anemones die?
The carpet anemones are likely to shrink and eventually die off if you don’t provide them with strong lighting to enable them photosynthesize and stay healthy. This can also occur when you are underfeeding them.
Where can I find a carpet sea anemone?
Geographical distribution is in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Indo-Pacific area from Fiji Islands to Mauritius, Australia to the Ryukyu Islands. This species is found singly at depths of 4 to 40 m (12 to 120 feet). Stichodactyla mertensii: Also known as Mertens’ carpet sea anemone.
Where is Haddon's sea anemone found?
Its geographical distribution is in the Indo-Pacific region (Micronesia to the Red Sea, and Australia to the Ryukyu Islands), it resides on shallow waters and seagrass beds or sand flats around 1 to 20 m (~3 to 60 feet) deep. Stichodactyla haddoni: Commonly known as Haddon’s sea anemone or Saddle anemone.
What do carpet anemones do?
A carpet anemone‘s tentacles are covered by numerous stinging cells called cnidocytes, and these cells fire tiny harpoon-like structures into prey when contact is made. These structures can then allow an anemone to hold on to a prey item and also inject venom into the victim in order to immobilize or kill it. However, they don‘t sting everything they touch. The tentacles and their stinging cells do not react to random brushes with rocks, sand, and other non-fleshy items in their surroundings, and they don’t react to contact with certain clownfish either. Basically the anemones don’t recognize these things as “meat.” So a clownfish can swim right into an anemone without being grabbed and stung to death.
Why are carpet anemones called carpet anemones?
Stichodactyla gigantea, Stichodactyla haddoni, and Stichodactyla mertensii are called carpet anemones because they have large flattened bodies, and their upper surface is covered by numerous relatively short carpet-like tentacles.
What are some interesting things to add to an aquarium?
Sea anemones can be very attractive and interesting additions to an aquarium, and their associations with different species of clownfishes makes them even more desirable to many marine aquarists. The carpet anemones are some of the most impressive species available—they can reach impressive sizes when cared for properly, ...
How to find a S. gigantea?
S. gigantea is typically found with its base attached to something solid that’s buried in sand so that much of the base is buried, too. But, again, they could also be found attached to hard substrates at the surface. Thus, the best thing to do with either of these anemones is to dig a hole in the sand and place their base in the hole, then fill it in around the base and put a piece of live rock right next to it. This has worked well for me, as the anemone attaches its base to the bottom pane of glass in the tank and then extends its disc over the bottom and the rock.
Can an anemone crawl around?
Carpet anemones can sometimes be picky about where they live, and you should put some thought into where to locate one. This is important, as an unhappy anemone will be an unhealthy anemone, and they can crawl around looking for a better spot if they aren’t pleased with where you place them.
Do carpet anemones need strong light?
Carpet anemones house symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) in their tissues, just like reef-dwelling corals do, and thus rely heavily on strong lighting in order to stay healthy. Unfortunately, I’ve come across a surprising number of hobbyists and ignorant (or unscrupulous) store employees that don’t seem to know this.
Can anemones survive in aquariums?
Anemones in general have a pathetically poor survival rate in aquariums, but some species tend to fare far better than others. Fortunately I’ve had good luck for the most part with carpets, and I think that if you choose a good specimen and know how to care for it properly you’ll greatly increase your chances of success. But when it comes down to it, they can still be rather hit or miss, and if you aren’t prepared to go the distance and provide one with everything it needs then don’t buy one. As you’ll see, having good water quality is important (always is), but lighting, placement, current, and feeding are all very important to consider, as well.
dixie reefer
Got a beautiful turquoise colored carpet nem a couple days ago. I placed it in my frag tank temporarily until we can get a light on my husband's tank. It's nice and sticky and attached itself to the glass.
sean1986
That looks like a big one, id do half or a full silverside, my carpet nem grew like crazy on just silversides 2 times a week.
Deckoz2302
its not gonna eat til its happy.....give it a week or so to just settle in and it should eat pretty much anything...
Seamonkey84
Once it's settled and acclimated, I use table shrimp or krill for smaller nems or ones that are recovering.
dixie reefer
I got it to eat small pieces of table shrimp yesterday and today finally!
dixie reefer
Well there's only 2 clowns in there now but they aren't wanting to go anywhere near it. Im going to be moving it to its own zero edge tank probably within a month. If it won't let these clowns host it, I'll probably get a tomato or a maroon to try with it.
sean1986
Iv seen plenty of clowns host a carpet. I had a very very aggressive carpet nem. i mean if i barely touched it it would latch on and try and cover my hand up. My clowns hosted this carpet for over 6 months. I finally got rid of the clowns because they became way to aggressive.I did lose a firefish and a coral goby to it

The Basics
Aquarium Care
- Anemones in general have a pathetically poor survival rate in aquariums, but some species tend to fare far better than others. Fortunately I’ve had good luck for the most part with carpets, and I think that if you choose a good specimen and know how to care for it properly you’ll greatly increase your chances of success. But when it comes down to it, they can still be rather hit or mi…
Shopping
- Again, starting with a good specimen is a must if you expect to be successful, so here are a few shopping tips for you. First, any anemone should be firmly attached to something at the shop, as in a rock, shell, the glass, etc. If its base is just puckered up and it’s not holding onto anything, and the anemone is just sitting on the bottom, I’d pass it up. This doesn’t mean that you have to take …
Matching Clownfish
- A carpet anemone‘s tentacles are covered by numerous stinging cells called cnidocytes, and these cells fire tiny harpoon-like structures into prey when contact is made. These structures can then allow an anemone to hold on to a prey item and also inject venom into the victim in order to immobilize or kill it. However, they don‘t sting everything th...
One Last Thing
- Keep in mind that carpet anemones can really pack a punch and can kill most anything they come into contact with in an aquarium. So it’s best to get one situated in the tank before adding any other livestock that would likely be killed if the anemone should start to crawl around. Be sure to leave quite a few inches of space around the area where they settle so they’ll have some growin…