Difficult?

Why are Carpet anemones so difficult to care for? Everywhere I have seen them for sale, they say that they are for expert only...why is this?

What kind of lighting do they need, water params, etc?

 

I think they eat fish and corals and get HUGE so depending on the size of your tank may need to be kept alone

 

I had one for a few months. It was still small and was under T5 lighting when I got it. It seemed to do just fine and always looked healthy and did not roam the tank, but it ate several of my fish before I found it a new home.

 

i don't think they are any more difficult than other "true" anemones, but anemones can be quite difficult period, carpets can get huge and if you feed them often it will speed that right up. i would hold off on any anemone until you have gotten lps to grow and thrive at that point you're probably ready..
1 more thing,if you put an anemone in your tank it is no longer your tank! they have a mind of their own and will pretty much do whatever they damn well please, you gotta be ready for that!

 

Aside from all of the regular precautions you need to take with anemones I believe it can also be somewhat difficult to obtain really healthy specimens so it can be tricky to nurse them back to health.

 

Mine hasn't been to bad to care for. Once it went on the move and got sucked into a power head and has since healed. Also has managed to eat a coral branded shrimp, mandarin, and a coral beauty. So I am debating on weather or not to put him in my 125. It is in a 55 right now. But they do have a mind of there own and do what they want.

 

Most anemones are for experts only. They can be very sensitive to water conditions. And if they do happen to die, they can release a toxin and wipe the whole rest of the tank out, so you really have zero room for error.

Anemones need powerful lighting, excellent water, and a mature tank to answer your questions.

 

Well thanks for all the quick and intuitive responses.

 

They do get huge and are known to eat fish regularly. Plus if they move, they can nuke corals, like any other anemone.

Also, all anemones need a very slow acclimation process, and they don't ship all that well.