enough room for a carpet nem?

after i get my equipement i want to get a carpet anemone. i know they can eat fish and even clown fish but i want to try one since i only have clowns. i havea 1 foot by 1 foot square part of my tank that i can move the rock from for the anemone. is this enough? it is right under my MH light so it would get the most ammount of light possible since they love light. just wondering what everyone thought. questions comments and ideas would be nice!

 

They do get bigger than 1' X 1', but that wouldn't be a bad footprint to start with. I assume you already know all the other details of keeping one, so I won't bother you with that.

 

i know they need smaller bits of food periodicly, that makes up most of their diet, they dont like huge chunks like bubble and LTA. might as well give some advice if you can. it would be appreciated.

 

yea, how long do you think that would take? if it takes a few years then i might have a bigger tank by then.

 

They do like to be fed once in awhile and that may help keep your fish out of their diet.

Carpets are one of the more sensitive of nems, so before you jump in be sure you can provide a very low if not no nitrate environment. Also be sure all other params are stable and I wouldn't even try it unless your tank is at least a year old.

One last thing, just because you give it that 1' X 1' area doesn't mean it will settle there, so the usual watch your power heads and corals advice applies to them.

I wouldn't count on it taking too long. They can grow ridiculously fast if they are in good condition. I can't personally speak for the growth rate of carpets, but my sebae was about 3" across when I got it a year ago. It's now over 1' across. I never fed it directly other than when I first got it because it was bleached.

 

oh wow. so get it as small as possible. i still need some supplies, like a protein skimmer before i get it so it might be a while. keep the info coming if you have it!!!

 

anyone else have any thoughts?