new carpet anemone

ok so i jsut tonight added a carpet anemone to my 90 gallon reef tank, it is under pc's right now and my two clowns( maroon and percula) are hosting it, is this light sufficient is there any problems having him? i have one in my smaller tank that is smaller but i dont know about the giant kind. he is green.

 

It will most likely need T5HO. PC light have very poor penetrating power. You will need to feed it at least once a week. Silversides and krill are good foods.

 

i have 2 daylight bulbs and 2 actinics, i was told by the lfs that was about equivelant to 2 t5's, i have a mini carpet anemone in my nano under pc's also in the 90 gallon is a ritteri ive had for 2 years. do carpets need more light than ritteris? also the tank is only about 20 inches deep it is more long and deep than tall. also it is pretty high up on the rocks. i have been feeding it silversides along with my ritteri and the clown also feeds it when i drop in food. do you think it will eat any of my fish? i have a yellow tang a sailfin tang two damsels the two clownfish and a pixy hawk.

 

I would probably recommend a halide above one side of the tank.

although It seems to me carpets can take in alot more of there energy through foods then other anemones such as a bta.

 

It might do OK in the location stated. I don't know ritteri needs so can't help there. it will move if it feels it needs more light. If your fish aren't careful the carpet will eat them.

 

ive had the ritteri for over two years so i think i must be doing something right there, i dont seem to have as good of luck with carpets, although the mini one in my nano seems to be thriving with the baby oc. i jusst decided to try one the lfs had one for only 20 bucks and the one my clown was hosting in before the ritteri got pulverized by the powerhead(oops!)also do they need to be on the substrate or near rockwork, because i just set him on top of the rockwork and he has attached his foot, but if he needs great light i think ill just let him stay there. also i didnt think carpets needed halides, the lfs had them under just normal flourescants and i know thats not good but i thought pc's were pretty good lightwise?

 

Full sized carpets are very difficult to keep going. The minis seem to be much easier.

PC are not very good due to their design. Too much light is lost to restrike. The reflectors just can not be made that efficient. The best PC IMO are the UVL bulbs with internal reflectors.

 

My carpet doesn't seem to require near the lighting that the RBT/BT's do. However, the less light you feed it the more agressive it will become- by it's very nature this holds true. It loves light just like any other anemone. Consider this as a fact.

But don't become placid with concern to their needs, I just lost a new fish due to the fish's lack of experience w/carpets (hence, my fault). They (carpets) are very agressive by nature - never forget this.

BTW, my anemone's have very good lighting.

 

these are the types that i have with the built in reflectore, as my lfs only sells these. so this is barely enough to keep a carpet? how come my ritteri thrives under these as i was told they need halides but i feed him silversides twice a week and he does great, im hoping the same is true for the carpet as i have heard ritteris are pickier than carpets.