carpet crasher

jeeper4fun · 05/01/2006, 08:24 PM

I've had my carpet for 3 weeks now. Looked great at the store. Stuck to the bottom of my tank right away and was very sticky.Feeding it 2 silverside everyweek. It's been full with great folds in it. All my water paramiters are right on.
temp 78
salinity 1.022
running 2 175 w MH 8hrs
2 VHO 10 hrs
75 gallon
70 pounds of live rock

Added a Blonde Naso and a coral Beauty last Sunday and the carpet shrunk half it's size the next moring. Everyday it seems to be doing weird things like scrunching up on one side or sticking way up in the air (Water). It's mouth has be open for the last three days. I read that there open there mouths when there are stressed, ill or lack of oxygen. I put another powerhead near by to make more movement around it. Woke up this morning and it had moved a couple inches back. Has lost most of its stickiness. Either I got a anemone that was sick to begin with and has been slowly crashing or I have done something wrong. Any suggestions would be great.Here are come Before and after Pics

Randall_James · 05/01/2006, 08:32 PM

To Reef Central

Please read this, you will see what you did wrong
http://www.athiel.com/lib/questions/anemone.htm

A bit sarcastic maybe but there is a lot to keeping an Anemone and especially one that gets as large as yours. A species tank is virtually a must.
You need a well established 1+ years tank, lots of patience and time to learn about the animal before you even add it to the tank.

keithntracy · 05/01/2006, 08:37 PM

Thanks Randall. I just bought 2 clowns and felt better about not having an anemone for them. They are mated and seem very happy.

Randall_James · 05/01/2006, 08:42 PM

Really no need for an Anemone in captivity, however in the wild, the clowns will not survive without the Anemone. So as the wild Anemones are removed, so are the clown fish that would have lived there.

I am all for this hobby but every year I find myself thinking more and more that Anemone's should be banned for import. There are plenty of tank bred animals that stand at least a chance of survival in captivity.

The relationship with the clown/anemone is facinating to say the least, but it is their own undoing.

Maxxumless · 05/01/2006, 08:45 PM

My BTA split 4 times in one year... At this rate my area will be saturated

ReefNutPA · 05/01/2006, 08:55 PM

Those clowns look awfully large for that size anemone, unless pic #1 is deceiving. Large clowns/smaller anemone's usually result in the anemone becoming extremely stressed as the clowns try to host them. Just a thought.

Secondly, your salinity is way too low for a carpet. The salinity should be closer to 1.026. Was the carpet under MH lighting at the store or did you bring it home and put it directly in a tank with MH/VHO without acclimating it to that lighting over a few weeks?

From the looks of it, I agree... the carpet is extremely stressed out. I don't believe it was sick/dying when you purchased it as it wouldn't have been sticky to the touch and would have had a gaping mouth at the store. Apparently, it's something with your tank/setup that isn't to the anemone's liking.

Tom

jeeper4fun · 05/02/2006, 05:53 PM

Thanks for the link Randall_James.
Reefnutpa the pic is not he best one. When I brought it home is was about 10" dia. Big enough for my biggest clown (I think)
Salinity is a little low (Have raise it since)
The carpet was under vho's in the store for one day. I have turned off my mh on the one side of the tank. It seems do be looking better. I looks good in the morning when the lights are off, so it might be stressed at the sudden light change. The tank has been set up for years. I bought it off a friend and moved it over here.
Here's a few pics from tonight

Randall_James · 05/02/2006, 08:20 PM

I have seen the green carpets as large as 15-20 inches suck down to a mere 4 or 5 inches, truely amazing how much they can change size. They will cycle like that a few times when moved and then if you are lucky they will pull out of it and survive. Just looks really awful for them in the mean time

05/01/2006, 08:32 PM	#2
Randall_James Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 6,727	*To Reef Central* Please read this, you will see what you did wrong http://www.athiel.com/lib/questions/anemone.htm A bit sarcastic maybe but there is a lot to keeping an Anemone and especially one that gets as large as yours. A species tank is virtually a must. You need a well established 1+ years tank, lots of patience and time to learn about the animal before you even add it to the tank. __________________ "It's a dog eat dog world and I feel like I am wearing milkbone underwear"

05/01/2006, 08:42 PM	#4
Randall_James Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 6,727	Really no need for an Anemone in captivity, however in the wild, the clowns will not survive without the Anemone. So as the wild Anemones are removed, so are the clown fish that would have lived there. I am all for this hobby but every year I find myself thinking more and more that Anemone's should be banned for import. There are plenty of tank bred animals that stand at least a chance of survival in captivity. The relationship with the clown/anemone is facinating to say the least, but it is their own undoing. __________________ "It's a dog eat dog world and I feel like I am wearing milkbone underwear"

05/02/2006, 08:20 PM	#8
Randall_James Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 6,727	I have seen the green carpets as large as 15-20 inches suck down to a mere 4 or 5 inches, truely amazing how much they can change size. They will cycle like that a few times when moved and then if you are lucky they will pull out of it and survive. Just looks really awful for them in the mean time __________________ "It's a dog eat dog world and I feel like I am wearing milkbone underwear"

05/01/2006, 08:24 PM	#1
jeeper4fun Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Windsor, Ontario, Canada Posts: 13	carpet crasher I've had my carpet for 3 weeks now. Looked great at the store. Stuck to the bottom of my tank right away and was very sticky.Feeding it 2 silverside everyweek. It's been full with great folds in it. All my water paramiters are right on. temp 78 salinity 1.022 running 2 175 w MH 8hrs 2 VHO 10 hrs 75 gallon 70 pounds of live rock Added a Blonde Naso and a coral Beauty last Sunday and the carpet shrunk half it's size the next moring. Everyday it seems to be doing weird things like scrunching up on one side or sticking way up in the air (Water). It's mouth has be open for the last three days. I read that there open there mouths when there are stressed, ill or lack of oxygen. I put another powerhead near by to make more movement around it. Woke up this morning and it had moved a couple inches back. Has lost most of its stickiness. Either I got a anemone that was sick to begin with and has been slowly crashing or I have done something wrong. Any suggestions would be great.Here are come Before and after Pics

05/01/2006, 08:37 PM	#3
keithntracy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: winter park, fl Posts: 1,078	Thanks Randall. I just bought 2 clowns and felt better about not having an anemone for them. They are mated and seem very happy.

05/01/2006, 08:45 PM	#5
Maxxumless To the Max... Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 2,364	My BTA split 4 times in one year... At this rate my area will be saturated

05/01/2006, 08:55 PM	#6
ReefNutPA Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Pottsville, PA Posts: 852	Those clowns look awfully large for that size anemone, unless pic #1 is deceiving. Large clowns/smaller anemone's usually result in the anemone becoming extremely stressed as the clowns try to host them. Just a thought. Secondly, your salinity is way too low for a carpet. The salinity should be closer to 1.026. Was the carpet under MH lighting at the store or did you bring it home and put it directly in a tank with MH/VHO without acclimating it to that lighting over a few weeks? From the looks of it, I agree... the carpet is extremely stressed out. I don't believe it was sick/dying when you purchased it as it wouldn't have been sticky to the touch and would have had a gaping mouth at the store. Apparently, it's something with your tank/setup that isn't to the anemone's liking. Tom

05/02/2006, 05:53 PM	#7
jeeper4fun Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Windsor, Ontario, Canada Posts: 13	Thanks for the link Randall_James. Reefnutpa the pic is not he best one. When I brought it home is was about 10" dia. Big enough for my biggest clown (I think) Salinity is a little low (Have raise it since) The carpet was under vho's in the store for one day. I have turned off my mh on the one side of the tank. It seems do be looking better. I looks good in the morning when the lights are off, so it might be stressed at the sudden light change. The tank has been set up for years. I bought it off a friend and moved it over here. Here's a few pics from tonight