Premise: I love carpet anemones, but I've never been able to keep one due to my amazing 20L/40R being so heavily packed w/ SPS and rare LPS, and my new nano being just a 12gal DX.

Idea: Convert the 12gal DX to a tank for ONLY a blue carpet anemone and a mated pair of clows (yes, I'd go for something cool).

Here are the issues I'm considering:

I'm a dorm reefer. As such, I have extreme size limitations. I cannot go bigger than my 12gal nano without a lot of work. I have a DX. I'd rather not pull off the top and hook a MH clip-on up, but I realize the needs of a carpet. I'll resign myself to be a topless MH nanocube owner. Hehehe!

I have incredible LFS hookups. This makes getting the Halide and the anemone extremely doable. The anemone may come from someone online, too. Just depends. Anyways...

Think it's doable? I realize the size they get, but do we think it could be done if the aquascaping was a U shape w/ the anemone somewhere in the middle so it could stretch out?

Most importantly, what else would I need to get it done? I can keep the tank up to par, I can keep the water clean, I currently have a 1/3 LR, 1/3 PolyFilter, 1/3 Heater and Pump setup in the back w/ one of the overflows hooked up to the intake. I really can't think of what else I'd need besides the MH on the top...

If the verdict is that I need a 24gal to do it, I may just have to do it. I just want to get everyone's feedback so that I'm not blowing money on the conversion, giving up my current stock, and killing another anemone in the reefing world.

Thanks for the input, guys. Please don't post saying "DON'T DO IT! IT WILL NEVER WORK!" or "GO FOR IT! SW33T!" unless you have some facts and have been on the board for over a week. Hehe.

Cheers,

to be honest, i was thinking about this too... but realized that i didn't like carpets as much as i thought i did.

if you remember a while back, there was a TOTM here on nano-reef by Cyber. he had a 10g setup with a large blue carpet anemone for quite a long period of time. i believe it was in the area of 10 months? (don't quote me on that though). he said it was temporary until he moved it into his larger tank (which he did), but during those 10 months it looked AMAZING and was healthy and alive. i had the honor of seeing this anemone once when i visited him, and it's a magnificent specimen.

this suggests, that it's not impossible to keep a carpet in a nano; and proper care MUST be given. you aren't a "new" reefer, so i know you'll have a good base-knowledge going into this, which makes you a good candidate to attempt this. as long as you're responsible enough to maintain stable parameters, and clean water with consistent water changes to remove any nutrient build-up, i think you can do it.

impossible is something you let happen, not something that happens to you. i say, go for it... and tell us how it goes, if you find it difficult to maintain, tell us. on the other hand, if you have great success with it, let us know what drives your success! good luck Connor.

I still see your posts and think back to that ViaAqua of yours.

After cruising here and the dreaded RC pages, I've only come across the issue of getting enough flow (I stick a small PH in the corner. Done) and size. I know that a full-grown carpet can hit 2'. That's almost double the NC12 width. But. I think it might be doable.

If I were to do it, I'd need to conserve money in the process, so I'd most likely just use my current NC12 and pop the top off in favor of a 70watt Clip-On MH. I'm heading home on Saturday, so I'll stop in and have some words w/ my old boss @ the LFS. He's always good to run ideas by. Maybe he'll trade me the stocked 12DX for a fresh 24 AquaPod. Who knows.

Anyways, I'm thinking that I'll see what I can pull together as far as funds are concerned. I'd like to document the process for the hell of it, anyways. I'd probably need to pop a skimmer either in the back or on the back. Maybe I'll find a cheap remora somebody's not using. Why not w/ an open top, right? My roomie will hate me, but that's ok.

yea the 24 aquapod would be a better bet IMO.

yenno what's funny though, when ppl see my NC6, they say... ooh how many gallons is that, 2?

i guess they think it's only ~2g cuz it's not that much bigger than 2 gallons of milk, and they don't understand the concept of "volume" conforming to different shapes. kinda like how a 5g water jug is HUGE but a 5g tank is itty bitty. i'm sure you can "pass off" a 24g aquapod as a 10-15g tank to get away with the rules of the dorm. if they've never been in the hobby, they'll never know. it's a white lie! these things don't look that big anyways, just compare your tank to those 5g water jugs and they'll go.... OHHHH, i see... *dumb nod*

and yes, i agree w/your comment about the skimmer, i think it's a must have in this situation.

I'd also be concerned with a "cool" type of clown pair. I wouldn't generally recommend anything outside of the Percula complex for a tank that small. Something from the skunk complex is possible but even they get kinda large for a tank that size.

It may be kinda tricky keeping parameters in order.

I agree totally. My definition of cool is a Picasso or Snowflake. Definitely a perc. The params could be handled, I think, by weekly water changes and popping a skimmer in the back.

i've read a lot about carpets, and will set up a species only custom tank in the future... i would recommend against putting expensive fish in a small tank with the carpet... even clowns have been known to get eaten by their host carpets in home aquaria.

also, if you start with a small carpet, be aware (i'm sure you are, just thought i'd add to the thread anyway) the anemone needs to be twice in diameter compared to the length of the clown, if there's one, and even bigger if there is a pair. otherwise you face the likely scenario of them harassing it to death.

also, not all clowns will host in all anemones... again, i'm sure you know that. there's a good list of what is compatible somewhere in a FAQ... i'll see if i can find it.

Here's the thread with the carpet in the 10g tank:
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...c=20138&hl=


Pretty cool lookin'

I can't think of any reason why this wouldn't work in the short term. Of course, the carpet will outgrow the tank but the perc morphs should fit ok.

I really don't like to say go for it with something that will outgrow its initial tank unless the reefer already has the larger tank that it will be moved in to.

Yeah, that's the only issue. It wouldn't have somewhere else to go. My initial idea is that if I can't work something out to get a 24gal cube, then I'll use my NC12 and just switch to a bigger cube when I need to.

About the clowns: Yeah, I know about the harassment. I lost a RBTA to a pair when I was first getting into the hobby. I'd let the carpet get well settled in prior to adding the clowns. I'm honestly considering a couple crabs or sexy shrimp instead, but I would like to have fish, so that will progress later.

About the 10gal tank: Yeah, I recall that thread... Barely.. Haha. Back when I was still just a lurker on the forums. His tank was only under 32watts of PC, though, so I doubt it was very long-lived. Nowadays if somebody tried to pull that off (other than a few of us around the board), they'd get flamed to no end. I don't even want to put one in my DX. It's MH or nothing as far as carpets are concerned in my book.

I completely understand what you're saying about it outgrowing the tank, don't worry. I've been doing it for a while, and I cause quite a fuss when something goes into a tank it doesn't belong in. However, I honestly believe that I can pull it off. I know short-term is nothing w/ carpets, so that's what I'd like to try and test out. I want to see just how long it will last in a 12gallon cube before it is obviously too large, or it just becomes too difficult to keep the water where it needs to be for a carpet anem. At that point, I would've been seeing the time coming for a while, and would be able to put away some money (I do have a job besides going to school) to get a larger tank. I wouldn't need more rock, either, so it would just be the cost of the new tank. A couple hundred at most since I'd have the MH and filter/skimmer setup from the old tank. I'm headed off to the beach w/ my girlfriend now, but I'm going to try and outline a breakdown of the cost and such tonight.

Thanks for the input, guys. I was afraid this would either get completely ignored or just flamed to death.

Let's look at cost. Assuming I am going to keep this NC12DX, I'd keep the hood around for future use. maybe I'll need a PC retro for a fuge one day.

Assuming I got $0 for the fish and coral to make up for any variance in price.

Things to buy:
70watt MH clip-on : $150
Blue Haddoni (No, I won't settle for any other anem): $100/$150 (I really believe I can find one for that price online if I wait.)
HOB Skimmer (I'll be topless, so I might as well): $80 (Find a used remora and run it during the day when my roomie won't kill me.)

That's it. I have a tank, I have the back setup as a reef filter, I have a heater, I have a pump, I have an overflow to the back, I have LR, and I have LS.

Upkeep:
$10 for a PolyFilter once a month.
$10 for a month's worth of water.
$20 (max) for scraps from Vons' seafood section. (I have a working freezer).


Everything I'd need to buy can either be purchased used or through my LFS connections. I figure LFS cost and used forum price will be damn close, so I'll go LFS cost if possible.

Where to get the anemone is my largest debate. I want a blue haddoni. It's something about the blue, and it's really something about the haddoni carpets. I don't want one of those new red types because they're too costly, and they've already proven to be hard to keep. I know the greens are a bit easier and more readily available, but I don't have anything in my bank account as of now, anyways. The funds will come from the new job @ the local Coffee Bean. I get to keep my paychecks as spending money as long as I continue to maintain the grades that I did without the job. This means my computer cooling upgrade will wait and the water system will go back on this weekend. And it means I still won't have that XBox 360 I've been craving for a year. Merry Christmas to me, I guess.

$300 to put the MH on and get a nice (and not huge) blue haddoni in that tank is doable by the end of winter break with Coffee Bean and LFS hours. As of now, I'll start figuring out what becomes of my old livestock. I'm going to hit objections back home if I get rid of the fish, so maybe that'll get me some sympathy for an AquaPod MH setup.

http://www.nanotuners.com/product_info.php...e38a4b6842e7f28

Tempting... That would give me the larger tank, the light, a better filter/pump in the back, and I would only need the anemone, LS, and LR.

Ahh...I see someone else is considering keeping a carpet in their 'cube!

I currently have a BTA and a small (read; 4" oral disc) green S. haddoni in my NC6. Yes..that's not a typo...NC 6 (Nanocustoms 2.18 version). I haven't had any issues YET and this is a very temporary situation (moving from Corvallis to Eugene in January when the carpet will be moved after my custom 55gal "cube" [I'm modifiying a 55 gal tank to have an overflow/built in sump....lol] is set up and cycled). Yes...my current 6 is "overstocked" (in addition to the BTA and S. haddoni the stock list is as follows: brown thin-branch acro which is growing like gangbusters, purple encrusting Montipora sp....more than likely M. verrucosa, brown "pineapple Montipora"...more than likely M. foveolata...single head Euphyllia parancora, GSP's, 1" Black Saddleback Clown [A. polymnus..hosting in the BTA, not the S. haddoni, oddly enough], various 'shrooms and zoas, Sexy Shrimp [which is hosting in the S. haddoni], Emerald Crab, small [less than .5 inch across the test] short-spined urchin...and that's about it), but I deal with it by 2gal. w/c each week (which when you consider the volume taken up by the 9 lbs of LR...is probably a 50% change/week) and constantly running and changing carbon in the second chamber. My return pump is a Rio 600 run through a Hydor Flo on the return outlet. If I could get my old camera to work, I'd upload pics...but I may have to wait until Xmas when I give the girlfriend the new digital (she thinks it's for our underwater photography....I want it for that AND the reef...lol) for some quality pics.

Okay...where was I? ahh yes...carpets in 'cubes. It can be done...at least short term...I'd say hit it up.

Cheers,
Fred

Fred, where the hell have you been? lol. I had to quote you the other day for one of my n00b flamings. I think it might've been @ the mandarins in nanos thread that ICY and I were bashing. Anyways, it's good to hear you're having success. I'm definitely going to give it a try. The issue is what to do w/ my 12gal. I want to just use it to see how long it will last in that tank, b/c I think that would be some good info to collect, but I'm hitting opposition from everyone loving what's in the tank. Haha. I saw in the sponsor specials the 25gal AquaPod w/ the 70watt for like $250. I bet that's around cost, so I'll see what my old boss @ the LFS can hook me up with as far as a deal is concerned.

Thanks for the personal experience on it, Fred. Get some pics up once you can b/c I'd love to see them, and good luck w/ the move!

in my experience of having clowns host anemones it helps to have the anemone in the tank before you add the clowns. for some reason whenever i had the clowns in the tank first i couldnt get them to host an anemone i added after. the only problem is you would need to have the tank running for about 6 months with nothing living in it. i don't think this really helps with if you can put a carpet anemone in your tank but if you choose to id recommend putting it before the clowns. good luck

My own personal experience with anemones over the years has been that feeding trumps lighting (not to downplay the importance of good lighting...god knows I'd never do that! lol). The E. quadricolor gets on the order of 3 silversides/week (it's in the neighbourhood of 9" across the oral disc), fed in two feedings and the S. haddoni gets 2 silversides/week, again over the course of two feedings. Does this add a SIGNIFICANT amount of nutrients to a small system? You better believe it...hence the extraordinary w/c's and constant running of absorptive media (carbon, organic resins, etc etc).

I just can't wait to move to the new 55...lots of display space and dropping a single 250w HQI pendant over the top (I'm basically dividing the tank into a 30" section and an 18" "sump" section). Of course...knowing me, I'll then drop in a Macrodactyla doreensis (LTA), just to show off a bit.... Or even better...see if Chris can rig me up a 70w MH in the NC6 hood and run the LTA in there alone with a deep-ish sandbed and a single clown. Ahhh...a guy can dream, can't he? lol

Cheers,
Fred

PS-Agreed with Coolguy...my stocking order was the E. quadricolor, followed by the A. polymnus, followed by the S. haddoni. That's why I think the polymnus ended up with the BTA instead of the carpet...its natural host.

Not on topic at all but FYI, there is a good fish store in Eugene called Aqua-Serene. I'm not 100% sure it is still there because I don't get to go down there very often, but if you have the chance definitely go.

Back on topic, I think this will be really cool. I've always wanted a carpet for my 16 gallon, but I already have a bta. I say go for it.

I'm really glad that I'm getting this kind of support for the project. Fred, I agree completely about the feeding and lighting. I just don't want to cut the lighting short from the start b/c if something goes wrong, I don't want to instantly blame lighting. Ya know?

Adding the anem. first is what I said somewhere up there, too. It's been my personal exp as well.

P.S. Fred, putting an LTA in the tank by itself w/ the clowns would be so cool.

Jamie,

Funny you should mention Aquaserene...LOL.

I'm a close personal acquaintance of the guy who runs the coral/invert systems there...*wink*. (don't mind me, I'm just stashing my Clark Kent clothes.......lol.)

Cheers,
Fred

PS-BTW..Aquaserene owns Aurora lighting there in Eugene...you can get MH setups pretty cheaply...for a B&M retailer at least....

Haha. Hey Fred, a question....

Of how much value do you think a small skimmer in/hanging on the back would be? Consider I'd have a very similar feeding plan.

I haven't had the opportunity to run one of the new cube skimmers from Chris yet...but it can't hurt (for an anem/clown only setup you really aren't worried about plankton levels...so aggressive skimming shouldn't hurt). I hate to draw the comparison, but if you're running a 'species' tank like that, I'd almost go the way of FO setups (with reef-level lighting of course) with as many water purification devices as possible. (I can picture the tank with a skimmer, UV sterilizer, and ozone running...LOL) Then again...this is a small tank and really...how hard is it to do a 5 gallon w/c each week? If you wanted to sink the cash I don't see why not, though.

Cheers,
Fred

Yeah. I don't want to go all-out with it. Part of this is to see if it can be reasonably done. If I can do it as a college dorm reefer w/ a part-time job, then it's doable. (With experience, that is). I think that a small MH setup, an all-in-one tank, a small skimmer, and weekly water changes are reasonable steps to maintaining a "hard-to-keep" species tank. This way people (and I) will know if it's doable within reasonably boundaries. Kinda like keeping a nanocube w/ a 20gal sump underneath, you know?

Hard to keep in a nano...carpets aren't all hard to keep in general. I would, however, verify what species of carpet you're getting before you buy. Generally speaking, S. haddoni are the easiest. S. gigantea get WAY too big (if I'm not mistaken, somewhere on the order of 1m across the oral disc when all is said and done) and S. mertensii have a poor track record in captivity. There are also occassionally a Caribbean Stichodactyla species that come in...which of course, aren't host anemones. Tentacle "stickiness", length, pattern, and occassionally colouration help in determining species. That and the fact that haddoni is a sand dweller and mertensii is a rock dweller...but you can't always judge that appropriately in an LFS setting. And realize that the LFS probably can't guarantee which species you'll get...our wholesale lists usually just say "Carpet Anemone-Green" and "Carpet Anemone-Colored" or "Carpet Anemone-Brown"...lol.

Just some more detail.

Cheers,
Fred

Yeah. As I stated, I'm out for a S. Haddoni. If it did come from the LFS, I can be pretty sure I'd get what I asked for. I worked @ the place for over a year, and I still go back and chat w/ the owner about my tank ideas all the time. Blue is my first choice, then green (just for the record). And yeah, hard to keep in a nano for water quality and lighting purposes. I know it will outgrow the tank eventually. But I'd rather stick w/ a tank that I have and is widely considered "nano" first, then switch to a larger version down the road.

Edit: What do you think I should go for as far as lighting? I want 70watt MH, but whose?

Talk to Chris @ Nanocustoms and see what he can do for you. Whether he's got a retro kit you can pop in the hood or you have to buy a new hood or a Viper light or something like that, I dunno. But I'd check that out first and then go from there.

Cheers,
Fred

Yeah, I took your advice, Fred, and shot him an email via the forum and the website. Hopefully I can hear back from him tomorrow or Monday. I got a pretty good deal @ the shop that I have to decide on in the next couple days, but if Chris can hook me up w/ a tank and a light, then I'll be set. So long as shipping doesn't kill me, ya know? Just have to find me a blue haddoni.

asdf.

i'm pretty sure i'm going to end up doing one of these as my... ninth aquarium. haha that's too many. i'm such a nerd.

Haha. Yeah. The issue is going to be long-term practicality. I know I can keep it up for a while. I'm just debating on going with a 24g from the start, or trying to pull off the 12gal. Funds are the biggest issue. Damn college.

Should I go with an AGA or get a biocube for this?

What up Kogut, I sent you a PM about a tank and lighting which i can sell to you real cheap and i Live in SB which makes it easier.

any updates on this kogut? did u end up setting a tank up for a haddoni?

Bump from the dead...because I've always wanted a carpet.

Anyone currently doing this (~10 gallon nano) with a haddoni?

How fast does these guys grow? How much impact does the feeding schedule play?