Carpet Anemone Care

[mike731]

I purchased a beautiful green carpet about 2 weeks ago and since I bought it it has not really stayed "in good shape". It is either completely stretched out and vibrant or shrunken, insides spilling out of the mouth, dialated mouth, or giving off what looks like snot or mucus. I'm really not sure what to do here, and I've insured that my tank's parameters are within limits. Here is my setup:
temp 74-75
ammonia 0
nitrite near 0
nitrate 10-20
alk normal
pH 8.2
55 gal
50lbs live rock
2 inches substrate
Hermits
Astrea and nasarius snails
2 emerald crabs
condy (possible chemical warfare?)
pygmy angel
2 false percs
a few small sps, xenia and zoas frags
260 watts pc lighting

 

[chano]

I will say that i have not had a carpet but i do have a condy. Also i have done a lot of research on them because i want one. I see two or three possible issues IMO.
74-75 seems a tad low to me my condy seems much happier between 77-80 not that that would cause a major issue (i dont think i could be wrong)
Chemical warfare is a possibility, that is on the smaller side for anemones and two spiecies fore sure.
I am assuming your carpet is on the sandbed. The PC's aren't enough light for carpets. They are probably not penitrateing deep enough for the anemone to be getting enough light. What your describing is deffinately a sign of stress and not good at all. To be perfectly honest it is dieing.
Feel free to chime in if i am wrong on this.

 

[perfectdark]

If you have anything expelling out of its mouth that isnt waste, its not a good sign. And getting the animal back to good health at this point is more than likley a lost cause. Expelling waste is normal but it typically doesnt come out like you are describing. Especially if this is happening frequently.

 

[dawman]

How long has your tank been established ? Which species do you have ? Any carpet needs MH lighting to thrive and pc won`t cut it at all . How did you acclimate it ? .What is the actual Alk level ? Your temp is a little low also . Anyway , need a little more info and do you have a pic as it will help us see what`s going on ?

 

[krista921]

dont write it off yet though
my condy got attacked by a cc star
and was expelling its insides
its still alive
not perfect shape yet but hes still healing

 

[greg803]

I have had a carpet for a while, it is one of the toughest things in my tank.
What are you feeding it? how often? when was your last water change? I have had mine under MH lighting but I just put him under PC in his own auquapod I feed mine Shrimp like we eat Jumbo 3 to 4 at a time 2 times a month. Does he open like this ? How large is he?

 

[gnorman]

i think u should raise the temp, and also, what kind of substrate do u have. carpets like to be on the sandbed with their foot wedged underneath a rock. since it is under PC lighting u need to keep it well fed. feed it once a week ( if not more ) some pieces of small shrimp or krill.

 

[mike731]

So I have increased my salinity and the temp to 1.025-1.026 and 75-76 degrees and it seems to be doing better. In the last 2 days it climbed one of my rocks and then went behind it and finally underneath another where no flow is hitting it and it is completely shaded to top it off it looks better than i have ever seen it. After reading all other posts i think this is the weirdest carpet ever, prefers shade and to be stuck to the glass rather than substrate...go figure.

 

[calvertbill]

in a 55 while I'm finishing it's new home. Whereas the new tank has MHs + the compacts, the 55 just has the compacts and it made me nervous. I built it a little hill of rock and placed it in a hole in the center of the top rock so it is now a foot off the tank floor.
So far so good, but I'm still eager to move it.