mini carpet anemones

I know a lot of people are interested in mini carpet anemones. They are gorgeous, for sure. I just want to put a warning out there for anyone with or planning to get one or two or more. They are aggressive!

I was feeding my tank (10g) as usual and my poor clownfish decided to try and steal food from the mini nem. Well...that did not go well for the clownfish. He got stuck in the mini anemone. In case you are not aware..they are very sticky! If something gets caught in it...it will most likely not get out. My little clown was able to wiggle free...but the damage was too severe and he ended up dying the next day. So...if you love your fish, keep this in mind. Make sure to feed your mini nem last. Fill up the fish bellies first and then feed the nems!

Marley: R.I.P.

I'm a slacker....

I haven't been posting as much as I would like to be....life just gets in the way sometimes :) Just went to Legoland with the family and a visit to Stone Brewing Co. in Escondido, CA. Stone is our favorite :)

Today's Featured Coral: Mini Carpet Anemone

Mini Carpet Anemone.

I bought my one and only mini nem from a guy on NanoReef.com. I probably had this one for 4 months. It was getting bigger and bigger, but not splitting. Then just recently it split into 3!!!!! I'm a proud momma :)



Unfortunately my mini nem decided to make it's home at the back of my tank. Unlike most anemones, these do not require high lighting at all. In the photos here you can hopefully get a view of all 3 anemones. They are a purple, pink, and green combination...so pretty!



Most anemones are hosts to clownfish. The mini carpet anemone is not. However, my sexy shrimp (male) has taken to hosting in this anemone. He rarely leaves it.

The mini carpet anemone is very sticky! Makes a good trap for unsuspecting passerbys. For some reason the shrimp do not get stuck in the anemone (thankfully). At some point I will be selling the anemones that split. If you are interested in buying one...let me know. I think I'll charge $20 each. I want to wait for another split first though.

It's a good idea to feed the anemones often...this leads to more growth and splitting. I have not had any troubles with this species. It resides in my 10 gallon tank.

I'm back.....

Got caught up in summer :) I'm going to try to get those photos of the mini carpet anemones and info. today......

exciting day....babies!

Today gave me a big surprise...the mini carpet anemone in my 10g tank had 2 babies! They split when they get too large and it split into 3! They are adorable :) I'll post pictures tomorrow along with some info. about these wonderful creatures....

A gardening day....

Didn't get around to posting a reef related item today.....
I spent the day involved in my other passion...gardening terra firma :) I planted some cucumbers today. Love, love, love cucumbers. We eat them with Bragg's Vinaigrette salad dressing. They are quite expensive to buy at the store (organic) so I thought I'd give growing them myself a try. I'll let you all know how it goes. Maybe I'll snap a photo of my vegetables tomorrow. I have jalapenos, green bell peppers, tomatoes, lots of herbs...I think that's all.
Hopefully I'll have something reefy on here tomorrow :) Nighty night...or good day (depending on when you read this!).

Today's Feature: Open Brain Coral

Genus: Trachyphyllia

This open brain coral (T. geoffroyi) resides in my 35 gallon reef aquarium. This species is a unique solitary coral. It is found on outer-reef margins and inter-reef areas with other free-living corals like Fungia and their relatives. Some are found on muddy lagoon sea floors, seagrass beds, and on sandy bottom near the reef base.

These are highly fluorescent corals that just glow under actinic lighting. They are neather easy nor difficult to maintain in the home reef aquarium. They can become weakened if constantly being covered with sand, so sand sifting species like gobies may not be the best addition to an aquarium that houses an open brain coral.

These corals are also known for being nipped by angelfish and from my own experience, bi-color blennies. For some reason this coral is especially "tasty" to these fish.

This is one of my favorite corals, for beauty as well as how interesting they are to watch. I highly recommend this species for the home aquarium.