The Carpet Anemone, also known as the Saddleback anemone or Saddle anemone, is one of the more popular anemone choices a hobbyist may have when looking for a suitable anemone. With their wide array of colors, relative abundance in the market, and their ability to host multiple kinds of clown fish, aquarium owners have a multitude of reasons for why they should put this style of anemone in their tank.

This anemone should be kept in tanks with near perfect water chemistry, as they are considered to have an Expert Only designation. They require High lighting conditions coupled with Strong water flow in order to flourish in a home aquarium. With their high light demand the carpet anemones should be kept in tanks that have metal halide lighting systems; however, some higher end LED systems could possibly suffice.

Take Our Poll These anemones are extremely Aggressive, and should be handled with extreme care. The Carpet anemone is well know for its potent sting that has the ability to cause irritation to exposed skin with some reports of rashes occurring. Placement of these anemones should be well thought out before hand as they have the potential to be dangerous to other corals. Carpet anemones should be placed on the Bottom of the tank area on the substrate, with plenty of room around them.

These anemones have the potential to get 3′ across, and should be kept in tanks that are at least 50 gallons in size. They also have the ability to host just about any clown fish that would like to call it home.

Ideal foods consist of uncooked shrimp, chunks of fresh fish, large Mysis shrimp and other meaty marine foods. They also have been known to eat some of the tank inhabitants if they get to comfortable with the anemone.

Overall, this anemone would be a amazing addition to any hobbyists reef tank, but only if you have the ability to keep the pristine water conditions that they require.