New carpet anemone problem?

[captsammy]

I purchased a really nice looking green carpet anemone last night, about six inches in diameter. The mouth was open, but I was told it had recently eaten. Today (24 hours later) still open. Is that what is called "gaping"? Is there anything I can do to help the poor thing out? My female clown fell in love instantly. I placed it in the sand in the corner at the base of the rock where it could still get metal halide lighting, but its "on the move" climbing the rock. Not sure where it is going so I moved what I could out of it anticipated path.

Currently I am hold off doing anything in fear that I might aggravate it, or make matters worse, and observing closely.

 

[spike]

Dealing with past experiences if i saw a carpet with an open mouth I would walk the other way. I purchased one some years back. It went on the move to hide in the rocks and quickly died. Carpets are pretty difficult to keep. What kind of clown do you have?

 

[captsammy]

I have a pair of Maroon Gold Striped.

Impulse buys are gonna kill me one day.

I really wanted an anemone for the clowns, and that carpet looked sooo pretty.

Such a Magpie.

 

[spike]

Maroons tend to host bubble tips. How long have you had your tank set up? An nem seems to desire an established tank. The carpet could be looking for his happy place, or could be looking for a final resting place. I have no experience with a carpet (except buying and dying within a few days), but I have heard horror stories about them eating fish.

 

[jonboyb]

I recently lost my carpet nem (I think it was dyed....the colors were just too good to be true) that had a gaping mouth the whole 3 weeks or so it lived. Ironically, even as it bagan melting away, it was still sticky to the touch which is normally associated with a healthy nem. Pulled it from the tank and the smell made it obvious that total death was on the horizon.

 

[ga-peaches72]

I have had my carpet for 2 years and it has all ways liked to move. I think it just gets board.lol It was mad when I changed tanks and it looked like it was a hemorrhoid. Its insides where sticking out like they do when they expel after eating but worse. It stayed that way for about 3 or 4 months but now it is getting a lot better. So it is on the move again.

 

[jonboyb]

It was mad when I changed tanks and it looked like it was a hemorrhoid.

Could have done without the visual....LOL:lol2: J/K of course....nice metaphor.

 

[ga-peaches72]

Just think every time I looked in my tank thats what I saw. Not so pretty. lol

 

[dakota9]

I was wondering how she knew what a hemorrhoid looked like?

kidding...... Again

 

[drnecropolis]

I used to have a huge blue carpet.. It was really good about staying in one place.. I got rid of it though, when it confused me with food..

 

[captsammy]

Did it try to eat your arm off?

This one looked better for about a day, now it shrank up. Not like deflate, more like a mini-me version of its former self.

The Maroon female is all of it, rolling around in it, and actually sleeping in it (under one of its folds).

I hope it pulls out, the clown is so fun to watch. I fed it a slice of mahi mahi (Dont tell my wife) and removed a rock that was casting a shadow on it. Better lighting and a bit of food and its stayin put now.

Fingers crossed.

 

[jennm]

Sometimes when an anemone moves to a new environment, it "water changes". It's mostly water with a bit of tissue... it may purge the old water out of itself and take up new water so it's more compatible with its surroundings.

Could that be what you're observing?

Sometimes clowns can be a bit too zealous too, inadvertently beating up the anemone in an attempt to wallow in it.

Might be a combination of both things.

Jenn

 

[oil_fan]

DrNecropolis;467434 wrote: I used to have a huge blue carpet.. It was really good about staying in one place.. I got rid of it though, when it confused me with food..

I'd like to hear this story too. :confused2: