Haddoni Carpet Anemone

The Haddoni carpet anemone is a giant anemone whose wide, flat oral disc folds up at the edges like a saddle, with a surface covered by thousands of short, bead-like tentacles. The disc can reach 30–50 cm in the aquarium and even larger in the wild. Its color may be brown, green, purple or red; pale radiating spots on the tentacles are common. When healthy, its tentacles are as sticky as flypaper and sting powerfully: it is well known for catching and eating fish that bump into it or rest near it at night in the aquarium. In the wild it hosts species such as Clark's, saddleback and sebae clownfish; in the aquarium ocellaris and percula also accept it most of the time. Specimens in the trade are wild-collected.

• At least 400 liters and a mature, stable reef at least 6–12 months old; a fine sand bed at least 10–12 cm deep. It opens its disc flush with the sand and withdraws into the sand when threatened.
• Salinity 1.024–1.026 specific gravity, pH 8.1–8.4, temperature 24–27°C; strong lighting and moderate flow.
• Pump intakes must be covered; it may get sucked in while moving.
• Reef-safe with caution; it stings nearby corals. Acclimate by the drip method for at least 1 hour; copper-based medications are lethal.

Carnivorous. In addition to light, it should be fed morsels such as mysis, shrimp, mussel or pieces of fish 1–2 times a week.

Once settled in the sand it usually stays put. In a healthy individual the tentacles stick to your hand; losing its stickiness is a sign of decline.

Good companions: Clark's, saddleback, sebae, ocellaris and percula clownfish; anemone shrimp, porcelain crab; fast, medium to large fish.

Avoid: gobies, firefish, seahorses and small fish that rest on the bottom; butterflyfish and angelfish that pick at anemones; other anemones.