Successful Haddoni keepers?

[jlehigh]

Haddoni's are among my favorite anemones, however they are also the only species I have yet to keep successfully beyond 6months which IMO is complete failure

Can folks who have kept a healthy specimen for 2+ years speak up and fill me in on your feeding practices, set-up and observations.

I see allot of folks with Carpets within the first few months of getting them but rarely beyond that..

My Tank FYI: 280gal, BB SPS, 400watt MH driven by PFO HQI, Very high random flow from OM and eductors.
http://pets.webshots.com/photo/21642...36440376UlftRG

Note: I am rebuilding the tank post-power outage during freezing temp crash last winter so I am open to making changes My power backup and inverter didnt go the distance...

[OrionN]

I did not look at all of the pictures but what I seen there there is no sand bed. S. haddoni is a sand anemone. You need to have a sand bed to keep this anemone happy.

[Toddrtrex]

I have had my yellow/tan one for 5+ years now ( I don't remember the exact date ) The oldest picture I have of it is from May 2004 ( right when I got my camera )

One thing I noticed about your set up is that you have a BB tank, haddoni's prefer a sand bed, so I think that might be in issue.

This is a brief history of how I have kept it over the years;
Short lighting history for this carpet ---
Years 1-2 In my 58 with 3*96 watt PC.
Years 3-4 In my 58 with 2*175 + 2*96 PC
Years 5-6 In my 75 with 6*65 PC
Two weeks ago, in my 75 with 2*250 DE + 2*54 T5.

As for flow, mine seems like like a lot of flow, but indirect flow. Currently my 75 has 3 MJ 1200s, a SEIO 820, a Hydro 4, and my return is rated for 600 gph. All the powerheads are on a wavemaker so even if it does get some direct flow it is only for a limited amount of time.

As for feeding, I should most likely feed it more often, but I get lazy. It varies anywhere from once a week to one a month ( this is direct feeding, not counting any food that it may catch when I feed the fish ) I switch off b/t frozen krill and frozen silversided ( thawed ) I feed them ( I also have a blue haddoni that I've had for 5 months now ) the other day, give them each 5 good sized krill.

As for clown fish -- for a year I had it with a cinnamon clown, another year with a pair of saddle backs. And for the last 2 years a pair of clarkis.

Mine has been tough as nails, has made it through two full tank moves, me neglecting the tanks after major surgery, and being transferred from my 58 to my 75 without being acclimated.

The yellow/tan one was bought at a LFS, so no shipping stress, the blue one was bought off of the diver's den section of LA. It can in perfect condition and was sticky and eating right away.

Here is the most recent picture I have of it -- little smaller than normal because I had just upgraded my lights ( I can take another picture tonight, since it has be really open lately )



And here is a close up of the blue one.

[phender]

Originally posted by jlehigh
Haddoni's are among my favorite anemones, however they are also the only species I have yet to keep successfully beyond 6months which IMO is complete failure

You've kept all the other host anemone species successfully?

Picking a good one in the first place is important.

I have had 3 haddoni carpet between 5-7 years before I gave them away (I still have one). IME, they don't need a lot. They do need some sand or at least some rock work designed so that they can hide their sizable foot and column.
I have never had a ton of flow in my haddoni tanks. Enough to move the water over them, but not enough to lift the oral disk off the substrate.
As far as lighting, you have plenty. IME, a healthy haddoni can get by with less light than anyone would normally recommend. When I first started reef keeping 25 years ago, I had a small haddoni that lived for 7 years at the bottom of a 30 gallon tall (24" deep) with only 4- 18 watt NO fluorescent bulbs crammed over the top of the tank. I lost him when I moved and he didn't make it through the tank tear down, the 30 mile drive and setting the tank back up.

[jlehigh]

Thank you for the feedback folks. (georgous Blue!)

I had always seen sand as a "preferred" substrate, but perhaps it should be largely required.

btw: no I havent kept ALL anemone's I have kept a number of the anemone's commonly seen in the hobby.

[Heterodonut]

The one thing that I would add (sorry if I missed it above in my speed reading) is food. I feed silversides every other day. Haddon's are piggies and like lots of food. I think some people on this site could list the reef fish they've lost to a hungry haddon. A good sand bad, good lighting (even PC will do), good water quality, and a healty anemone to start with, and feed it regualarly and you'll probably find there is no stopping it.

[elegance coral]

I see two problems with your system. Flow and BB. Hadoni's don't like to much flow. They will open up much larger with flow like Phender described above. My wife's Hadoni has been in the same spot for a very long time. I believe it is because of the sand and flow. Without these two your Hadoni will be stressed and move around the tank. They can adapt to different lights better than alot of other anemones. Not counting the fish My wife's Hadoni eats. we feed it at least once a week whole silver sides or large shrimp two or three at a time. Depending on their size. It has grown into the largest one I have ever seen. Our friends call it our putting green.

[jlehigh]

Okay, I think I have my marching orders. Thank you for your thoughts/experience.