Haddon's Carpet Anemone Care Guide
Stichodactyla haddoni is a sand-dwelling Indo-Pacific carpet anemone with a potent sting that hosts clownfish and can capture small fish.
Overview
Stichodactyla haddoni, Haddon's carpet anemone, is a large sand-dwelling sea anemone of the tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific. It was first described by William Saville-Kent in 1893. The oral disc lies flat against the substrate and reaches 50-80 cm in diameter, with alternating short and long tentacles and a tentacle-free oral area.
Taxonomy
- Family: Stichodactylidae
- Genus: Stichodactyla
- Scientific name: Stichodactyla haddoni
- Authority: Saville-Kent, 1893 (originally Discosoma haddoni)
Habitat
It occupies sandy substrates and ranges from Mauritius to Fiji and from the Ryukyu Islands of southern Japan south to Australia. The column carries small non-adhesive bumps (verrucae), and the animal anchors its base within the sand while exposing the broad oral disc.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 300 L
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- Salinity: 1.024-1.026 SG
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- dKH (alkalinity): 8-11
- Lighting: strong reef lighting for zooxanthellae
- Lifespan: very long-lived (5-50+ years)
Diet
The anemone feeds in two ways: photosynthesis via symbiotic zooxanthellae and active prey capture with its tentacles, which use toxins such as SHTX. It captures small invertebrates, fry and juvenile fish. In aquariums it accepts meaty foods such as mysis offered roughly once weekly.
Compatibility
Several anemonefish associate with it, including Amphiprion akindynos, A. chrysogaster, A. chrysopterus, A. clarkii, A. polymnus and A. sebae, plus juvenile Dascyllus trimaculatus. Because it can catch and consume fish that contact its disc, most other fish are unsafe near it.