Maxi-mini carpet anemone

Care at a glance

Overview

Wants strong lighting and moderate to strong flow, plus feedings of small meaty foods like mysis every day or two to keep its color vivid. It is small but genuinely stings; despite being one of the more mild mannered anemones day to day, it still carries a potent sting for its size, so give corals a few inches of clearance and do not handle it bare handed. Unlike its larger Stichodactyla cousins it is not a reliable clownfish host; it more commonly partners with sexy shrimp, anemone shrimp, and porcelain anemone crabs. It can and does move if unhappy with its spot, so keep it away from pump intakes. Acclimate it slowly and add it to a tank that has been running for at least a few months.

In the wild

Found across the tropical Indo-Pacific in shallow rock crevices, tide pools, and reef flats with moderate flow, often tucked into a hole with just the small, densely tentacled oral disc showing. It is popular in nano and mixed reef tanks because its footprint stays small; give it a perch on the rockwork under strong light where it can wedge its base into a crevice. It is not a clownfish host, partnering instead with small shrimp and crabs.

Good to know

Stichodactyla tapetum is the smallest member of its genus, topping out at a few inches across compared to the meter-plus spread of its carpet anemone relatives. It carries symbiotic zooxanthellae for most of its energy and, like other anemones, can reproduce asexually by fission, though a captive specimen splitting is far less common than in a bubble tip anemone. Its short tentacles are densely packed in rows across the disc, giving it a distinctive beaded, rainbow colored look that is where the maxi mini and rainbow anemone nicknames come from.

Common questions

Related species

• 

  Gigantea carpet anemone

  Stichodactyla gigantea

  19.7 in (50 cm) · 53 gal (200 L)

  19.7 in (50 cm)53 gal (200 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Haddon's carpet anemone

  Stichodactyla haddoni

  33.5 in (85 cm) · 53 gal (200 L)

  33.5 in (85 cm)53 gal (200 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Mertens' carpet anemone

  Stichodactyla mertensii

  35.4 in (90 cm) · 53 gal (200 L)

  35.4 in (90 cm)53 gal (200 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Malu anemone

  Heteractis malu

  7.9 in (20 cm) · 40 gal (150 L)

  7.9 in (20 cm)40 gal (150 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Aurora anemone

  Heteractis aurora

  11.8 in (30 cm) · 50 gal (190 L)

  11.8 in (30 cm)50 gal (190 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Sebae anemone

  Heteractis crispa

  15.7 in (40 cm) · 40 gal (150 L)

  15.7 in (40 cm)40 gal (150 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)