Red carpet anemones were once only the purview of imagination and hearsay. Nowadays red carpet anemones do appear in the aquarium trade, even if they can cost as much as a full nano reef set up sometimes. All of the red carpet anemones we’ve seen have been Stichodactyla haddoni, a species of hosting carpet anemone that also appears in green, blue and sometimes purple. The video of this red carpet anemone was filmed near Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, a place where we also expect to see Johnson’s fairy wrasse, Cirrhilabrus johnsoni.
Red Carpet Anemones are treasured for their unusual coloration but like all large hosting anemones they are long-lived and slow to reproduce. As gorgeous as red, blue and purple carpet anemones are we should be collectively aware that Stichodactyla is a group of animals which is more susceptible to over-collection than the fast-growing Acropora corals. If you do decide to keep a large hosting anemone like a red carpet anemone be sure to give it excellent aquarium conditions and make sure to keep it away from powerheads and intake strainers.
