Maxi-mini Carpet Anemone: Care Guide

Maxi-mini carpet anemones are easy to take care of and we often recommend them to beginners. They stay relatively small, 4"-6", and unlike other carpet anemones they will not eat your fish. The massive range of colors they can have is what makes them a popular and truly unique addition to your saltwater aquarium.

Water Parameters for the Maxi-mini Carpet Anemone:

• Salinity: 1.024-1.026
• Temperature: 78F

The Maxi-mini anemone isn't particularly picky about water. We have noticed they will start to shrink up if the water gets overly dirty bu tif you have other inhabitants in the tank you will likely notice them having issues before these guys do.

Lighting:

Now this is the main reason I wanted to make this guide. The maxi-mini carpet anemone seems to tolerate a wide range of lighting.  We have kept some in par levels between 75-100 for long periods of time (1 year+). They were healthy and had good color but I thought they could be better. We decided to play with the lighting so we acclimated an entire batch to 350 par. They are by far the brightest most colorful maxi-minis we've ever had. Red's, oranges, and purples that weren't there before are now bright and predominant on the anemone body. After seeing the results it made sense that they would like high light considering that they naturally live along shores and in tide pools. Although they are considered a sand dweller by many, which is technically true, they are close to the water surface and are frequently exposed to the sun when the tide goes out.

Water flow:

Medium to high flow works well for these anemones. Indirect randomized flow is what we prefer. If your wave maker has a random setting or something to simulate a tide pool that is going to be ideal. Otherwise enough flow to keep detritus off of them and slightly wave the skirt is going to be good.

Aggression: 

Like any other anemone, the maxi-mini can sting and may damage or kill coral that is touching it. Maxi-Mini anemones are not going to eat your fish unless you have a sick fish or a dead fish that lands on it and can't/doesn't try get away. As a general rule your fish are safe, unlike with a Stichodactyla Gigantea which will frequently catch and eat fish. Crabs on the other hand might get eaten by the maxi-mini carpet though, fortunately I don't hear people often complaining about it being a problem. 

Safe handling:

I recommend wearing gloves when handling a maxi-mini. Some people can have reactions to their sting which includes pain, numbness, or even black spots on the skin. Usually this is temporary and more irritating than anything but as a precaution...glove up. A lot of people will have no issue touching them but it's better to be safe than sorry.

Conclusion:

Maxi-mini carpet anemones are high up among our favorite reef inhabitants. The colors they can display are almost second to none, really adding a pop to your aquarium. Safety and ease of care are another reason we like them and like mentioned before we recommend them to almost anyone. Stable tanks are still of the utmost importance like with any living critter, after that is taken care of treat yourself to one of our maxi-mini anemones today. Your aquarium and eyes will thank you!