Maxi-mini Carpet Anemone
Species not yet described
While large carpet anemones have a long-standing reputation for being hard to keep, a new influx of small and
sometimes gloriously pigmented “mini carpets” are creating excitement as “the next big thing” among reefkeepers who love their vibrant colors and ease of propagation.
They are often sold under the trade name of “
Maxi-mini Carpet Anemones” to distinguish them from a
smaller species known as the Miniature Carpet Anemone, Stichodactyla tapetum. According to anemone experts
I have consulted, the “Maxi-minis” are a new, not yet
desccribed species.
Although available as odd specimens for years in the
aquarium trade, these larger miniature carpet anemones
that are erroneously sold as S. tapetum started showing
up more commonly in the U.S. market about 3-5 years
ago, but only recently have the really eye-catchingly
bright colors been coming in. Right now only a few distributers seem have these in stock and very few stores
carry them. They would have be classified as “rare” in
the aquarium trade, but they have not been commanding exceptionally high prices. Most people have no idea
what they are or they think they are hard to keep. A west-coast distributor who has been my source says they are
coming in from Vietnam and are hard to collect because
they live wedged in rock in the wild. Information on exactly where they are coming from and the extent of their
range is unknown at this time.
There is also some confusion about how large they
get, the ones I have kept and that are shown here usually reach 5-6 inches ( 13-15 cm). These “Maxi-minis”
come in a rainbow of colors, ranging from drab greenish
brown to brilliant shades of scarlet, yellow, orange, vivid
blues, pink, and endless combinations all these hues. The
smaller Miniature Carpets are often reported to grow no
larger than 2 inches ( 5 cm) and are sometimes confused
with Discosoma spp. mushroom anemones.
