Carpet Anemone Closed Up

It then opened so it could eat the fish.

Carpet anemone closed up.

The anemone wanted the fish. For instance it may be harder for birds or other predators to get to an anemone s interal parts if it s closed and staying closed may prevent excess water loss. I was quite pleased. Another important thing to look for is a closed mouth.

The anemone wandered around on the rock i placed him on then stopped and set up shop in full view. Blindly guessing here though without a clear and close up picture. It s like the anemone know s it was a live fish and not just some food. The anemones will start to drink up and the open rate will vary among blooms but after 6 8 hours in water you should start to see the petals open up.

If a specimen s mouth is opened up for no apparent reason and especially if any of the guts are protruding from the mouth you should not purchase it. It should not be gaping open. A carpet anemone s mouth is usually easy enough to spot being right in the middle of its disc. Some blooms may take 1 2 days before they are fully open whereas others may be fully open in less than a day.

The anemone in the pic is larger then it shows being folded up like it is. Last night he extended his tentacles a tiny bit and began blowing them up but nothing near full extension and nothing near what he looked like in the lfs. If the anemone lives in an intertidal zone where it is exposed to air during low tide the anemone keeps its tentacles shut perhaps as a protective measure.