Epicystis

[menschenjaeger]

I'll be setting up my first saltwater tank soon(as soon as the %^*$^@!!! live rock is cured) after a couple of decades in the freshwater end of things.

I'm particularly interested in E. crucifer. The tanks we have in the lab where I work have given me ample opportunity to observe these guys. It's going to be a small tank, 10 gal, devoted to inverts alone. I'm going to keep mainly the E. crucifer, with some snails and some Ophioderma as a cleanup crew.

From what I'm seeing in the lab, I could probably get away with 3 in the tank, provided I do some creative landscaping -they seem rather tolerant of neighbors.

What I want to talk about is light - I doubt there would be any such thing as too much for these guys, but what would you consider the minimum? Will 40 watts make it, or will I need to rig something special?

Anything else special I should know? Specific info on this species is tough to come by.

 

[Len]

Rock anemones (Epicystis sp.) can have their nutritional requirements signficantly supplemented by feeding it meaty foods. Unlike Pacific host anemones, rock anemones are more predatory. 40 watts over a 10 gallon should suffice provided you feed it once every few days. Three of these small species in a 10 gallon should be fine. It's a nice genus to start with if this is your first marine invert tank.

 

[menschenjaeger]

Thanks for the reply.

If things end up looking a bit "sparse," are there any suggestions for other possible tankmates?

 

[Len]

The problem, as you probably know, is aggression. Leather corals is a possiblity; their stalks have a good resistance to being stung. That said, however, I recently had a nice Sarcophyton elegans die after chronic exposure to mushrooms around its base. The stalk gradually wheathered and the whole colony "melted."

There are likely corals that will put up a good fight with the anemones, such as closed brain/maze corals of various genera. However, in a 10 gallon, I'm not sure the best thing to have is two (or more) species battling it out.

You could also try fast growing soft corals such as Zoanthid polyps, Star Polyps, and Mushroom corals (not a true soft coral, but whatever ). As insensitive as it sounds, if the fringe polyps are killed from interaction with the rock anemones, it's no big loss. These corals reproduce rapidly and you should be able to acquire captive bred specimens from numerous hobbyists and vendors.

 

[menschenjaeger]

However, in a 10 gallon, I'm not sure the best thing to have is two (or more) species battling it out.

Ready...FIGHT!

Finish him!

Flower anemone...wins!

Got it. I was thinking more in terms of motile tankmates...