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Epicystis crucifer 12/7/17 Rock Flower Anemone Questions
7/13/10
Condylactis & Epicystis anemone care 11/26/03 I've inherited a Condylactis and an Epicystis anemone. Can you tell me a bit more about their needs? <hmm... what questions do you have beyond what is posted on the web sight for history, selection, husbandry? Lighting for cnidarians, etc> From reading your web site & Bob Fenner's CMA book, it appears the Condylactis does need fairly bright light, but I have trouble finding other info (e.g. water movement & feeding). <feed the standard meats of marine origin finely minced/// 3-5 times weekly as a zooplankton substitute> I've got the Condylactis placed on some LR about 6-7" below the water surface (420W of VHO lighting) with moderately light flow. <the lighting is good... but the water flow should be moderate to strong random turbulent (not laminar)> The Epicystis is rooted in the gravel (I think) about 17" below the surface, with very light flow. Any hints? <rather typical for this hardy genus... fed regularly here and it likely will be fine> If I need to move the Epicystis to either a brighter or more rapidly flowing location, how do I do it with little stress? What do I feed them & how frequently? Thanks! Hy <do refer to the article we have posted on WWM for feeding reef invertebrates... it regards corals and anemones in kind. Anthony>
Lighting/skimming/anemones Hello Bob Jen here from Logan Utah. First of all, here is my set up: I have a 75 gallon tank (fish only for now), a wet/dry filter, a protein skimmer (the Berlin triple pass brand), about 20 pounds of live rock, crushed coral as the substrate (about 1/2 inch thick), 1 actinic, and 2 full spectrum lights (48"), and a "penguin"(350 Mag) canister filter. I'm sort of a beginner at saltwater and I've had my tank set up as a marine tank for a year now. I am thinking about introducing a anemone. Is my lighting sufficient? <Mmm, for some species, yes... but for the larger, naturally symbiotic (with Clownfishes) ones no> If not, what do you recommend? <About three times the amount of light intensity that you now have... for this size, shape, type system either cramming in more normal output to boosted types of fluorescents, T-12's (compact fluorescents), or at least some metal halide (over the anemones area) illumination> I've had my eye on a Epicystis crucifer (pet store calls it a flower anemone). So far, I haven't found any info. on this species. Is it a hard one to keep? what does it require? What do you recommend? <Oh... this is an "easier" type of anemone for captive use... needs some lighting, feeding (twice a week or so, meaty, chunky foods)... S.O.P. in water quality, upkeep. My image, input on WWM: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/twaanemones.htm> Also, as for the protein skimmer, I keep reading everywhere that most people don't use a protein skimmer properly, yet the articles I read don't bother to explain the right way to use one, or to explain what most people are apparently doing wrong! <Mmm... some skimming is better than none... there is such a thing as "over-skimming"... Please see the marine index on WetWebMedia.com or the search feature/tool there re skimming...> I was told to run it for a few days every month. Could you please help me to clarify this? Thank you for all your time and commitment to this wonderful hobby! Jen M. <Run it continuously my friend. Bob Fenner> E. crucifer, formerly Phymanthus crucifer Hi
Bob/Anthony/Steven/Whoever was shanghaied into answering this. PF here,
<Antoine here> I've decided to take the plunge into the world
of keeping anemones, but since I don't want to orphan clownfish
I've decided to try my hand w/E. crucifers since they are: A:
locally available, B: pretty darn cheap, and C: have aesthetic
appeal. <agreed... a good choice among many/most bad anemone
choices> The tank is now 8 months old, the lighting is high powered
(175w MH & 2 VHO Actinic03's), parameters are good (nitrates
are at 3-4), ph is 8.3-8.5 depending on the time of day, salinity is
1.024-1.025 and everybody is looking much happier now that the dog days
of summer have passed. Using a Prizm skimmer part time (6 hrs a
day) <heehee... I won't even go there :)> with an
Ecosystem 40 as the primary filtration (with carbon in the return
chamber). From what I've read, this sounds like a good setup for
them. <agreed> I'd like to know what they eat so I can
include it into the general reef diet I feed the tank,
<I'm not familiar with a specific fare of delicate parameter of
their diet. They are very successful photosynthetically (shallow water
and high light). Dissolved organics are no doubt a measurable
nutritional need (if nitrates are too low, consider this)... still:
very finely minced meats of marine origin get my vote. Most or all I
suspect you have already (Gammarus, Mysids, Pacifica plankton, etc>
what a reasonable stocking level would be (there's room for roughly
4 of the ones I've seen on sale, and that would leave them in a
very roomy situation). <the seem to be VERY tolerant of each
other unlike many other anemones> Are they known to breed in marine
aquariums, and is it vegetative reproduction or is it sexual? <no
knowledge here... some fissionary mode would not be a surprise>
Cnidarian tank mates would be: 2 Sarcophyton colonies, an unknown
species of brown/green Zoanthids from the Gulf LR in the tank, xenia
elongata, a chili coral (not in contact w/anything else, it's
hanging form an arch), and a species of red epizoanthids from GARF
(http://www.garf.org/baja1/500red.html), and a species of cup coral
that came in on the Gulf LR. <I believe you are good about water
changes and this reassures me of concerns that I have with the poor
skimming and accumulating compounds of the cnidarians> inverts are
some peppermint shrimp, red legged hermits, a queen conch (a very small
queen conch), several brittle stars, snails, pods, worms, etc. (sand
bed critters & small inverts from the LR) currently 1 false Perc
clown is in the tank, along with a lawnmower blenny. I plan on getting
another clown or two to get a breeding pair going. I was also
considering picking up a pair of Pseudochromis fridmani. <gorgeous
and peaceful Pseudochromis> Thanks again for your time, <Best
regards, Anthony> PF |
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