FAQs on Anemones of the Caribbean/West Atlantic: Genus Epicystis, "Flower Anemones"; see also: Phymanthus Related Articles: Anemones of the Tropical West Atlantic, Condylactis Anemones, Anemones, LTAs, Colored/Dyed Anemones,  Related FAQs: Atlantic Anemones 2, Condylactis, Tropical West Atlantic (TWA) Anemone Identification, TWA Anemone Behavior, TWA Anemone Compatibility, TWA Anemone Selection, TWA Anemone Systems, TWA Anemone Feeding, TWA Anemone Disease, TWA Anemone Reproduction, FAQs by Genus: Actinoporus, Arachnanthus, Bartholomea, Condylactis (see below), Lebrunia, Sticholdactyla helianthus, Viatrix, Others/Unknowns, Anemones, Anemones 2, Clownfishes & Anemones, Anemone Systems, Anemone Lighting, Anemone Reproduction, Anemone Identification, Anemone Compatibility, Anemone Selection, Anemone Behavior, Anemone Health, Anemone Placement, Anemone Feeding,

New Print and eBook on Amazon:   Anemone Success Doing what it takes to keep Anemones healthy long-term by Robert (Bob) Fenner

Epicystis crucifer     12/7/17
Hi I got one rock anemone Epicystis crucifer and it came so that it sits in shell so how should I insert in the tank, now it is in small hole in one rock but it doesn't stay there, the whole shell and anemone falls to bottom,
so should I "glue" the shell to rock or ??
<I would just wedge the shell in about the place you want the Anemone to settle on and be patient. If it wants to move, it will... better that this species be placed in the sand, attached to the shell/hard substrate, like they live in the wild>
Thank you all ready
Best regards
John Hyttinen
<Welcome John. Bob Fenner>

Rock Flower Anemone Questions 7/13/10
Hey James.
<Jordan>
I searched your website, and I haven't found anything on what I'm trying to figure out. So I have a clarkii clownfish that hosts in a Condy anemone in my 10 gallon reef,
<Too small a tank for that combo.>
and in my 37 gallon I have an ocellaris clownfish pair that are very aggressive and won't let me add any fish to the tank (new fish are almost always dead the next day from the clownfish attacking them).
What I want to know is whether or not there is a chance that if I switched the clownfish whether or not I could add a rock flower anemone that the clarkii will host. The clarkii is wild caught.
<Is unlikely that your clarkii would host a rock anemone.>
I also want to know whether or not the lighting I have on the 37 gallon is enough, it's a FOWLR with 65 watts of
PC (50/50 bulb). I've read in a ton of places saying that my lighting would be fine if I kept the bulb fresh, but I've also read that it isn't enough. I'm not sure but any help would be great.
<Is not enough lighting for any of the anemone species your clarkii would host. Except for the Bubble Tipped Anemone (BTA), all will require intense lighting.>
Thanks.
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Re Rock Flower Anemone Questions 7/13/10 - 7/14/10
So your <you're> saying that a buble <Bubble> Tip Anemone would do fine in a 37gal with 65 watts
of PC?
<No, I said that of all the anemones clownfish would host, all but the BTA would require intense lighting. One 65 watt lamp would be border line at best for the Bubble Tip Anemone. Twin 10-12K lamps should provide the light intensity they require.>
I know that most anemones need intense light but I've been told that Rock Flower Anemones will adapt to very many light intensities and usually don't need high light at all.
<You are correct, Rock Flower Anemones (Epicystis crucifer) do well under moderate lighting. My point was that it is unlikely that your clownfish would host this anemone species.
James (Salty Dog)> 

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
Re: E. crucifer, formerly Phymanthus crucifer thanks Antoine! (is that kind of like me going by Miguel or Miesh at home?) those buggers go quick. came in on TH, gone yesterday. <no worries... they will come again. My favorite color is the metallic peach> hopefully, I'll be able to pick some up soon. going to sweet-talk the wife into photoshopping a pic of a clown in one (from pg 158 of CMA) to convince it to host. we shall see what we see, I'll let you know how it turns out. <I have heard some zany tricks for this... have you heard the spotlight on the anemone at night one? Seriously... sort of a larval trigger mechanism. Do consider> water changes are every 2 to 3 weeks, leaning towards the 3 week mark. depends though, if I spend a fair amount of time in the tank (cleaning powerheads, algae scraping, the war with Caulerpa, etc), I'll usually pull off 1/2 a gallon and replace it. <I can't knock it if it works. Extra cnidarians and a weakly performing skimmer concerned me for the long term effects of silent chemical aggression> Thanks again!
PF
<ciao, bub>