Rock Flower Anemone (Phymanthus crucifer)
Looking to add a burst of neon, UV-reactive colour to your reef without the stress of a wandering anemone? The Rock Flower Anemone (often called an RFA) is an absolute must-have for any vibrant aquascape.
Unlike Bubble Tip Anemones that are notorious for walking around and stinging other corals, Rock Flowers are famous for finding a cozy crevice in the rockwork and staying put! They feature a beautifully flat, flower-like oral disc surrounded by short, beaded tentacles that come in mind-blowing combinations of neon green, vivid red, bright orange, and stunning purples.
At UKReef Hampshire, we highly recommend RFAs because they are incredibly hardy, making them the perfect "first anemone" for beginners, while offering premium, collector-level colour morphs for advanced reefers.
Quick Care Guide:
Care Level: Easy. They are one of the hardiest anemones in the hobby and are very forgiving of minor water chemistry swings.
Temperament: Semi-aggressive. While they generally stay in one place, they do pack a sting. Ensure they are placed a safe distance from your prized corals. (Note: They do not typically host clownfish, but make fantastic homes for Sexy Shrimp and Porcelain Crabs!)
Placement: Middle to Bottom. They prefer to anchor their foot deep inside a rock crevice or right at the boundary where your rockwork meets the sandbed. When introducing them, turn off your flow, place them near a hole in the rock, and let them attach their foot securely.
Lighting: Moderate to High. They are highly adaptable to different lighting schedules, but their spectacular fluorescent colours will absolutely glow under blue actinic LEDs.
Water Flow: Moderate. Provide enough varied flow to bring them nutrients and keep their disc clean, but avoid blasting them directly, which will cause them to fold up or detach.
Feeding: Highly photosynthetic, but they are ravenous meat-eaters! Target feeding them small meaty foods like mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, or specialized pellets 1-2 times a week will dramatically increase their growth rate and colour vibrancy.
