Likely Reef Tank Suitable
Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable
Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: Indonesia, Philippines, Hawaiian Islands north to Japan, and south to New Caledonia.
Size: 4 inches (10 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabits rocky coral reef environments and usually seen at depths between 30 to 85 feet (10 - 25 m).
General Husbandry: Occasionally seen in the trade.
Have a purplish hue with deep violet markings on the abdomen.
Safe with anemones and corals, but not with small fishes.
As with most lobsters, they are extremely shy and once in the aquarium prefer to hide in caves during the day, therefore provide some such enclosures. After the lights go out they will search for food, including small fish.
Using long handled tweezers, feed small strips of fish or shrimp flesh once daily.
Taxonomy:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Family: Enoplometopidae
Genus: Enoplometopus
FYI: Undemanding when it comes to water quality. Unless you have a mated pair, it is unsafe to keep more than one in the aquarium.
Must be removed if aquarium will be treated with copper-based medications.
Experience Level: Intermediate
Diet: Carnivore
Temperament: Semi-aggressive
Aquarium Environment: Reef or fish-only aquarium
Coral Safe: Yes
Fish Safe: With caution
Invertebrate Safe: With caution
Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+
Aquarium Hardiness: Moderate
Alkalinity: 2.5 - 3.0 meq/l
Temperature Range: 68 - 79°F (20 - 26°C)
20 gallons
Lighting: PAR 150
Water Movement: WM 1 - 2
Specific Gravity: 1.023 - 1.025
pH: 8.0 - 8.4