What other anemones would be compatible in a tank with Heteractis crispa? Just other H. crispa, or can closely related species stay together - ie other Heteractis spp.?
Thanks
There are two major issues associated with anemone compatability ... aggression (physical contact & self/non-self recognition), and allelopathy (exudates typically embedded in the mucus). Both issues can prove to be problematic. Aggression and allelopathy can be issues not only between diffrent genera, but also between individuals of the same species.
Perhaps partially helpful is this one ...
Clone-specific cellular recognition in a sea anemone
(nematocytes/allogeneic recognition/cell surface markers)
Roger Lubbock Cell Biology
Vol. 77, No. 11, pp. 6667-6669, November 1980 http://www.pnas.org/cgi/reprint/77/11/6667
The table on page 3 gives some insight into the problem ... every anemone species studied displayed some capacity for aggression. Even so, it's not like different species haven't been keep together in marine aquaria successfully, and activated carbon and ozonation have been demonstrated to be at least partially effective in minimizing the effects of allelopathic exudates. Interestingly enough, anemone mucus may be an important factor in triggering aggression (Lubbock 1979).
Sorry this isn't more helpful in terms of which species might be more compatible with one another. I think you're rollin' the dice (to some degree) no matter which combination you choose. Maybe the folks in the Anemones & Clownfish Forum (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=36) will have more useful suggestions.
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