Daum's Reef Lobster

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep one in a tank of 190 litres or more at 22 to 26 C and pH 8.1 to 8.4 with plenty of caves and overhangs to hide in. It mostly scavenges leftover meaty food, and iodine rich foods help it molt cleanly. The catch is that it will hunt small sleeping fish, shrimp, and snails at night, so treat it as reef safe with caution and keep it out of tanks with small or delicate tankmates.

In the wild

Daum's reef lobster is a small, brightly colored lobster splashed in purple, pink, and orange with white and red spots and a fuzzy pair of front claws. It is strictly nocturnal, spending the day jammed into a cave and coming out after dark. Most keepers only glimpse it at feeding time or under a night light.

Good to know

Enoplometopus daumi stays under about 10 cm, small for a lobster, and belongs to the reef lobster family Enoplometopidae. It is a scavenger and opportunistic hunter that relies on smell to find food in the dark.

Did you know

It is one of the few lobsters colorful enough to be kept just for looks, though you mostly see it after lights out.

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