Am I LTA ready??

[isawill]

Hello,

My 135G has been running for 6 months and has gone though all the algae blooms etc...
The live rock is full of life and all parameters have been very stable for the last 2-3 months.

1.26 sg (with ATO)
0 ammonia
0 nitrite
<5ppm nitrate
8.2 pH
78.5 -79F temp (on controller)

Lighting is 6 T5 (overdriven) on individual reflectors 4" above water (tank is 20" tall I think)

There are no corals as yet and only two fish (red spotted blenny and foxface)

I have 3-4" special grade sand, not the sugar fine stuff, Would that be OK for an LTA, or does it have to have fine sand??

What do you all think? Is the tank able to support an LTA?

 

[msman825]

lta most likely will head up the rock work

 

[kduen]

Personally I think that a 20 gal is too small for the long term health of the nem. They max out at about two feet so there wouldn't be much room for anything besides it.

 

[isawill]

lta most likely will head up the rock work

Why do you think that? I thought they liked to have their foot in the sand??

The tank is 135 gallons, not 20...sorry for the confusion...

 

[Toddrtrex]

lta most likely will head up the rock work

An "LTA", Macrodactyla doreensis, are sandbed dwelling anemones, and the odds of it heading up to the rock work are very very slim.

 

[isawill]

That' what I thought too... Do you think it will be OK in the coarser substrate (special grade sand)?

How about the lighting?

 

[Toddrtrex]

That is the sand I have used for all my sandbed dwelling anemones, LTA, Haddoni, Malu and Aurora, with no issues.

How long is that tank? How long/wattage of the T5s?

 

[isawill]

The tank is 72" long by 18" wide by 22"tall
The lights are 4" above the water level and are six 80W T5 on individual high quality reflectors and overdriven by one IC660 ballast per 3 bulbs. Mixed 10000K and Blue plus.

 

[msman825]

sorry, i was thinking diffrent. i was thinking 6 t-5's in a 4 foot reflector over a 135 and it might would walk for light

 

[SNAKEMANVET]

I think it should be ok,you have plenty of light.Keep us posted,and pics . Good luck

 

[isawill]

Thanks everyone for the input!
I think I'm going to get one from Diver's Den.

Any advice on how to best get it to attach in my tank? Should I dig a hole in the sand and place it there? Or do they "dig" themselves? I assume I would turn off all powerheads for a while...Anything else I should do to maximize its chances? (other than the obvious slow drip acclimation I mean...)