Anemone newbie

[Pvolitans]

I have an 80 gal tank with just fish and would like to add an anemone for my tomato clown.
What is the minimum light requirement
At the moment I am only running a double fluorescent strip light. Will compact fluorescents to the trick or do I have to go to T5s. If so what wattage?

I do have a MH pendant available, if I chose to use it how far above the canopy should it be.
I dont want to over heat the tank or send the algae out of control.

Any advice would be welcome

Thanks in advance

 

[MarineFlake]

N.O. fluoro is not enough light for any anemone the clown will potentially host in. If you have the MH, you will need to use it. Most folks place MH about 8 to 12 inches over the tank. MH lights produce heat, but you didnt mention the wattage and the amount of heat will depend on the wattage of the light.

Happy Reefing

 

[adtravels]

you can keep alot of anemones under pc and t5 even no strips, they wont look great and you mat have to feed more but if your experienced and all other factors are take care of

EG this anemone is under pc lighting

 

[JamesJR]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14115129#post14115129 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MarineFlake
N.O. fluoro is not enough light for any anemone the clown will potentially host in. If you have the MH, you will need to use it. Most folks place MH about 8 to 12 inches over the tank. MH lights produce heat, but you didnt mention the wattage and the amount of heat will depend on the wattage of the light.

Happy Reefing

I have been in the hobby a long time and I remember a time when Metal halides were brand new and T-5, pc fixtures didn't even exist. I can assure you from personal experience and observation that clown hosting anemones can be kept under N.O fixtures. It is far from ideal, but it can be done. I have kept and cloned BTA under normal output bulbs (the tank was short and I used 6 of them). I have also known several people who have kept S. haddoni anemones under normal output lamps and had them live long term.
I doubt any other species would thrive in this but I have seen it done.

Pvolitans, you should use the metal halide if you can get it. Your odds of success will be much better with higher lighting.
What wattage and make of the fixture?

With only one MH fixture, I doubt you will have heat issues as long as there is good air circulation throughout the tank.

Before you get an anemone though, what are your water parameters? How long have you had the tank running?
Also, look into bubble tip anemones. they are the most forgiving.

 

[Pvolitans]

Thanks for you advice. The MH lamp I have is a Blue Wave 3 HQI 250W Metal Halide Ballast by Sunlight Supply, Bulb type 250W M80. The tank is an 80 gal bowfront glass aquarium. At the moment I have a tomato clown, Manderin, snowflake moray, hippo tang and half moon angel. The tank has been running for 3 years. Will the 1 MH lamp due the trick? And if so, would you expect the algae to go crazy below it?

Thanks again

 

[JamesJR]

250 watt metal halides can produce very intense light that should suffice for any of the clown hosting anemones. You could also start to keep corals as well since you will already have the light for them.

You listed the type of ballast and lamp mounting type. Do you know how old the lamp is and what brand/make it is? In case you didn't know, metal halides lose a lot of their intensity as they age and should be replaced at least once a year.

I am assuming your tank is 48 inches. A metal halide will light give off a very bright spot in the tank and the rest of the tank will be darker. If you use a very bright lamp like a ushio 10K, or something like that, you could probably raise the fixture a little bit higher and get more cover, but it will still be a spotlight that won't cover the entire tank.

What are your water parameters? Anemones need very pristine water (no amonia or nitrite, ever). If your water parameters are good, then you shouldn't have algae issues. No nutrients, no algae.
So keeping nitrates, phosphates and down will go a long way to keep algae in check.


I think you might run into problems with your half moon angel (Pomacanthus maculosus)

http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=7903

I say this for two reasons. First, I think there is a risk that they may nip at the anemone, how much damage they may do is hard to say.
Second, these fish grow to be enormous at almost 20 inches long and that is a lot of waste for a tank of that size to keep up with.
I am sure the fish is fine and I would keep it as is for now, but keep in mind that in the long run an 80 isn't an appropriate size tank for it.

 

[MarineFlake]

Pvolitans, if its of any help, I use a 250w MH 12k over a 135g (6 foot) tank. Just that one light alone sitting about 9 inches from the surface will raise the temp in the tank about one degree, maybe a little more, over an 8 hour period. Do plan for more heat in the summer, maybe as much as 5 degrees. If bumping down the wattage is an option, that will help with heat. My GBTA sits about midway up in a 29 gallon tank under a 150w HQI MH. I also use VHO's on another tank, I just choose not to put the anemone through the stress of not having enough light. Best of luck, whatever you decide.

Happy Reefing!