Concerning the Bubble-tip Anemone

breakout

breakout

New member
You guys:

I have a 20 gallon tall aquarium with 3.25 watts of Coralife Power Compact lighting @ 1.024 SG, with a Hagen Aquaclear 20 PH, Yellow Watchmen Goby x1, and Firefish Goby x 1, and a couple of Ocellaris Clowns (mated pair). The tank has been up and running for four months. Can I add a BT Nem?

Thanks!

:idea:

NH3 = 0 ppm, NH2 = 0 ppm, NO-2 = 0 PPM, and PH 8.3. Photo period of ten hours...
 
I dont see any reason why.I would just test a week or two befor getting the anemoen just be sure that the tank is staying stable!Also if I were you I would upgrade my lighting.Some say 3 watts is enough but the more light(7 watts max IMO)the better color!
 
ok

ok

thanks for the reply...

I could get 130 watts, which is readily available. MH lights are an option, but they are so expensive.:eek1:
 
one more thing

one more thing

Do you think that my gobies would be in danger of being eaten, or would my ocellaris pair chase them away from the nem?
 
I have a lawnmower blenny and diamond watchman in my 40gal with a large RBTA and haven't had any problems. The clowns don't really chase them away, its just seems like the blenny and goby know better. BTAs tenticles are not as sticky as some of the other anemones. So far I haven't lost any fish or inverts to the RBTA I have.
 
I have a GBTA in a similar set up as you (slightly more light) and it is doing OK. It is surviving, but not thriving so I am upgrading my lights. While GBTA as hardy, it is still hard to keep in that small of a tank, because they are super sensitive to water quality and you contantly have to wonder if it is closing up to expell the old water and take in new, or if it is dying (a dead anemone in your tank is a DISASTER). That being said - it is a blast, my clown fish (false perc) loves it, it is cool to watch eat, and it doesn't bother any of the other tank inhabitants (but it is out of reach of soft corals).
 
Thanks

Thanks

Thanks for your contributions and advice. I keep vacillating on this. I'm not sure if I meet the criteria or not. I'll continue to research and do some soul searching.

:fish1:
 
breakout said:
You guys:

I have a 20 gallon tall aquarium with 3.25 watts of Coralife Power Compact lighting
Click to expand...

I"m hoping you are attempting to refer to watts per gallon, and not total watts here. If you are, you should be aware that watts per gallon is a useless measure of the light required for adequate anemone health. You should be more concerned with quality over quantity of light. It is also very dependant on the depth of the tank also.
 
bues0022 said:
I"m hoping you are attempting to refer to watts per gallon, and not total watts here. If you are, you should be aware that watts per gallon is a useless measure of the light required for adequate anemone health. You should be more concerned with quality over quantity of light. It is also very dependant on the depth of the tank also.
Click to expand...

Yes, I'm "attempting" to relate watts per gallon...
 
You stated earlier that MH were too expensive - have you considered T5s? Not as expensive as MH and put out WAY more useable light than power compacts. A 4x24 T5 fixture would likely get you where you where you need to be to keep a BTA in a 20 gallon. Keep in mind that under good lighting, a healthy BTA may grow and take over a good deal of the tank that size.
 
ok

ok

T-5s sound good, and I do have a 29 gallon I could convert to a saltwater aquarium to accommodate the nem. Moreover, the reason I don't have a protein skimmer is, because of lfs advice from two differing stores. They were both of the opinion that tanks of the 20 gallon size just need water changes, which are relatively huge compared to what is normally done in large tanks.
 
29 gallons are great if you are on a (relatively) limited budget and don't want to get overwhelmed. As for a skimmer - 20g is about as big as I would go without one, but getting one (even a nano one in the 20g) greatly reduces the need for water changes. They are still needed for adding trace elements, but they become less critical because nitrates don't build up as fast. I run the AquaticLife internal mini skimmer 115 (see link below) in my 28 g bowfront and it is awesome. Takes up space in the tank but for a nano skimmer, you can't beat it, especially for the price.

A (good quality) 4x24W T5 would cover you for your 29 gallon also, so if you are going to buy it, why not use the 29 gallon and get the benefit of at least a little bit more stability?

http://www.marinedepot.com/AquaticL...Skimmers-AquaticLife-AK01114-FIPSISVS-vi.html
 
That is a pretty decent basic fixture. You may want to research it beyond that marineandreef.com description. I'm pretty sure the 24" doesn't have lunar lights, which you might not care about, but something you might want to consider - adding (more than one) lunar lights later will end up costing you about another $40-$50 and, of course, more cords so if you think you will want them you may want to take the hit up front and get it all in one unit. Also, despite the picture, I don't think the 24" comes with any cooling fans, which again may not be a big deal because I don't think the a 4x24W will really increase your water temp that much.

So if all you are looking for is basic funtionality in a fixture that creates the lighting that you will need, I've heard good things about the quality of that fixture.
 
I haven't used it, but heard good things about it and you can't beat one cord, lunar lights, and built in timers! Current is pretty good quality from what I hear - the only negative i've seen is that the legs might be a little flimsy, but that is easily remedied with simple mods to keep them in place. There is also a good AquaticLife one, but it has an all-in-one digital timer, so you will pay more for it.

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_viewi...campaign=mdcsegooglebase2&utm_content=AK01035
 
I had a lovable watchman goby that would surf the current and nestle on the top of the left side of my tank. Then he suddenly disappeared. Blaming my RBTA.
 
I ordered that fixture, and I'm so flippin' excited! I can't wait to get it up and running. By the way, what's the maximum wattage you can get in a 24 inch T-5? The fixture comes with 24 watt lamps.
 
I think its 24 max but Im no light expert so someone who truly knows what their doing can help.Im braind dead when it comes to that stuff.
 
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