In my experience that is more than adequate for pretty much every species of anemone. The lighting requirements for an anemone varies considerably by genus and by species. For a first anemone, the hardiest would be a Bubble Tip Anemone or "BTA" as it is known in short.
I would steer well clear of some of the more demanding species such as
Heteractis malu (The Malu or "Delicate" anemone) anything from the
Stichodactylia genus (The carpet anemones). I don't have much personal experience with the genus
Heteractis though i believe they can also be quite challenging, especially the aforementioned "Malu" sp. and not excluding the Sebae and Ritteri anemones.
Anemones of the genus
Entacmaea and most notably
Entacmaea quadricolor or the Bubble Tip Anemone would be the best choice IMHO. Placed in a suitable location with small overhangs and/or ledges to secure a good foothold, this anemone should do well in the middle/top half of a tank illuminated by a 150W Metal Halide. IMHO Halides are a must for any symbiotic anemone, trust me, I tried fluorescents and i learned an expensive lesson. I had over 3 Watts per gallon of fluorescents for an undemanding anemone and lets just say it didnt appreciate it to say the least!
One very important aspect is the compatibiltiy of certain clownfish to specific anemones. In general, a BTA will be accepted without issue by a False Percula Clown
Amphiprion ocellaris , which is what i presume you have, different clownfish have a preferntial host anemone, (hence the "Sebae anemone and the "Sebae clown). Check out this webpage for a more detailed breakdown of definitive symbiosises
Compatibility Chart .
In regard to feeding, technically it need not be fed at all if the lighting is sufficient, though i feel it is better to feed it a couple of times a week with finely chopped brine or mysis shrimp (suitably drained of course). It is interesting to note that if your clown is well fed it will share a small bit of its own food with its host though even for personally satisfaction little bits here and there are a good idea IMHO.
Water quality is critical and a skimmer an absolute must IMO. Not just a Red Sea budget thing but a decent well functioning skimmer. Especially with multiple fish contributing to the load. It need not be said that for anemones, whick like any reef invertebrates are hugely sensitive to substandard water conditions, basically need "perfect" conditions to thrive. Absolutely no Ammonia or Nitrites detectable and Nitrate minimal and i would say a max. of 5ppm. Use RO/DI water if your top of water is higher or similar to those thresholds. Calcium is not an issue, but Alkalinity as with all tanks should be maintained stable and relatively high IMHO. KH over 11dKH significantly retards algae proliferation but 9-12dKH is great from my experience.
They are very sensitive creatures and will not tolerate conditions too far from the norm. Specific gravity therefore must be maintained high for them to thrive. NSW (natural sea water) has a Specific gravity of 1.025 or thereabouts and it doesn't really vary all over the world. Obviously then, salinity should be between 1.022 and a max 0f 1.027 to ensure that conditions are prime for its growth. An anemones behaviour will tell you everything about its condition. If it moves about, it doesn't like its location, environment or something might be irritating it (eg. stings from adjacent corals or aiptasia, soft coral chemical or "terpenes", toxins emitted by soft corals such as Sarcophyton and Palythoa).
If your anemone shrivels up to a huge extent, it is most likely ok. What this does tell yoy however is that primarily the lighting is not sufficient for its sustainance an/or the water quality is poor. When shrivelled they may look incredibly poorly, even "dead" to the uninitiated novice. This is most certainly not the case. The tell-tale sign of a dying anemone is a nasty odour and eventually it will collapse fall apart. If it does howver shrivel up, it is telling you something important and you should change either A. the lighting or B. the water. Most likely A in my experience. It is normal for anemones to contaact or "shrivel" periodically to expel waste. This process is facilitated by keeping foods smaller than 1" in size so it is manageable for digestion. The anemone should return to normal within a day of expelling the contents of its gullet.
Hope this helps
Ciaran
