lighting for anemones?

mallorieGgator

New member
I keep hearing different things about anemone lighting. Are T5s in a 55 not bright enough? I've been told that they do best under Metal Halides but I also have heard they don't do well in really bright light...confusing for a nooby. Thanks!
 
they will do fine under T5 and halides. they need good strong light so either types of lighting i mentioned will do great for most anemones.

what type of nem are you looking to get?
 
Not sure...my tank has no water in it. lol. I have a 55 gallon with a Current T5 fixture...I want something that could potentially host a clown. I like bubbletips and carpets but the carpets are expensive and don't seem to easy to start with. Any advice on a good started anemone?
 
Start off with a BTA (E. Quadricolor). They are the most forgiving host anemone and will do just fine under T5s. How many bulbs does your T5 fixture have?
 
i have 2 BTA's in a 46 bow with 2 T8's and my bigger one is a little more than a foot across and close to 8" tall, been in the tank for a few months and has gotten even bigger since i got it...just my 2 cents
 
I agree that a BTA is the best one to start with. That is what I got about 9 months ago. Do your research though. Know what to look for. When mine was delivered, it was pretty bleached out. To an uneducated eye, it looked very beautiful. But I knew from my research that it needed some help. It was easy enough to get to full health with some regular feedings. My female clown took it as a host 3 months later, and the male joined her 3 months after that.

I have 4 T5's and the 2 BTAs (it split last month) sit about as low as you can get in my 90 gallon. BTA's will move to where they need to in order to get enough light and water flow. So if you don't have individual reflectors then they may just sit higher in the tank. The reflectors make a big difference in terms of lighting for anemones and coral. Do you have any?

Mine started higher in the tank, but then within a couple weeks started to get more zooxanthellae and moved down low where it has been ever since. The clone sits a few inches to its side. So the T5's must be strong enough.

BTW, I waited a year before adding my anemone. I would say 6 months is minimum. Just like corals. They require stable and clean water conditions. The BTA's seem to be a little more forgiving than others though.
 
i have 2 BTA's in a 46 bow with 2 T8's and my bigger one is a little more than a foot across and close to 8" tall, been in the tank for a few months and has gotten even bigger since i got it...just my 2 cents

Wow, I wish mine was that big. I was hoping it would be, but it split recently. Still a good size though. The clone is pretty small, so it didn't lose much.
 
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