Hi all just a quick question. How much wattage of metal halide would i need to keep the toughest of anemonies alive in a 90 gallon tank that is 24 inches deep. I also heard that you could get away with VHO is this true? also i would want the wattage to be a little more than i need to just to be on the safe side.
lighting for anemones
- Thread starter evilfrog
- Start date
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Well, you can get away with VHO and T5s easily for E. quadricolor. Other, higher light anemones might prefer T5s as a minimum and Metal Halides for all. I wouldn't over do your lighting though. You don't want to cook the poor critters. I woud say that a 250w should penetrate 24" quite nicely. You might even be able to get away with 150-175w. I would not get a 400w for a 24" deep tank though.
55semireef
Moved On
Obvioulsy you have no idea how much PAR T5s put out.
phender
Active member
You would need 2 - 250 watt bulbs for your 48" tank.
If you are talking about gigantea carpets and H. magnifica (ritteri), besides needing better lighting than the other types of host anemones they also tend to be served best by designing a tank specifically for their needs.
Many people who have set up tanks for S. gigantea and H. magnifica use 400 watt MH bulbs.
Just so you know, (since I don't know your experience level) comparing keeping the above mentioned anemones to haddoni carpets and BTAs is like comparing keeping mandarins to damsels. I wouldn't even recommend trying those anemones until you have been able to bring at least a couple BTAs, LTAs, haddonis or sebaes(H. crispa) back from near death.
55semireef
Moved On
Nice advice phender. I started out with a Condy anemone and I even had some trouble with it at first. Now I haved moved on to a Bluecarpet. Its doing absolutely great and is eating very well. I think my next Nem is going to be a LTA. 
55semireef
Moved On
yes
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