Low light anemone?

[Recife]

I know this most of you will say this is heresy, but is there a type of anemone that would thrive under low light conditions.

I have 260W of PC, but my tank is quite large. I was just wondering if by putting the anemone really close to the top it would survive?

 

[Johnson7]

I had my RBTA under PCs and it wasn't very happy so I switched to MH. Some people have luck with PCs, just not me... best.

 

[bertoni]

Some anemones might do well enough. How far from the water's surface is the highest live rock, and what kind of fixtures do you have? Sounds like 4x65 W bulbs? Some BTAs might do well with that lighting, although I use MH for mine.

 

[chillaxr6]

i have a normal bta and it seems to be flourishing under fluros . . .
still havent got to the bottom of whether my lights are NO or VHO ( my mate who looks after aquariums for a living just got me something that works well and he set them up ) but everything seems to be going well under the lights so im happy . . . im stoked with the results . . .

my anemone sits about 3 inches under the water but . . . when first put in it disappeared under a ledge and slowly has come out and has grown from about 3 inch -> 8 inch disk since ive been feeding it very well but hasnt moved in 2 - 3 months . . .

 

[rickh]

Thats another problem with anemones, they rarely stay where you put them.

 

[Recife]

Yeah, I have 4X65. I might try BTA. It's no fun having clownfish without anemones. It's going to be 5" or so beneath the surface.

Anemones move a lot, but would they move away from light and doom themselves?

 

[bertoni]

It might move away from the light if the flow is too high, etc. Otherwise, it'll move towards light if it needs more. Is the lighting in one row, 4x65, or in two rows of two bulbs? Can you post a picture? You'd want a spot for the anemone as high up as possible, just in case it wants light.

You could try looking around for a BTA with a known preference for darker lighting. They do exist. I'm not sure I'd risk a random clone, though.

 

[Jeff_edge540]

One thing that I have always thought about when people talk about high light level requirements is my scuba diving experiences...
I have dove over a hundred times in south Florida & the Keys. I often see very large anemones at depths of 60-80 feet off West Palm Beach in 70 foot visability water. The light at these depths is much lower than a PC lit tank but the anemones still flourish. I think a lot has to do with the diet. The Gulf Stream which creates a constant current over the reefs of West Palm which bring all kinds of goodies to the anemones (makes for an easy drift dive also).
...granted those were not Sebaes I was seeing off the coast of FL.

 

[bertoni]

The species makes a huge difference. Many anemones require no light at all. Most of the ones in the trade, though, have photosynthetic symbionts and seem to require anywhere from a lot of light to some light.

 

[Jeff_edge540]

Here is some examples of the sealife at 70 feet (about 1/2 mile offshore in West Palm Beach, FL)....

 

[PelagicMagic]

I removed my LTA a month ago from my 180. He is now in my 55 that is only lit by 2 48" 110w VHO's. I think he looks better under the 2 vho's than 750w of MH

 

[Recife]

I'm at 2.5 watts per gal (2 pairs of 65w) , though I don't like this measurement of lighting, especially since my tank is 30" deep.

But after doing some research now I found a lot of contradictory information, but in general it seems LTA's do better than BTA's under lower lighting.

 

[Swanwillow]

if you don't look at the light loving anemones, you CAN look into tube anemones: but don't expect ANY hosting outta them, as they'll eat fish uite readily.
BUT they are so darn pretty: blues, reds, pinks, greens... nonphotosynthetic, eat silversides, mysis, peices of whatever you give it...

 

[Recife]

Hey thanks for that. I hadn't done research on them before. Just did now and they do look pretty. They also seem like the perfect choice for me since they are non-photosynthetic.

I just didn't find any note about it not hosting clowns. Will they really try and eat poor nemo? Will nemo be smart enough not to get close to it if that's the case?

 

[bertoni]

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/june2004/invert.htm

That article discusses tube anemones.

 

[Jeff_edge540]

Great article. Thanks.

 

[RaveChild]

This is my tube anemone. I have had it for around 8 months. The only thing is that you can't put anything near it because it opens up huge at night. Like 8-12 inches in diameter and can extend out of it's tube upto 6 inches.
I also have 260 watts of PC lighting.

 

[Jeff_edge540]

Great Pic!!!
Those things look really awsome under actinic lighting. I used to find these all the time burried in the sand near my favorite coral banded shrimp collection site under a bridge in West Palm, FL. I could never get once because it was burried very deep (like 3+ feet and I'm just too lazy).

 

[Recife]

Very impressive, RaveChild! Luckily, space won't be an issue for me.
Anemones are amazing and I would be a bit frustrated if I couldn't have one.
Do you feed it everyday?

 

[RaveChild]

I don't feed it directly. It just catches whatever food the fish miss, and seems to be doing well. I try not to mess with things that work. LOL!