New to Anemones

S

sixspeed

New member
Hey, i am very new to the anemone game and had a few questions. Starting with lighting choices, currently my father has a very simple 2x65 pc fixture over a 75 gallon tank, all it has in it right now is 70lbs of lr and a bunch of assorted snails and hermits. Would this lighting be adequate to house any sort of anemone? The lights will be upgraded in about a month when i return from china and have time to build and install t5 ho retrofit kit. Should i tell him to be patient and wait for the new lighting system to be ready before he thinks about adding an anemone?

The current water paramters are as follows.

sg : 1.025
NH4: <.25
NO3: 10ppm
PH: 8.0-8.3

Thanks for any suggestions you all have for keeping anemones in a reef tank.
 
I hope its not considered "Hijacking" by asking, but what would be considered adequate T5 lighting for a clown hosting anemone? I am searching the market for a T5 retro, and am just not sure what wattage I should go with..........
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10235174#post10235174 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by redvipe2010
Kookerson:

Need more info on your tank. Is this the 75 Gallon? What anemone are you wanting?
Click to expand...

Yes, its a 75 with a 20 gal. sump. It has been cycled for about a month now........I have been mainly interested in the BTA and the carpent anemones... the only live stock I have in the tank right now are a cave goby, a scooter blenny, a serpent star and about 20 crabs/snails....I pretty much am looking to just keep one anemone.........MAYBE 2 when the tank is very established, but no more than 2.......
 
No worries kookerson, i am actually curious about your questions also. I was thinking about getting 2 of these retrofit kits from hellolights, http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1369 , although i am not sure what type of bulbs would be the best option. Probably 2 TRU actinic and 2 TRU 10,000k.

I was also entertaining the idea of getting an MH retrofit kit from hellolights, http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1324 , but have not decided yet.

I am concerned with how difficult the installation would be to house these in a canopy.

Can anyone who has done either of these retrofit kits or similar ones give me any recommendations or advice?
Thanks
 
I just installed the 2 250w ARO halides w/ TEK T5 retros in my canopy. It took me about two days. The installation (halides)are pretty simple if you have any experience w/wiring. The wiring diagrams are on the ballast itself. It is pretty much match the colors of the wires together and Viola'. The T5s was a little bit time consuming. You have to measure the length for the end caps/standoffs. You have to run jumper wires/ depending on if you are running 2 bulbs on 1 ballast. Don't let my jargon deter you away from doing it. It is really simple just time consuming. My suggestion is get the Retros, (i will never go back to a fixture) Look over the wiring diagram on the ballast before you start any work. Make sure you understand whats going on before you wire anything up. You can PM me and I can try to help out as much as possible. Definitely get the retros. I would get at least one 250w halide and a T5 kit. That will be plenty for a 75 setup, you will not be disappointed. It will put a little dent in your pocket but definitely worth it. Lights are the one thing you do not want to skimp on. here are some pictures of my setup. Let me know what you think

Lights being installed
000_0479.jpg

Lights in the canopy
000_0482.jpg
 
Does anyone think That T5 would work alone without having to use Metal Halides? Im trying to not use Metal halides........as the only thing I have a problem with is the heat that they give off. Up here in N. Nevada, the summer days can get pretty brutal, even though they only last about 3 months out of the year.....
 
If that is your only concern, go to Wal Mart and pick up one or two of those 10 turbo fans. Put one inside of your canopy and the other down below if you have a sump area. IMO Halides make a world of difference especially if you want to keep and anemone. Also if you get a lower wattage like 150w you should be fine w/ the fans blowing over top of your tank. If don't want the bulky fans, go to Best buy and get the little computer fans, mount them in your canopy. I think they are 12 bucks a piece.
 
How do you think just using MH over the 75 would look/perform well? If i do go with the MH retrofit i believe i'd stick with two 150watt setup. Are the t5's just to supplement actinic lighting? What is the purpose of the t5's? Also how high did you mount your lights from the surface of the water?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10245283#post10245283 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by lilchris
If that is your only concern, go to Wal Mart and pick up one or two of those 10 turbo fans. Put one inside of your canopy and the other down below if you have a sump area. IMO Halides make a world of difference especially if you want to keep and anemone. Also if you get a lower wattage like 150w you should be fine w/ the fans blowing over top of your tank. If don't want the bulky fans, go to Best buy and get the little computer fans, mount them in your canopy. I think they are 12 bucks a piece.
Click to expand...

Thats what I have in my canopy.......three 3" computer fans.....but Im still worried about the heat...
 
I would consider 2x250w MH instead of the 150w. Better penetration to the bottom of the tank. For a T5 setup, put as many bulbs as the canopy will hold. You will find that there is less of a heat issue with the T5's. Were I to do it again, I would definately choose T5's over the halides I now have, probably in a 6 or 8 bulb configuration.

The most important thing no one has mentioned about anemones is the maturing of the tank before you introduce one. A tank needs to be 6-9 months mature before an anemone will thrive. Too many people tend to add these delicate animals too early.

Be patient and let the tank live a while longer before you consider adding one. While most LFS will say "sure" you can put that in now. Remember their job is to sell the animal, not to insure that is survives after you take it home.

A BTA is maybe the easiest anemone to begin with, although none are really easy. I have had less issues with my carpet anemone than any other ones in the tank. The RBTA is by far the most beautiful though. Good luck and that ends my rambling.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10247054#post10247054 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by zoomfish1
I would consider 2x250w MH instead of the 150w. Better penetration to the bottom of the tank. For a T5 setup, put as many bulbs as the canopy will hold. You will find that there is less of a heat issue with the T5's. Were I to do it again, I would definately choose T5's over the halides I now have, probably in a 6 or 8 bulb configuration.

The most important thing no one has mentioned about anemones is the maturing of the tank before you introduce one. A tank needs to be 6-9 months mature before an anemone will thrive. Too many people tend to add these delicate animals too early.

Be patient and let the tank live a while longer before you consider adding one. While most LFS will say "sure" you can put that in now. Remember their job is to sell the animal, not to insure that is survives after you take it home.

A BTA is maybe the easiest anemone to begin with, although none are really easy. I have had less issues with my carpet anemone than any other ones in the tank. The RBTA is by far the most beautiful though. Good luck and that ends my rambling.
Click to expand...

Thats pretty mugh what i wanted to hear.....I think I am going to go with the 6 x 54 watt T5.........It might be a little tight in the canopy, but it should fit.......
 
Be sure the T5 fixture is High Output and the bulbs have individual reflectors. This will increase the efficiency of the fixture tremendously and will allow you to even keep SPS without issue.

This may be harder to achieve with a retro fixture, but I know you can purchase individual reflectors for T5 bulbs.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10247083#post10247083 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kookerson
Thats pretty mugh what i wanted to hear.....I think I am going to go with the 6 x 54 watt T5.........It might be a little tight in the canopy, but it should fit.......
Click to expand...

This is what I am using on my 75g. I have yet to transfer any anemones (BTAs) over, the tank is only about 3+ months old. I do have SPS and LPS in there and they are doing quite well.

I have seen 90g tanks with the same T-5 set up, and the anemones are thriving.

As previously stated, make sure you get individual reflectors.
 
I hate to disagree with the crowd but I kept a BTA under 64w pc successfully for a year. Then I upgraded and kept it under 2x65w pc for another year. The tank was finally lit by halides, but the upgrades were to accomidate other species and not the anemone! I say the anemone would be fine temporarily, if not indefinitely....
If they need more light they will let you know, IMO.....

In terms of a mature tank ... and the so called "6 month" rule, I still haven't figured that one out. What happens at 6 months that is so magical? I think that the a mature reefkeeper is more important than a mature reef....
 
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