anenome help

[brad3314]

hi all
i've just signed up to the site and i'm after some info on my anenome i have no idea what sort it is but it was nice and pink when i first brought it and now it's turned white and doesn't like staying in direct light much it's hiding under another piece of coral not touching it thank god but whenever i move it back out it goes straight back under rocks and out of the light.

i was thinking i might have the wrong light spectrum i have one 10,000k, one 15,000k and one actinic blue all fluroescent lights

could this be the problem if so what spectrum should i have,
if this isn't the problem what is ?

i hope to fix it if possible because my girlfriends also done the same and her anenome was 10 times the size of mine and died it was a shame to lose it



any help would be appreciated
thanks

 

[Sadielynn]

hi all
i've just signed up to the site and i'm after some info on my anenome i have no idea what sort it is but it was nice and pink when i first brought it and now it's turned white and doesn't like staying in direct light much it's hiding under another piece of coral not touching it thank god but whenever i move it back out it goes straight back under rocks and out of the light.

i was thinking i might have the wrong light spectrum i have one 10,000k, one 15,000k and one actinic blue all fluroescent lights

could this be the problem if so what spectrum should i have,
if this isn't the problem what is ?

i hope to fix it if possible because my girlfriends also done the same and her anenome was 10 times the size of mine and died it was a shame to lose it



any help would be appreciated
thanks

what size tank , how old is your tank . What is your lighting wattage and type.....
It sounds as if it bleached not good , are you feeding him ...Can you post pictures .....

 

[brad3314]

tank is custom size i'll check and no haven't been feeding it, it gets left over food that drifts

i'll get more info and reply

 

[melosu58]

As far as it hiding,anenomes hide their foot to keep it shaded. When I had mine it would keep the foot under rocks and stretch the rest of him out in the light.

 

[Fluff]

Sounds like your anemone isn't getting enough light and I agree sounds bleached. Answer some of the questions Sadie has listed and we will be able to help you better. Bleaching is not necessarily a death sentence and can be reversed with proper care but depending on why your anemone is bleaching may be a deciding point on rather it comes around or not.

 

[brad3314]

ok tank details as requested :

39gallon or in my country 150lt

lights :

20w-15000k ( says tri power on it )
18w-10000k ( aqua star )
18w actinic ( coral star )

water quality :

phosphate - 0.1
ammonia - 0
nitrite - 0
ph - 8.2
nitrate - 0

temp - 25.4
filter - jebo external canister filter
the tank is probably close to two years old

i do weekly partial water changes and add 20ml's of calcium sup every week

 

[Fluff]

That is not nearly enough light. Your anemone should have 3-4x's more than what you are giving it. Anemones are very dependent on light. They can be maintained some through feeding but can't live on protiens alone. They need that light to make the symbiotic algae zooxanthellae.

 

[brad3314]

right so how do i do that as i have not enough room for another light under my hood can i buy higher watt tubes ?

here's a pic doesn't look it but it is completly white and also it does shrivel up alot during the day but seems to open up more of a night when lights go off

 

[melosu58]

I agree that your lighting is way short. You`ll need to get a light set up with much more lighting than what you have.

 

[brad3314]

thanks for your help guys i really appreciate it

i've been into tanks for a while but i just know all the basics to keep the tank running not much else so i hope to learn a fair bit off this site

 

[melosu58]

Good luck on your anenome

 

[Fluff]

Yeah, it's not just the tubes, you'll need to replace your ballasts to support the higher wattage tubes. I don't know much about hardware but I'm sure there is someone on here that can help with that. You may want to post an inquiry in the hardware area for ideas.
Nice coralline growth!!

 

[Sadielynn]

I too concur that it is not enough light ... what about using a retro fit MH like this one
MH retro

MH system
There is an endless choice out there .. Where are you located ...
Also I would think that feeding 3x a week with some mysis or silver slides will help him out . Other wise if you cant do the above return him to the store as he would be doomed in your system . Not trying to be a downer but a realist ..

 

[brad3314]

I've popped another 10000k 15w light on there for the time beeing i know it's not enough but it'll have to do as theres no more room

I think i should get a MH i was thinking this a little while ago but now i have no option unless like you said i return him which i don't want so hopefully he hangs in there until i can get one

so i need higher wattage lights not the higher k rating ?
what sort of total watts would i be looking at to fix the problem ?
and also will the rest of my tank gain much with the extra watt lights or not ?

also i'm located in australia

 

[Sadielynn]

I would say start looking ASAP for a light.... You want a K rating of 10000k or higher Also check out ebay for auctions as well. The rest of your tank will benifit from the upgrade.. You will have more choices for corals .... I would think that 175 w or a 250 should do fine for you ... most will come with pc acitinic suppliments so that can be factored in ....
MH

complete systems

more MH

 

[brad3314]

thanks

 

[brad3314]

i just found this one would be good wouldn't it

http://cgi.ebay.com/Brand-New-Aquar...4QQihZ004QQcategoryZ46314QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

my problem is where i live won't allow me to hang it from the roof. does anyone have any ideas about mounting it another way could i modify my hood somehow and have the light sitting on top of my hood and cut out a bit the size of the light and put pespex in the hole and put the light on that so light penetrates through or would this still sit to close and generate to much heat.


any ideas ?


another but same story about mounting it
http://cgi.ebay.com/T5-AQUARIUM-OVE...3QQihZ004QQcategoryZ46314QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

which is better t5 or the one with the MH

 

[roka64]

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=90437

What is the length of your tank?
Generally, they should have mounting legs. My 72 inch fixture came with mounting legs, but I still hung it from the celing.

It looks like this one is Metal Halide 640 Long With 20000K640Watts, which will give you close to 16wpg? I think that is way too much.

This one T5 AQUARIUM OVERHEAD LIGHTING 8x42W 600 Long
Gives you 8.1 wpg, which is closer but still kind of high.
Some one please feel free to correct me if my math is off.

 

[brad3314]

the MH one doesn't say how many watts the t5 are in it surely they wouldn't be that much it says the MH is only 150w so that would make the t5 globes 245w each if thats what your saying. Did you mistake the length for the watts because the length is 640mm long which is just over 25 inches.

1 x 150W 20 000K UV Block Globe + 2 x NEW T5 High Output Floro Globes.

that's what it has i don't know if having an uv light is better or not but i would change it if need be

agreed though the T5 AQUARIUM OVERHEAD LIGHTING 8x42W 600 Long does indeed have alot of watts so thats out

my tank in inches is ( 29.5 )
currently i have a 2ft ( 24 inches ) light on my tank

they have got there measurements wrong they are saying it is 645cm
( that's like 254inches ) long which would make it one big light and it certainly don't look that big in the photo it's suppose to be 645mm ( just over 25 inches )

 

[brad3314]

items finished