Bulb tip anemone

[Blondek727]

I have two purcula clowns and want to get a green bulb tip anemone but I'm not sure I have enough lighting for one. The tank is a 40g breeder the lighting is a 36in coralife aqualight system 96w actinic and 96w 10,000k daylight for a total of 192w would this be enough or should I double up on the light hood and get another one for a total of 384w please comment

[MichaelsLilGray]

i had one.. and it died.. if you get one, make sure to purge your tank of bristle worms.. cause i swear that is what killed it =(


Your lighting will be more than effective

[thincat]

How deep is your tank?

[melosu58]

I`m thinking you should be OK as far as the lighting. But I do want you to understand that there is no guarantee the clowns will host the anenome. I personally got one for my tank and my two clowns ignored the anenome. Choosing corals instead. From what I`ve seen from my experience and others it`s about 50/50 on the chances.

[Ziggy953]

I agree with Mike on the chances of hosting. I to a RBTA for my clowns and a year later they decided to make it home. I would not count on the PC lighting to be enough to keep the BTA happy. They really require high lighting.

[Blondek727]

So ziggy u think I should get another hood before I get it ooo and I know they my not host but they r wild cought so maybe the chances are higher but even if they don't host anemones are still awsome creatures

[Ziggy953]

You will want to bump your lighting up to T5 VHO or even metal halide with actinic supplement to provide enough light for an anemone. PC lighting just doesn't have the intensity.

[Blondek727]

So inter of getting a second light hood I should get a MH? Aren't they expensive?

[Blondek727]

and how many watts would u need for the MH

[MsBeanCtr]

rbta's are beautiful creatures....I have two of them that I purchased for my clowns. I've had both together for over 2 years and the clowns have never hosted either. Also, I would suggest that you consider upgrading your lighting too. I have a T5 HO and MH lighting and my rbta's are doing great. You'll also notice that you have many more options for corals when you upgrade your lighting....like clams, sps corals etc.

Good luck!

[Blondek727]

ok so im pritty confused about this subject its about a 50/50 some people are saying CP are fine if u get alot of wattage and some people are saying no u need MH and T5 most of the people on this site say T6 MH other sites people say there not required so idk im pritty confused

[Blondek727]

oooo and thincat the tank is only 17in deep its a 40g breeder

[thincat]

Compacs would be good enough. The reason everyone is going to T-5's are they are energy effeicent and have good penetation for the 17+" to 20" tanks. Do you have a sand bottom and how deep is the sand?

[Blondek727]

The sand bottom is 2in deep.

[Blondek727]

If I were to get a MH would I want 10000k or 14000k and would 250w be enough for a 40g

[Harry Gross]

I am currently researching simular issues.
IMO T5...T5...T5 !!!....(+) 3-5 wats per gallon actnic(+) Daylighting.(soft corals will do good on 3 or so watts per gal.The harder your corals the more wattage per gallon you'd want to have . Day lighting can vary as long as the aforemention parameters have been met.(<<<as far as how BRIGHTLY you'd want your display during the day that is)
If you want everybody to "THRIVE" first time out...w/no deaths////no unwanted amonia and No2...No3 spikes in your readings....T5 appears to be the closest thing to a "SURE BET".

[Justin1989]

Originally Posted by Blondek727

If I were to get a MH would I want 10000k or 14000k and would 250w be enough for a 40g

Metal halides are expensive, and in my opinion not necessarily needed for a 40 gallon breeder tank. I do believe T5's will save you money and heat issues if you would of had any. MH are very intense lights, used for larger tanks to support any type of coral they desire. Your tank is not all to deep, and would do just fine with T5's

[Blondek727]

So other than heat PC lighting will do well

[Justin1989]

That I can't say simply because I do not know enough about them. I went with T5's due to the fact that they are much more intense. However in my opinion I do believe it should not matter due to your tank height.

[Ziggy953]

I used PC lighting when I first started out. I had a 72g tank with 260w of PC light. That tank wasa 23" tall, my anemone did not do well under that lighting. As a result I upgraded to MH with VHO supplement. PC lighting is great for fish only tanks or when used to supplement MH bulbs. They do not have the PAR that other forms of lighting have and may or may not keep your anemone happy, even on a shallow tank.