Low-light corals ??

[fishlips12]

I should have my 55 gal tank ready in about a month but want to get some early opinions. With 130W of lighting (one 10k and one actinic) will I be able to keep any corals in my tank. Are there any low light corals that you can recommend. Do anemones also need light like the corals do?Iguess the question should be what can I have with this lighting scenario.

I just can't afford these Halides especially their power consumption.

TIA

[ReefLady]

It's not a lot of lighting, but there are a few things you should be able to keep. I'd suggest starting off with a few nicely colored mushrooms, or Green (or Brown or Yellow) star polyps. Maybe some button polyps.

You could probably get away with a Fox coral (Nemenzophyllia sp.) about mid-way up the tank, and maybe a hardy leather (Sarcophyton sp.) closer to the surface.

Anemones are a completely different 'animal', and require vast amounts of light. I tend to class them (as far as lighting requirements) in with the sps & clams. I definitely wouldn't attempt an anemone with this lighting.

HTH!

[fishlips12]

Thanks alot. The guy at the LFS said ( I bet you hear that alot) that there are "low-light " anemones. Oh well . Just wanted to get one for the benefit of the clowns.

[ReefLady]

I bet you hear that alot

Don't even go there. LOL

"low-light " anemones.

Hmmm ... Aiptasia? J/K! No *host* (Indo-Pacific) anemones are "low-light" that I'm aware of.

Btw, your clowns absolutely do not need an anemone to be happy. We've had 2 Ocellaris for over 4 years without one. In the past, they've made themselves perfectly at home in our Toadstool Leather or Hairy Mushroom rock. Now, they kind of snuggle up to our Torch coral.

Clowns "need" an anemone in the wild, so they don't become another fish's dinner. In our tanks, that threat does not exist - so no anemone is necessary for their health or well-being.

HTH,

[fishtender]

I have a saddle clown that bonds to anything I put in my tank. He is just a lonely guy. lol. As for the anemones, I have had great success with "curlycue". They thrive in medium flour lights and they stay in one place. A big benefit. The condi's I have tried tend to move around to much and eventually get stuck on my PH intakes. I also have a rock anemone, aka flower anemone. They are caribbean and therefore don't host clowns, but my lonely little saddle clown has managed to befriend it. It took a while. It was as if he were getting in bed with a cactus. lolololol

Howard

[fishlips12]

What is a "curlycue"?

[fishtender]

Curlycues are really cool anemones whose tentacles look as if they are made up of tiny connected bubbles. I have a gold 2 gold colored ones and a white one. They are great because once they fins a place that they like, they tend to stay put. 1 of mine started out about 2" across and now span about 20". I would give you a pic but i am having a problem with attatchments for some reason.

[fishlips12]

Thanks fishtender. Is there a scientific name that they go by because "curlycue" get me all kinds of wierd searches via google.

[ReefLady]

bartholomea annulata

http://fins.actwin.com/species/index.php?t=9&i=317

HTH!

[fishtender]

Ya, say that after a 6pak!! lololol.

I will send you a pic in your email if you give it to me.

Hey RF, can you tell me why I can't add any attatchments bigger than 100k, (a postage stamp). to any of my posts?

[reefrunner69]

can you tell me why I can't add any attatchments bigger than 100k

Because there is a 100K file size limit for attatchments. If you optimize your photos when you resize them it is very easy to get a decent size pic 800 X 600 or 640 X 480 without a noticable loss in quality.

See >>this<< post for help resizing/optimizing your photos and for some free software to help you do that