Adding a anemone ?

[newbie 67]

What should you test for befor adding one of these? I have a 35 hex with a 301 powerhead and skimmer 15 to 2 0lbs. of l.r. 2 damsels a engenire goby about 12 hermits. A 24 watt compact flo. for coral also my s.g is 1.024 ph is 8.1 amon.,trites.,trates.,are 0 calcium is 400 ppm thanks up front

 

[patandlace]

The lights aren't sufficient for anemones. I'd go with T5's or MH.

 

[newbie 67]

Ok now I am confused. This guy says my light wil not work, but I know a guy that has the same tank and light and has coarl aneomones withno problems. So what now?

 

[fishguy56]

Originally Posted by newbie 67
What should you test for befor adding one of these? I have a 35 hex with a 301 powerhead and skimmer 15 to 2 0lbs. of l.r. 2 damsels a engenire goby about 12 hermits. A 24 watt compact flo. for coral also my s.g is 1.024 ph is 8.1 amon.,trites.,trates.,are 0 calcium is 400 ppm thanks up front
I think the salt should be 26-27 like the ocean!

 

[newbie 67]

Ok I can raise that. What about testing water for ALK. ?

 

[shogun323]

Originally Posted by newbie 67
Ok now I am confused. This guy says my light wil not work, but I know a guy that has the same tank and light and has coarl aneomones withno problems. So what now?
Soft corals and some LPS will do fine under Power Compact lighting. SPS corals and anemone definately need stronger light to thrive such as Metal Halides or T5's.
I have a friend that has an anemone with power compacts.... His Sebae Anemone lasted about 6 months. Now he has an LTA. I am bettin he gets about 6 months out of him too.

 

[newbie 67]

Ok I will just talk to my lfs. But thanks for the info.

 

[reefkprz]

it likly your LFS will tell you you can have it just to make the sale (happens all the time) but I could be wrong. what will happen is you'll get it and it will slowly waste away over a month or two or even three but it will most likley eventually die from not enough light. (no gauruntees though) I would recomend better lighting (better safe than sorry)

 

[thegrog]

I agree with reefkprZ in that your lighting is nowhere near enough. YOur anemone will slowly waste away for months if healthy to start with. To keep it, you would need 180w MINIMUM of lighting with MH being preferred.
Plus, I dont recommend an anemone in any tank smaller than 55 gallons. Smaller tanks are more prone to quick little swings in parameters and unless you catch it quick, can be disasterous.
Sorry to give you the bad news, but that is what I know. Too many have tried and eventually had their anemones die. I know that there is always someone who has kept one for "years" in small tanks with little lighting. That is more the exception rather than the rule.
My $0.02 worth.

 

[hatessushi]

Originally Posted by reefkprZ
it likly your LFS will tell you you can have it just to make the sale (happens all the time) but I could be wrong. what will happen is you'll get it and it will slowly waste away over a month or two or even three but it will most likley eventually die from not enough light. (no gauruntees though) I would recomend better lighting (better safe than sorry)
agree 100%

 

[soldier0117]

I have an anemone with power compacts on my 55 gal. The light set is 260 watts which puts it around 4.5 watts per gallon for my tank. The anemone is as happy as can be. I've had him for a while and he is thriving. I think you just need proper wattage per gallon to keep them.

 

[reefkprz]

watts per gallon is one of the biggest misnomers in this hobby. it watts per distance that really counts, if you have a 400 watts MH light at one end of a 55 gallon you could keep anything under it but at the far end of the tank there would be almost no light. distance and intensity rather than per gallon, its like saying a 65 watt bulb on a 20 long is the same as a 65wat bulb on a 20 double high..... there is almost 16" of distance difference there, the light intensity at the bottom of the 20 x high is far lower than the light intensity at the bottom of a 20 long.
the watts per gallon rule is obsolete, it has been since the first time it was ever said. it just a general guidline and not even a good one.

 

[newbie 67]

So all I need to do is upgrade my light. Then I can keep anemones?

 

[reefkprz]

upgrade your lights and provide a stable environment, anemones wont tolerate low water quality or huge swings in temp or salinity. I reccomend having your tank up and running at least 6 months before adding one.

and it is going to be more difficult to keep one successfully in a smaller tank, it can be done its just harder.

 

[newbie 67]

So I don't need to test for anything diffrent than what I am all ready testing for? Also I can't keep snail for more than 24 hrs. will that have a effect? I have taken water to be tested and the lfs find nothing wrong.

 

[mandarin w]

Is you LFS testing for ALK, calcuim, salinity. ph, on top of the amonia, nitrates, and nitrites. If you are having trouble keeping snails, then your salinity is probley off.
As suggested before, don't trust your LFS 100%. They are in business to make money, your money. and too many don't care how they do it. There are more people on this site and other sites that have been burned by a LFS when they were new to the hobby. So many people were told you can keep this with that no problem. and after research they find it just isn't so. One thing to keep in mind, the LFS make money off of you, and a lot of it. We here on this board do not make a nickle off of you. We have nothing to gain by telling you wrong info. We are here simply because we love this hobby, and we love our tanks, and we want to help any one who has a question. So think about that, and if you want to trust your LFS over us. then so be it. But trust me, we could tell you alot of stories about LFS giving misinformation just to make a sell. Not all stores are like this, but they are rare.

 

[newbie 67]

I have tested for everything except ALK I belive the lfs tested ph,amon.trites and trates. I know all they want is money. So what should my salinty be and is this the same is s.g.?

 

[mandarin w]

your salinity should be 1.025, You should pick up some tests, it is something you should do regularly. Whenever you have a problem, we need to know what your levels are. Saying levels are good doesn't really help us help you. I've been to LFS stores that use tap water, and thinks nothing of nitrates of 30 to 40, They say more nutrients for the little bugs. Which is not the case. Sometimes we run across a LFS that is in it soley for the money, and knows less than we do. Believe me, in the 5 years I've been in the hobby, I've heard LFS tell new hobbist many things are good, no problem etc. Test you water your self, then you know exactly what is going on in your tank.