anemone light needs?
- Thread starter oyam1
- Start date
wablondie98664
Active Member
i am pretty sure all anemone's need metal halide lighting.
elpezgrande
Member
This is a subject without a firm answer. I've done a lot of reading on various reef web sites and forums and there are lots of respected people who feel metal halide lights are the ONLY way to go. There are also similarly respected people who seem to feel PC or VHO lights are ok. I personally would recommend doing research on this board and the internet and come to your own conclusions, but here is the conclusion I have come to. You definitely want at least 3 - 6 watts per gallon regardless of the type of light, the higher wattage the better. You also don't just want the white 10k bulbs, true actnic 03 display light in a spectrum that is very beneficial to the anemone's symbiotic algae, so a 50/50 bulb is good, or a fixture with space for 2 bulbs. I also have a 96W PC on a 30G and my anemone is doing great. I realize I haven't had it long in terms of anemone husbandry(a little over 4 months), but I have made it past the critical 3 month mark where the vast majority of anemones die in an aquarium, and my anemone is definitely thriving, not just surviving. It has doubled in size, and usually lays relatively flat (i.e. it's not "standing on its tippy toes" trying to get more light.) I also feed my anemone 2 - 3 times a week.
You asked about lighting for a haddoni, but the anemeone that will host clowns and has the best survival rate in an aquarium is the bubble tip anemone. Plus BTA's seem to split more readily in an aquarium, so you are more likely to find one that is tank raised than taken from the sea. You also might want to consider not getting an anemone at all. Clowns will host in a varitey of coral like GSP, Toadstool Leathers, and Hairy Mushrooms, and they really don't need a host at all.
You asked about lighting for a haddoni, but the anemeone that will host clowns and has the best survival rate in an aquarium is the bubble tip anemone. Plus BTA's seem to split more readily in an aquarium, so you are more likely to find one that is tank raised than taken from the sea. You also might want to consider not getting an anemone at all. Clowns will host in a varitey of coral like GSP, Toadstool Leathers, and Hairy Mushrooms, and they really don't need a host at all.