g8er_h8er
Member
Hi folks,
I've had my 36 gal. bowfront tank for about 1 1/2 years now. Residents consist of two false percs, aprox 50 lbs of LR, a few Astria snails and several blue leg hermit crabs. A little boring I know!
Well, after learning the ins + outs of my tank for the past two years, I finally feel confident that I have the know-how to appropriately care for an anemone. However, for now, I would like to stick to one that is a little more hardy, such as a BTA. Only problem is I don't have adequate lighting.
If I'm looking to spend in the $200-$450 range, what would you recommend, PC, metal halide or a combination of the two?
I know Current USA makes some decent "orbit" PC-only fixtures (4x96w PC's) as well as a PC fixture (2x96w PC lamps) that also includes a 150 watt metal halide in my price range (albeit the higher end of it). The first fixture offers a total of 384 watts while the one with the metal halide offers 342 watts. Would that be overkill for my small tank?
Only problem I can see with the Current USA orbit products is that they look like they sit fairly close to the water. I would assume this is a necessity for some anemones that need a lot of light, but I'm concerned about the lights heating up my water too much, especially the fixture with the metal halide. Should I be worried about this?
Just as a sidenote. I do have the option of hanging lights above the tank, just need to install an outlet in the ceiling.
Thanks for any replies!
I've had my 36 gal. bowfront tank for about 1 1/2 years now. Residents consist of two false percs, aprox 50 lbs of LR, a few Astria snails and several blue leg hermit crabs. A little boring I know!
Well, after learning the ins + outs of my tank for the past two years, I finally feel confident that I have the know-how to appropriately care for an anemone. However, for now, I would like to stick to one that is a little more hardy, such as a BTA. Only problem is I don't have adequate lighting.
If I'm looking to spend in the $200-$450 range, what would you recommend, PC, metal halide or a combination of the two?
I know Current USA makes some decent "orbit" PC-only fixtures (4x96w PC's) as well as a PC fixture (2x96w PC lamps) that also includes a 150 watt metal halide in my price range (albeit the higher end of it). The first fixture offers a total of 384 watts while the one with the metal halide offers 342 watts. Would that be overkill for my small tank?
Only problem I can see with the Current USA orbit products is that they look like they sit fairly close to the water. I would assume this is a necessity for some anemones that need a lot of light, but I'm concerned about the lights heating up my water too much, especially the fixture with the metal halide. Should I be worried about this?
Just as a sidenote. I do have the option of hanging lights above the tank, just need to install an outlet in the ceiling.
Thanks for any replies!
