Not sure I have enough light

[mommywyatt28]

I have a 55 w/ about 35lbs live rock and 1 1/2 " sand in base. Fish are doing great...maroon, cucumber, shrimp, jewel, blue damsel. Beautiful purple & green on rock. Clown hosted to anemone, been up and running 4 mos. I have another with no worries. I have 2 24" & 1 48" light strips. Do you think I could add any coral with that, if so...what kinds would be good?

 

[adroitmind]

I have been wondering the same thing about my similar lighting hood. Flourescent lights correct? I am suprised you have an anemone with those lights. Is it doing well and how long have you had it?

 

[myrtle beach]

I have a 55g with one flourescent strip 48in, nothing special, came with the hood, but I am interested in what type of lighting you have, actine, metal halide, etc. ?
I want to upgrade eventually and want to do it right. There are tons of threads on here about lighting I'm sure, but the more light the better, coral need a lot.

 

[weberian]

Anemone's are extremely difficult to keep; only very experienced salt-water aquarists should attempt to keep them. Did you research anemones before buying one? How many Watts are your lights?
I have a 30-gal soft-coral reef tank with 192 Watts total (96 Watts 6500k daylight bulb, 96 Watts dual-actinic bulb). I'm lucky my tank is only 17-inches tall. My lighting is the bare-minimum for corals; anything less is just not going to cut it.

 

[reeffreakgeek]

I'm sorry to say your anemone will probably wither away with your lighting.You should be able to keep some softies(schrooms,zoos,chili coral)but thats pushing it.Look into upgrading to at least moderate lighting such as power compacts or T-5's.
Best of Luck

 

[mommywyatt28]

my anemone seems to be doing great, he has put himself on top of some higher rock work. my clown is right inside and will not leave except to get food for itself and the anemone. The local petshop adv. that setup would be enough but reading on here it is not. What would some adv. for a less expensive route? My other tank has cora life 50/50 bar, pretty $$$.

 

[mommywyatt28]

Originally Posted by Weberian
Anemone's are extremely difficult to keep; only very experienced salt-water aquarists should attempt to keep them. Did you research anemones before buying one? How many Watts are your lights?
I have a 30-gal soft-coral reef tank with 192 Watts total (96 Watts 6500k daylight bulb, 96 Watts dual-actinic bulb). I'm lucky my tank is only 17-inches tall. My lighting is the bare-minimum for corals; anything less is just not going to cut it.
Yes I read up on the condi anemone, according to the local pet store I was in good shape. That is where I bought my anemone. Can I change my bulbs to a higher watt or another type of bulb that would do better??? I can not afford to buy new bars right now. :help:

 

[wangotango]

you cant buy standard flourescent bulbs like that in a higher wattage. your best bet would be upgrading to a better fixture at some point, at LEAST to power-compacts (PC), but T5 would be better. you could probably find a decent PC fixture (coralife or something) for $300-$400. as for the lfs telling you about the anemone, its always best to check somewhere else (online etc) to make sure. ive never had any problems with phony information at my lfs, theyre both extremely knowledgable, but i always do a little research before going in.
-Justin

 

[volcom69]

What kind of anemone is it.

 

[puffer32]

Your anenome will die under standard lighting, it just takes awhile. Why put it through that. You should return it and if your lfs doesn't want to take it back, scream false advertisement! He knows better then that

 

[mommywyatt28]

Originally Posted by puffer32
Your anenome will die under standard lighting, it just takes awhile. Why put it through that. You should return it and if your lfs doesn't want to take it back, scream false advertisement! He knows better then that

ty for your advice, i will try to do that, I would rather lose a few $$$ than to willingly kill something

 

[mommywyatt28]

Originally Posted by volcom69
What kind of anemone is it.
condi

 

[mommywyatt28]

Originally Posted by WangoTango
you cant buy standard flourescent bulbs like that in a higher wattage. your best bet would be upgrading to a better fixture at some point, at LEAST to power-compacts (PC), but T5 would be better. you could probably find a decent PC fixture (coralife or something) for $300-$400. as for the lfs telling you about the anemone, its always best to check somewhere else (online etc) to make sure. ive never had any problems with phony information at my lfs, theyre both extremely knowledgable, but i always do a little research before going in.
-Justin
ty for advice, from now on I know where I will go to get my info. The people on here really seem to know what they are talking about, not just well I heard, but knowing from exp. I will be saving my $$$ to but just that, someone recom that i return my condi I will do just that. Again Thanks!

 

[mommywyatt28]

Originally Posted by Myrtle Beach
I have a 55g with one flourescent strip 48in, nothing special, came with the hood, but I am interested in what type of lighting you have, actine, metal halide, etc. ?
I want to upgrade eventually and want to do it right. There are tons of threads on here about lighting I'm sure, but the more light the better, coral need a lot.
I am in the same boat as u.. There are alot of helpful people in here. My lighting is the same as your except I have twice as much, but still that is not enough for anything. I am going to upgrade to T5 s everyone recommends. Read up...I fell that will be my best option. A little more $$$ now but better for the long term.

 

[reeffreakgeek]

You should be able to get a T5 or PC fixture for around 200.00 online.Google search for Current Nova Extreme or Coralife Power Compacts.Remember,you can keep many corals but not all.It may still not be enough for anemones which typically need Medal Halides.