too much lighting?

[rotarygeek]

ok so im looking at buying a 24" at a certain "smart" pet store. its 99.99 and its a t5 ho. all it will be lighting is a 30 gallon tall with just a damsel and peppermint shrimp and some hermit crabs. the only thing im really looking to add to my tank is two clownfish, and a mandarin goby. maybe an anemene for the fish. what i want o know is if its too much lighting for my needs. and will it make it look better? i have the standard aquarium hood on it right now. also i was looking at uv sterilizers there, whats the general concencus on those?

 

[sk8shorty01]

I dont think that would be too much lighting, as anemones need a good source of lighting in order to thrive. I think you would be fine with that setup. I have a UV sterilizer on both of my tanks, but most will say, if you are going to run one, you need a protein skimmer as well. This is because there will be a lot of algea and such that the UV will kill, adding to your waste if you dont skim properly.

 

[scopus tang]

I've never used a UV sterilizer, so I don't know for sure, but from what I've read on them, they kill not only harmful micros (like algae) but also beneficial ones (like coralline). I would recommend that if you do decide to use it, you wait until your tank is a month or two old before you turn it on, so that you get some good coralline, bacteria, and microorganism growth going.

 

[wangotango]

The clowns don't need an anemone, but if you must have one remember that they are not easy to care for.
How many t5ho bulbs does this fixture you're looking at have?
-Justin