VHO enough for some anemones?

gexkko

gexkko

Member
Is 10000k VHO lighting (I haven't made any purchases yet, so I don't have a specific brand or anything atm) sufficient for some species of anemone? I have a standard 29 in mid-cycle atm with plans of a mini-reef and I'm just trying to create a stock list compatible with my current budget for equipment. I know anemones require intense lighting, but I've gotten different messages from different places about when MH is needed and when it's not.
I can't afford decent MH atm, and probably won't be able to for a good long while, hence my question of whether any anemones can thrive under VHO lighting (aside from aphastia(sp?). If there are, do any of them host clowns well (thinking percs)? Thanks for your help.
 
gexkko

gexkko

Member
Scratch the whole VHO idea. A coworker referred me to a lfs I didn't know about, so I checked them out today. Turns out, they have a 30"dual bulb MH set-up for about $200, which I will be able to afford in about two weeks (around the same time I'm hoping my cycle finishes). It comes with a blue actnic(sp?) and a 10000k or 20000k bulb (I can't remember which) on separate switches to allow for different timing. I don't remember the exact wattage of the system however (I was in a rush to get back to the meter to avoid a parking ticket I ended up getting anyway...*sigh*)
I look forward to the set-up and I feel much more comfortable knowing that I will have sufficient lighting for any of the organisms i would like to introduce.
 
viper_930

viper_930

Active Member
Are you sure it's MH? 200 bucks is VERY cheap for dual halides. Halides don't come in actinics either.
 
aclimateme

aclimateme

Member
I'm wanting anemones, so I was thinking about going something like, 1x175 MH and 2x96 acitinic for my 58 gallon, but I'm worried that they'll create too much heat.
Not trying to hi-jack the thread, but I'm curious as well, if VHO can support some anemones for my lil clown's to host.
Thanks!
 
gexkko

gexkko

Member
Hmm...I thought it was MH, but I guess I'm wrong. Its not really all that surprising, seeing that I was in a total rush. Its quite possible it was a PC set-up. Either way, it was what they used on all their marine tanks. They had thriving corals and anemones under those hoods (on larger tanks, but the same style hood/lighting). I'll go back and check in the next week or so to confirm what it is.
If it is PC (which the more i think about it the more it makes sense, seemed rather cheap for a MH set-up), what wattage bulbs would be required to provide adequate lighting in my 29 for both soft/hard corals (I'm still not familiar with the lts/sts abbreviations...I could use clarification on that too) and say a bubble-tip anemone?
 
viper_930

viper_930

Active Member
For a BTA I say a minimum of 200 watts of PC, which would also be enough for soft and LPS corals.
If you want to also keep SPS corals and clams you'd be better off going with a halide setup. A single 150 watt halide would be enough.
SPS = small polyp scleractinia
LPS = large polyp scleractinia
 
gexkko

gexkko

Member
Awesome, thanks for the help guys. I'll keep clams/sps on my "wish list" for the future when I can get an MH set-up :)
 
wla1610

wla1610

Member
you can get some really nice MH fixtures now days. prices have gone down alot too. i paid 450 for my 2x150 mh fixture around the holidays. 6 months before that they were alot more. in the long run save for the better lighting... i made that mistake initially and went for a 396W PC fixture. if i would have waited a few months i could have gotten a MH fixture for the same price.... GRR
do your homework before you jump. the less you spend on mistakes with hardware the more you have for the fun stuff like your corals and fish.
 
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