Anenome placement

Temperature:78 degrees F
Salinity: 1.026 sg
Calcium 425 ppm
KH 8dkH
Phosphate .03 ppm
Nitrate .33 ppm

The Sebae will go back if she will take returns. This pet shop has a sign that says no returns on live animals... I guess that means I can return it once it dies?!?! This really pisses me off that she sold me these knowing exactly what tank and lighting I have.

I am sure my water quality is fine and things seem to be going well. At least as far as my eye can tell. You say that the compacts won't cut it and that MH or T5 would be needed but you neglect to mention how much. The Biocube can run MH lamps with some modification but I won't bother ordering it if they won't be enough.

The information you give about the Hatian anemone seems to be incorrect. Can you please point out what your sources are? According to SaltWaterFish.com they even accept certain types of clowns.

Pink Tip Haitian Anemone (Condylactis sp)

I am just looking for clarification. Please tell me how many watts are needed to support anemones and where it says that Hatian anemone are fish eaters.

Thanks to all that have contributed.

 

I'm sorry if I was not clear on the lighting issue regarding your Sebae. While your current lighting setup may not work, upgrading to a T5HO or MH fixture will greatly increase your chances of successfully keeping the anemone. Either option would put out enough power to keep your Sebae, but lighting choice is a major decision and one you should research thoroughly. I as well have a Sebae, which is thriving under a Tek T5 setup, but you can go the MH route as well. If you get T5s, make sure they are individually reflected bulbs.

As for being misled by your fish store...you are not the first one to have this experience. Unfortunately misinformation is rampant in this hobby, especially among retailers. This is a great place to learn, just keep asking questions . . . people are more than happy to help.

 

My problem is that I don't have a clue what T5 is except for the fact that it is another type of bulb. I found a T5 fixture that fits my tank but it only puts out 108 watts which is lett than my current system is putting out.

Do the anemones need watts or what exactly is it that makes a T5/MH better than what I have?
I do really appreciate the help this forum has given so far. It seems even here the information can sometimes be misleading or incorrect.

 

Hi trondsbr

different people have different experiences and different levels of experience
that explains why you dont get a succesion of repetitive answers on every thread

Nems - how much light and of what kind do they need, varies from species to species

I cant answer the specific question with regards Sebea nem
but this article by a member here 10 Acrewoods may help you

http://www.3reef.com/forums/inverts/seabae-anemone-iotm-feb-09-a-58612.html

Lighting - T5 versus PC - watt v watt

watts are a unit of power being used - no more - a 11 watt CFL lamp for example puts out more light measured in Lumens than a 40 watt incadescent (normal bulb) can.

2 lamps with identical wattages, dont always put out the same amount of light

PC - main concern with PC is that as they are twin tubes, some of the light from each tube gets directed towards the other tube
it hard to get reflectors that can make all this light go where it is wanted (downwards)

T5s on the other hand , with individual reflectors - means more light can then be re directed to the water

as to 108 watts of T5 light being adequate to support a Sebea ? Ill leave that aspect to the people that do keep these and thus have the knowledge ( Sorry I dont and have never kept these)

Steve

 

Steve is correct.

Lighting quality is not correlated with wattage. "T5s" and "metal halide" are different types of bulbs and fixtures that operate in different ways. I'm by no means an expert on the subject, but metal halide lights are (I'm fairly sure) the lights you see outside in parking lots and such. They put out quite a bit of light. On the other hand, T5 bulbs are long tubes, similar to what illuminates the inside of most buildings (but much smaller). A T5 bulb may not put out as much light as a MH, but most fixtures will utilize at least 4 bulbs at the same time. There are no hard and fast rules regarding exactly how much light your Sebae needs, but it would be safe to say that 150+ wattage of metal halide lighting would support it. In addition, any T5 unit with individually reflected bulbs will suffice as well. With either fixture, make sure the bulbs are changed when they need to be. T5 bulbs have a life span of ~1 year, I'm not sure about MH.

This is the fixture I'm running my Sebae under, and it is doing very well.

http://www.specialty-lights.com/teklightaqua.html

The Nova Extreme is a good choice as well...

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578 3733 13822 12772&pcatid=12772

 

Actually I spoke with a zoologist and the watts doesn't have anything to do with it. The lamps PAR factor is what matters. Photosynthetically Active Radiation or PAR level is good for certain plants and animals because they depend on the suns level to produce their photosynthesis. He went on to say that when it comes to this, size does matter... lol

T5 lights put out a lot more PAR than the compact fluorescent even if the wattage is the same. So watts don't really do anything for you unless they come with a light that has a good PAR level. He said they make PAR meters and you can check your lighting with that to see if they are good for the setup.

Hopefully he doesn't mind me stopping by from time to time for a question and answer session regarding saltwater.

Hopefully this information goes on to help others better understand why some lamps are better than others even when the watts are rated the same.

Photosynthetically active radiation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Thanks for the info BigDaddyReefer, I am placing an order for the
Current Nova Extreme Pro

and Aqualight Lunar Blue-Moon-Glow

Hopefully these will be a good choice for me. I think the 20" is the only size I can go with for this aquarium and have it fit/look decent.

What lamps are you running with yours?

I wanted to get a timer setup that will do 4 times of day: night(moonlight), dawn, daylight, and dusk. I am researching what lighting will be good for these times of day.

 

You won't regret getting the nova extreme. Great fixture.

I'm running two Giesemann midday bulbs, one aquablue actinic, and one fiji purple. As far as timers go, two timers are necessary. I do believe your fixture has two switches on it, and each will control 1/2 of the bulbs. So, what you need to do is put all of the blue/purple bulbs on one switch and all the daylight ones on the other. Have timer 1 turn on your blue/purple lights in the morning, and then have timer 2 turn on your daylights and hour or so afterward. After the day has passed, have timer 2 turn off your daylights, and set timer 1 to turn off your blue/purple lights an hour or so afterward.

I'm just waking up, hopefully this makes sense and is not terribly written. . .let me know if you need any clarification.