New Print and eBook on Amazon:   Anemone Success Doing what it takes to keep Anemones healthy long-term by Robert (Bob) Fenner

Carpet anemone/light, nutrition, reading  - 06/29/08 Hi Guys, <& Dolls James> I have a carpet anemone, the short tentacled one. I had him in my main display tank which has lots of light. Unfortunately, as I mentioned to Eric, my Queen angel started eating him. <This is the relationship twixt Pomacanthids and Actinarians...> So I moved him to another tank (185g) in my system where my naughty boy Picasso trigger lives. <These sample too> I only have 4 x 55w t5 tubes on this tank. <Insufficient> About a quarter of the tank has no lights directly above. This is the area where the anemone moved to and lives. After reading all the info about them on wwm I see they need lot's of light. <Yes> I was going to put a metal halide on this tank. As he likes to stay in the slightly darker area I'm not sure what to do now. He seems very happy. <Perhaps with lots of supplementary feeding...> I also read to feed them small amounts of food like krill and chopped up mussel, shrimp etc. I was feeding him whole prawns and calamari so now I know. <Mmm... don't eat such in the wild... instead much in the way of small foodstuffs, fecal material from the fishes above and about them. Read on my friend. Bob Fenner> Thanks again, James.

Anemone lighting 8/25/05 Is a Jebo Odyssea 48" Uni-Strip Power Compact 130W 50/50 good enough for a LTA in a 55 gallon tank <Mmm, no... by about half photo strength. Bob Fenner>

Anemone Precaution 7.15.05 Hello guys...quick lighting question...and I know you get a lot of them. I   have a 90 gal.65 lbs LR (2) 65 watt PC bulbs and 2 actinic 40 watt halogen   bulbs. Is this light adequate for a small bubble anemone? <Hi Paul.  Yes, as long as the oxygen levels are great and the anemone is within 12 inches of the bulb.  Circulation plays a big part in their health as well- So take special care to endure that the water circulates nutrients TO the anemone, not the alternative.  Good luck, Ryan> Thanks Paul

Too much light for an anemone? I went from a 30 high tank ( 24" light ) to a 30 long tank which needs a 36" light. I now have the 24" light moved to the far right of my tank making the left side shaded. My Sebae has moved to the left and has opened up prettier than it ever has. Does it not like the light? < Very odd indeed.  I'd say it loves light.  I'm not sure what to make of this other than to give it time. > Since the long is more shallower than the high tank the light is more intended. Should I not get the 36" light and leave the "shaded " space? < I'm all about light.  I would always advise to get more.  If the anemone really doesn't like light, he can always move under a ledge.  But more light will help everything else. > <  Blundell  >

Anemone tank I have an 72 x 24 x 24 180 gallon aquarium with the following equipment: Lighting: (2) 96W PC, (2) 175W MH, (3) 140W URI VHO on a reflector-backed, fan-cooled canopy Filter/UV Loop: LG 2MD pump, Sea Clear canister with looped tubing in clear well, 30W UV, (low flow) Aerobic Loop: Clear for life wet/dry filter sump, TF200 protein skimmer with exterior pump Iwaki 20LT pump, MD Iwaki 30LXT pump It has about 150 lb of live rock and 3 inch bed of live sand over about ? inch of crushed coral. Is this tank worthy of an anemone?  I am interested in adding either a single Haddoni or a E. quad anemone.  Is the lighting and setup OK for either? The objective is to have the coveted anemone thrive and be a focal point of the tank.  I would opt for the Haddoni based upon the relative ease of care but don't like the idea of having the creature split all over the place. The Haddoni is less apt to split from my reading and may be a better choice. What advice can you give me?  <Bill, your lighting would be inadequate to support either a haddoni or a quadricolor.  You would need a minimum of 5 1/2 to 6 watts per gallon.  You are at a little over 3 at present.  James (Salty Dog)> Regards, Bill Sanz
Re: Anemone tank Sorry James, Thanks for the quick response - best site on the web! I probably wasn't clear in my description. The parenthesis around the numbers indicates the quantity of bulbs of each type. <You were clear, Bill.  It was my error, sorry.> I have three 60"VHO's on a IceCap 660 and two MH each 175W, plus the two 96W PC for a total of 962W or approx 5.34W/gal.  The VHO are two URI Actinic White and a Actinic R. I also meant to compare the BT with the Haddoni.  Anything else you see?  <Bill, you would have much better success keeping the BT with your lighting set up.  James (Salty Dog)> Regards, Bill Sanz

Rose Bulb Anemone Lighting Hi, <How goes it? Maddox here tonight> I have a 44g reef corner tank that is 22" deep. I am thinking about adding a rose bulb anemone, but want to make sure I have enough light for it. My lighting is 230w of power compacts. One double strip is 65w JBJ and the other double strip is 65w Coralife. Both consist of 10,000k day and actinic fluorescents. Will this be sufficient light for rose bulb anemone? <Shouldn't be a problem, but I would keep the anemone in the upper half of the tank> Thanks Again, <Anytime> Roo <M. Maddox> 

Anemone care 3/11/05 Thanks for the help. I have since devoted my tank to only one anemone, the carpet.  <whew! Good to hear. Mixing anemone species is a recipe for trouble otherwise> But can you tell me if the reason for the carpet moving to a part of the tank that is hit by morning sunlight?  <it should be obvious my friend... better light> I think my lighting is ok.... I have 260 watts JBJ system, half actinic, half white light, and I also put the fluorescent 40 watt that came with the tank years ago in action too.  <it cannot compare to the sun> I know... no metal halides, but with 300 watts combined light I am hoping it will be ok without the expensive metal halides. Any other options? <keep the anemone shallow (less than 10" of the surface) if possible. And do read our archives on carpets/anemones for greater perspective. Anthony>

Anemone Problem Hello, Thank you for your great site. I have a common anemone in a 55 gallon tank. His tank mates are 3 various damsels, a small maroon crab, a yellow tang, and an arc-eyed hawk fish. The damsels and clown eat tetra flakes and shrimp well, the hawk eats the larger pieces of the food, and the tang grazes and eats Seaweed Select. The tank is doing well but I recently found out (after everything had been sold to me, recommended, and entirely picked out by staff at the LFS) that my lighting is horrid; 2x15w fluorescent bulbs, that's it. This after they had sold me an anemone knowing full well I did not have a compatible tank.  The common anemone did well at first, but now constantly shrivels. He seems to fill again when I feed him small pieces of shrimp and when I try to spotlight him with a 30w lamp and open shades to let more sunlight in. Can this process possibly sustain him, or is he doomed? What can I do to prolong his life before I can find a safe place for him? The purple ends of his tentacles are also shriveled even when he fills like a partially deflated balloon. Is this permanent? Please help me, I made the mistake of purchasing on recommendations, but I don't want the anemone to pay for it.  <This is a problem I hear all the time. Somebody buys something, not knowing it's requirements, then does the research later. Number one, shame on your retailer. Sounds like he is in it for the money based on what you say. Two 15w lights are not nearly enough for an anemone. You are going to need about 250 watts of correct lighting to keep your anemone alive for any length of time. You can either find a home for it or invest in lighting. The choice is yours. Please search the Wet Web Media for anemones and read. Then make your decision, better yet I'll make the post. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm  Thank you, <You're welcome. Robert, please research any future animals you wish to buy to be sure you can provide the conditions for them. I'm not flaming you, you're retailer is more at fault selling you this knowing the equipment you have. Consider purchasing a good book such as "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist". It's well worth the read. Good luck. James (Salty Dog)> 

Common Anemone Problem de Roberto Hello, <Hi there> Thank you for your great site. I have a common anemone in a 55 gallon tank. His tankmates are 3 various damsels, a small maroon crab, a yellow tang, and an arc-eyed hawkfish. The damsels and clown eat tetra flakes and shrimp well, the hawk eats the larger pieces of the food, and the tang grazes and eats Seaweed Select. The tank is doing well but I recently found out (after everything had been sold to me, recommended, and entirely picked out by staff at the LFS) that my lighting is horrid; 2x15w fluorescent bulbs, that's it. This after they had sold me an anemone knowing full well I did not have a compatible tank. The common anemone did well at first, but now constantly shrivels. He seems to fill again when I feed him small pieces of shrimp and when I try to spotlight him with a 30w lamp and open shades to let more sunlight in. Can this process possibly sustain him, or is he doomed?  <Good question... know then that most all anemones are a mix of nutrition types... part photosynthetic and part carnivores... and that they can/do change preponderance as individuals... depending on circumstances at hand... I suspect yours will/can live, learn to derive more "food" from eating... but more lighting... would help> What can I do to prolong his life before I can find a safe place for him?  <Could "raise" the specimen up... on a rock, closer to the light source/s...> The purple ends of his tentacles are also shriveled even when he fills like a partially deflated balloon. Is this permanent?  <Mmm, no... as in not irreversible> Please help me, I made the mistake of purchasing on recommendations, but I don't want the anemone to pay for it. Thank you, Robert Kirkbride <Please help yourself... and read a bit more re this species, its husbandry... on WWM, elsewhere. Your actions/non-actions will determine its world. Bob Fenner>

LTA & Lighting Hi Crew, I have a lighting question regarding a LTA that I transferred from QT 5 days ago. I have a 29 gallon tank with the following:  25lb of live rock w/ 3" DSB AquaC Remora hang-on protein skimmer, powered by Maxi-jet 1200 additional Maxi-jet 1200 for water circulation  Aquarium Systems Millennium 3000 filter for activated-carbon filtration Clark clownfish (paired with the LTA within twelve hours of introducing the anemone to the tank) Lawnmower blenny Royal Gramma Tank-bred Percula clownfish 3 peppermint shrimp Coral banded shrimp A dozen assorted snails and reef hermit crabs Sand-sifting star-fish (a mutant actually - it has six appendages!) Currently I have 130W of Coralife PC lighting (2 x 65W dual bulb 10,000K/actinic blue, situated 2.5" above water surface) and the LTA is situated approximately 8.5" below the water surface. My question then is this: Should I replace one (or both) of the PC bulbs with pure 10,000K bulbs instead of the 10,000K/actinic combination? Will that help improve light quality for the LTA? Also, I have both bulbs on separate timers... 1 bulb from 9am-midnight, and the other from noon-7pm. Is this an optimal photo-period?  <Chris, I have a Sebae Anemone in my 29 mini reef, and it seems to be doing fine with 2 65w PC's, one is dual daylight (10K and 6.7K) and one dual actinic (460nm/420nm). When it is time to change tubes I plan on going with two 10K's. I would leave both lights on for 10/12 hours for the LTA. James (Salty Dog)> Many thanks for running an excellent site!  <You're welcome> 

Rose Bulb Tip Anemone Lighting Help Dear WWM Crew, I hope this email is not a pain and you have the time to answer. I think I?m OK from browsing your FAQs but wanted to make sure I have sufficient lighting as I try to take the health and care of my charges seriously. I currently am running a reef tank that is 15?deep x 17?high x 46?long (I believe it is around 55 gallons, I inherited it from a friend). I had another friend of mine help set up the tank and lighting but he has since gone AWOL.  What I can tell, I have an Aqualight Retrofit kit with one Hamilton PC 96W 03 Actinic and a Hamilton 10000K Ice White (I believe this to be 96W as well). I recently purchased a Rose Bulb Tip Anemone and he has since migrated to the top of my aquarium, planting itself 4? from the surface.  His bulbs are still intact and he seems ok so far BUT is this really sufficient lighting? The guys at my LFS insisted that I had sufficient lighting but after reading up a bit online I?m not so sure anymore. Please advise. Also, I was thinking of getting a Tridacna clam and was leading towards a Squamosa (less light requirements I believe) but would love to have a Crocea, is there enough light for either?  <John, you are borderline for lighting with the anemone and it is not enough light for the clam. James (Salty Dog)>

Anemone lighting Hello...I just e-mailed you with a question last night, and I hate to bother you again, but my boyfriend surprised me with a rose colored bubble tip anemone last night, and I want to make sure I have the proper lighting. Of course, as soon as he gave it to me, I went straight to your site to read as much as possible. The only thing I'm still unsure about is the lighting. We have a 75 Gallon FOWLR, 4 damsels that are coming out today b/c they killed my royal Gramma (this was my question last night), 2 peppermint shrimp, a few snails and hermit crabs. Anyway, back to the anemone... The guy at the LFS sold him a new light: it's a hood with 2 fluorescent 65W "Smart Lights" (one on each side is white, the other actinic).  It has a reflector in it, but this is about all I can tell you about it. He told my boyfriend that this was plenty of light...I don't think it is, from the articles and FAQs on your website. I have the hood we got with the tank which has a 32W in it. Maybe I could get a brighter bulb for it and use them both? I just really don't know what to do. I've done as much reading as possible, but still haven't come up with an exact amount of light that the anemone will need. I want to do the best I can...please help! Thanks so much, Tait  <Tait, if your tank is 30 gallons or less you will have enough light. Rule of thumb is 4 to 5 watts per gallon. Deep tanks may change the rule some. James (Salty Dog)>

LT anemone following Ref. light? Hello. I've had a LTA in my tank for about three months now. He wandered a little in the first few days, but has essentially been in the same spot for the whole time. He has grown slightly larger. Last night just after the lights went out, he detached from his usual spot and floated up and over some rocks and slowly, over several hours made his way to the darkest corner of the tank. Do the prefer to move at night? <Usually not> The only thing I can think of that may be desirable about that place is that it is the closest part of that tank to the refugium. The refugium is beside and below the tank and it's light is on at night. <Ahh> Could the anemone be trying to reach this other light source. <Good speculation. This morning, he opened us as wide as his confined space would permit. He's getting very little light now. I wonder why he would look for a perch at night when he can't follow the brightest light. Will he have enough energy to find a decent spot tonight? Should I move him?  <Mmm, no... but maybe you should look into better lighting> He usually accepts and closes around any food that I feed him or that falls into his grasp. Should I try to feed him? <Yes... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/anemonefdgfaqs.htm and the LTA FAQs (linked above)> He seems to like his base covered but obviously likes strong light and flow. Since these are fairly specific demands for my small ecosystem, I wonder is moving him might be the best thing to do. <Not a good idea... please read... if the animal wants... it will move itself...> My tank is 55g. I have a 192 Watt PC fixture that is half actinic and half 10K that stays on for 14 hours. I will be moving him to a new tank with better lighting in about 6 weeks. What should I do? Thanks, Justin <Wait for the month and a half, taking care that your LTA doesn't get sucked up against an intake... switching out one or both of the actinics if you have other lamps... Bob Fenner>

Tidepool project for school Date: Wed, 9 Feb 2005 My sister is beginning her High School project for her senior year and has decided to construct an experiment using reef fish! Her idea, now in the planning stages, involves Clownfish, host anemone, some live rock, and a kiddie pool or Rubbermaid watering reservoir.  She is well aware that most anemones require not only high quality lighting, but also water. We can handle the water part with my RO-DI unit. The question lies in the lighting: how to do it effectively, but cheaply (HA!). We were in Lowe's/Home Depot this past weekend and saw mercury vapor security lights for around $30. Would this work (expecting a no) as is? Would that fixture work with one of the metal halide bulbs for sale there in the store? Would that fixture work with a marine tank-designed Metal Halide bulb? I don't know what Kelvin would be best, but since this would be shallow a lower K might be OK..  Thanks for any and all advice on this, thankfully, "our" biggest hang-up yet.  <Ian, unfortunately you can't mix and match bulbs and ballasts. There are certain ballasts for certain lamps. A mercury vapor ballast will not fire up a metal halide, and the mercury vapor light is no good for anemones. It's nowhere near the correct Kelvin level. I think the least expensive way to go would be with a pendant type fixture. Hanging over a Rubbermaid container will not easily allow actinic tubes to be used so you would have to go with a 10,000K lamp or one higher than 5000K, preferably higher than 6300K. Search the web for info/prices. Start with www.hellolights.com. I wish you luck with your school project. James (Salty Dog).>

- Lighting for Anemones - Hi there! I'm still pretty new at this hobby but am getting obsessed with obtaining information which I know is very important. I go to all these stores specializing in saltwater aquariums and such. Well everyone has a different story to tell me about my lighting situation! I have a compact Coralife light with 2 65 watt bulbs which I run for 8 hours a day. One guy tells me that it will support my anemone but another guy has higher lighting in his! My anemones seemed to be doing alright which one I have had for 2 months now!  <You may or may not know that two months really isn't enough time to tell if these animals are "doing all right." Very often they can go six months to a year, all the while looking "all right" and actually starving to death.>  I recently bought a huge LTA. My 3 clowns are in love!  But I was wondering if maybe you would give me the straight up info on lighting! I think I need more and if so please specify what is preferable (wattage and such!) I would appreciate it! <There's a bit more to it than just wattage and such... the depth of your tank also plays a role in determining what is adequate lighting for your anemones. For a basic answer, I'd say no, two 65 watt PC bulbs is not sufficient for the long term. Would two 96 watt PC bulbs be better? Yes... would a 150 watt Metal Halide bulb be better, absolutely. With anemones, the more light the better. Please read here and the FAQs beyond: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marlgtganthony.htm  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemonelightngfaqs.htm > THANKS A BUNCH! Matt <Cheers, J -- >

Waratah anemones Hi, I was curious to find out more about Waratah Anemones as they can be found right near where I live. <In the Land Down Under?> I did a web search and your site came up with previously asked questions about them and one of your staff responded by saying they need strong lighting such as halides. Most anemones need this but as far as I know the Waratah is not photosynthetic so they don't need light to live. <I agree> As I am now confused can you set the record straight please? Cheers, Mel xo < http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2004-27,GGLD:en&q=waratah+anemones Bob Fenner>

1st Tank - Clean up crew for my 40 gallon (UK) Hi <HI!> Thanks for such a quick reply and valuable info. <You're welcome> If its not too cheeky I have one more question: <I demand you buy me lunch for your daring!> I have a Juwel Rio 180 tank (not the best for marine, but my LFS recommended!!) <Not familiar with the model> I have put 2xCoralife 30w fluoro tubes (1x10000K super daylight & 1x50/50 Actinic03) in the tank, again recommended by the LFS for keeping anemones and 16kg of base rock (no LR).  I now know that this is wrong, but I can't decide what to go with, I don't have hanging space for MH lights so I've tried to narrow it down to two options: 1) Arcadia over tank luminaire with 4x39watt T5's or 2) Arcadia retro fit 2x30w t5's for the Juwel tank My stocking plan is roughly this: After initial set-up: 2xsmall percula clowns clean-up crew 5kg live rock After one month: 5kg live rock 1xcoral beauty After two months: 5kg of live rock - continue monthly until I have 20 kg of LR and I can remove the unwanted base rock. After 6 Months: I want to put an anemone and some soft corals into my tank, this is essentially what I need the lights for, but which kind will be good enough, if any? Please help as I keep reading conflicting info everywhere I look! I also read that you need strong lighting to keep LR, if this is the case then I need to get the lights now?? <Okay, first off, add all of the live rock to the aquarium FIRST!  You do not want to cause a mini cycle every time you add another portion of live rock.  The cleanup crew can be added by the second week, and the fish after about six weeks.  I would wait close to a year for an anemone, and in the meantime take the time to thoroughly educate yourself on the needs of the specific species you want.  Most clown hosting anemones have very high lighting requirements, and T5's\PC's\VHO's aren't going to cut it for anything but a bulb-tipped anemone, though they will work fine for a lot of photosynthetic 'soft coral'> Thank you very much for a great unselfish service. <Thanks for the compliment, anytime> Dave <M. Maddox> Underlit Anemone <R.Hall> I had what I thought was a problem with my anemone (bubble Tip) which brought me to your site. After reading your archives for hours I have decided that I needed to increase my lighting. I was running at 3 watts per gallon with coral life pc's. I have since ordered a fixture that will take me to 5 watts per gallon. My question is, if I leave in my old lights along with the new I will be at 8 watts per gallon, is that to much for my 55 gal tank??? <No. James (Salty Dog)>

Appropriate lighting for H. crispa 12/31/04 Hi, I think that the Heteractis crispa hosts the percula clown, I was just wondering what sort of lightening does this anemone need and is it a reasonable easy anemone to keep????  Thanks <If you have not done so already, please do see the info that Bob linked in his previous reply.  I currently keep A. ocellaris with an E. quadricolor (rose) anemone, and although the association is not natural, they will accept each other in captivity and A. percula is know to as well.  Occasionally, clowns that have been kept for a long time without an anemone are slow to accept an unnatural host or may not do so at all, but this is rare (Mine took about a month).  As for H. crispa, the are a natural host for A. percula, but not A. ocellaris.  They are often sold as the "Sebae anemone" and are often bleached white with pink tips.  Occasionally, they are also dyed bright yellow or pink.  Bleached or dyes specimens are almost always doomed to die.  If you find a healthy specimen (should be tan/brown with an occasional pinkish tone), they may be a good second choice to E. quadricolor for hardiness, although they are at least as demanding of light.  175w MH would be a minimum, with 250w recommended.  Best Regards.  AdamC.

Metal Halide Lighting 12/26/04 Hi, I was just wondering how much light most the anemones need and where they would be placed. If I was to use 150 watts were would I place it???? <It depends on the anemone.  150W metal halide might not be enough for Heteractis Magnifica regardless of placement, but on the other hand, Entacmaea Quadricolor may do fine in any part of the tank.  Do look to "The Reef Aquarium Vol. 2" for good info on specific requirements.> and what is the best Kelvin rating to use with soft corals and anemones??? <This is largely an aesthetic choice.  The animals don't really care.  However, as a general rule, lower Kelvin lamps produce more usable light per watt.  Also, FWIW, the only popular aquarium lamp available in 150w is the Iwasaki 6500k (which is actually mercury vapor).  Most Metal Halide lamps are 175w.> Hi, Also just wondering how much percent of the light is lost if cover glass is used and is that percent left an efficient amount???  Thanks <I don't have statistics on how much light is lost due to cover glass.  It depends on thickness and how clean it is.  Even very clean thin glass will block a significant amount of light, so most reefers choose not to use it.  There are other reasons to avoid glass covers as well...  heat retention, less efficient gas exchange and less evaporation.  If you are worried about fish jumping, consider other options like a high sided hood, "egg crate", etc that will avoid the problems of glass, but will also keep your fish in the tank.  Best Regards.  AdamC.>

Magnificent anemone requirements Hello, I was sold a magnificent anemone about six months ago.  I was told it was an Entacmaea quadricolor.  It looked like it in the store but I bought it the same day they got it and it must have looked like a bubble tip due to stress.  I brought it home and it remained looking like a bubble tip at the top of my tank with 4-40 watt fluorescents (2-50/50 bulbs, 1-6500k,and 1 actinic).  I changed lighting to 2-65 watt CF Smartpaq bulbs and 2-40 watt 50/50 no fluorescents.  The tank is a 55 gallon (4 feet long, 21 inches tall, 13 inches front to back).  << This sounds like very little light.  I would not recommend any anemone under that lighting. >> The anemone has rooted itself in the top 9 inches of the tank and the lights all sit on the top of the open tank.  I clean all salt off of bulbs/reflectors every week.  I feed the anemone every other day with chopped squid.  Everyday I feed a cube from a saltwater multi-pack and let everyone feed for about a half hour with all water flow stopped.  The anemone has probably tripled in size within a month of being under the new lights. << Well this does sound great.  Apparently they can do very well in those conditions. >>  This thing seems to grow daily.  It has a couple of Amphiprion frenatus as residents who are constantly spawning.  Do I have to worry about the anemone outgrowing the tank? << No, if it ever gets that big I'm sure you could sell it. >> I also read that these anemone generally stay closed.  My anemone is always open except for when it is getting ready to excrete waste.  I've had to move it due to it's proximity to a hang on filter.  You will probably give me heck but here is the system.    ammonia 0    nitrates 5    nitrites 0    ph- 8.0 (hard to keep up without adding marine buffer bi-weekly)    phosphates 0.25    power sweep 228 (use just to move water)    penguin BioWheel 330    AquaClear 300  (no filter just small chunks of live rock in it)    AquaClear 200    4" diameter and 10" tall protein skimmer    [penguin and skimmer on left back, power sweep in the middle back and AquaClears on the right back]    2" live sand and crushed coral mixed    100 + pounds live rock    4 blue-green reef Chromis    blue streak cleaner wrasse    yellow tang    dragonet (had a mated pair but the anemone got hungry)    2 Amphiprion frenatus    bi-color blenny    2 blood shrimp    1 brittle star    various mushrooms    "blue" waving hand xenia (growing like a weed on everything, looks pinkish like the anemone)    Platygyra brain    moon polyps    yellow tree coral    feather duster (moved it and it lost it's feathers but has since regrown them)    20 astrea snails    2 blue legged hermits    countless little white starfish   I would love to add a sump/refugium  but can't afford the time or money.   I  do not plan on adding anything else and want to know if anything has to go due to the setup or size of the aquarium.  All seem to be happy and the cleaner wrasse is over a year old and always working on all the fish.  The system has been stable parameter wise for a year.  I would like to know how long I should leave my lights on. << I'd say between 12 and 16 hours.  That is quite a range isn't it? >>  I have the no fluorescents on from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the CF's from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.  I feed once in the morning at 8:30. << Why don't you have your lights on in the evening?  Most people would have their lights on until 10pm or so. >>  I do have a little green hair algae in a corner and a little of the red slime in the opposite corner.  My glass gets covered weekly in a green algae that is a little harder than the diatoms I had in the very beginnings of my aquarium.  I clean all filters and do a 20% water change every other week. << All sounds good. Good luck. >> <<  Blundell  >>

Anemone keeping & lighting G'day there <How goes it?  M. Maddox here today> Klay from NZ here , wrote before regarding Anemone , thought it was a Pacific LTA  , but have been told it's a Malu, (came from Vanuatu)  seen pics of both and looks similar to both so who knows. <Couldn't tell you without pictures> Anyway it's about 14" dia' and doing really well. <Is it growing?> Now I bought this guy on impulse as large anemones aren't thick on the ground down here, at the moment it's sitting in a 180 ltr 3ft tank , bare of anything but p/heads <anemone death traps, beware - cover the intakes with foam or find another means to prevent them from sucking in a wandering anemone in the middle of the night> and heater , the water reading at the moment is showing nitrite at about .50 <You should have zero nitrites, find out why you don't> , nitrate at about 5.0 , no ammonia and PH at 8.4 , have been doing weekly water changes of 100 ltrs mixed overnight before adding. <Does your source water have nitrites?> Today added some Caulerpa (mexicana), some dark red macro and a rugby ball sized base rock for it all to anchor to (with the intention that they will take care of the nitrate build up and keep the " lovely" brown algae down) <Was this tank fully set up\cycled before the purchase?> I still have 20 odd KGs of base rock cycling in a 4 ft tank (impatiently cycling I might add) <Know the feeling> This is the odd thing, everyone says anemones are hard to keep (is there a dark cloud on the horizon or is he a hardy bugga?) , this guy is blooming and feeds off Mysis or fresh snapper pieces (small fingernail sized) fed every 5 days alternate (too much ?) <Nope, I feed anemones every 4-5 days myself>  A week ago  the nitrite spiked the day after a water change to 2.0 and he still looked full (unfortunately I have to add that the spike killed my 4 skunk clowns overnight, which surprised me as they are bloody hardy little tykes, believe me my eyes welled).  <Find out why you're having excess nitrites!  Sorry about the clowns, skunks are pretty things too> The lighting consists of 1 x 4ft actinic  and 1 x full spec  ( all I had with good tubes ) , plus 5 hours natural sunlight in the morning (hence brown algae) , today also added a 14'000 k halide to help after reading lighting requirements, and I think he likes it. <Make sure you acclimate slowly to the halides.  Natural sunlight is a blessing, but the misconception that NSL causes algae growth is something that has me baffled.  First of all, light doesn't cause algae growth, excess dissolved nutrients causes algae growth.  Second of all, why would sunlight increase algae growth and not regular lights of nearly the same kelvin?>  Now I'm concerned because running this halide seemed to bleach an umbrella leather and a Galaxea in my garden reef tank and I don't want to have this happen to this guy as I think he's going thru enough as it is until the home tank is ready.  <Yes, improper acclimation will cause bleaching...do everything in a reef tank SLOWLY!>  At present he stands about 8" off the bottom and has about 8/9" of water above him with the halide about 10" above that, will this be too much or ok? <Sounds fine> Sorry for the long winded email but after reading other posts the more info the better the understanding. <Not a problem, seeking information is always a good thing> Any comments / advice would be much appreciated.  <Read about Anthony's screen acclimation method on our acclimation page, and find out where those nitrites are coming from> Cheers Klay. <M. Maddox>

Anemone Lighting Query I have a question about lighting for my tank. My system consists of the following...<Happy to help.  Ryan with you today> 70 gal "L" shaped inside corner tank by Clarity Plus. (free gift from friend)<Wow. Nice friend> Aquaclear Pro 150 wet/dry trickle filter (minus the skimmer...it didn't work very good.) <Okay> Aqua Medic Turboflotor 1000 multi skimmer in sump of wet/dry Custom Sea Life velocity T4 return pump Penguin 660 powerhead for circulation of water in short side tank 2 30" Orbit Power Compact light fixtures by Current. 2X65 watt bulbs in each. 80lbs live sand 70lbs live rock 1 yellow tail blue damsel 1 Rusty angle fish     1 Snowflake moray My tank is about 1 year old. All of the water conditions are excellent, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate etc. Coralline algae is spreading like crazy, fish are healthy.  My question is I have been looking at various types of anemones at the LFS, I am trying to determine if I have enough lighting to support an anemone or not.  I know that lighting is a major part of keeping anemones. <Yes, among others.> My tank is only 14" deep and 17" wide. The Orbit fixtures sit 2" above the top of the tank, so it is not very deep.  If you could give me your thoughts on my situation so I don't  I would appreciate it. <Hmmm...about 3.5 watts per gallon on PC light is certainly on the lighter side of things.  I would encourage you to try an anemone-like coral instead, at least to give you a good indicator of your tank's conditions for nonmotile inverts.  How about a Sarcophyton to start?  Cheers, Ryan> Thanks in advance.               Mike  

Lighting for Ritteri anemones II 11/28/04 Thank you Anthony for your quick reply.   <always welcome my friend> I will order a warmer colored bulb to replace one of the 96-watt PCs and I will change the bulbs after 10 months as you suggest (and stagger their replacement).  Thank you and all the crew for your invaluable wisdom and dedication to this wonderful hobby. Gary   <wishing you the best of luck/life. Anthony>

Keeping a bulb anemone with VHO lighting... will it work? Hello, <How goes it, Michael here today...and no tests (in school) for a week!> I have a 75 gallon reef (18" deep), that's approx 3 months old, and doing very well.  <Glad to hear it> Water levels are all in the ideal range <Ideal being pH of ~8.3, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and less than 5 ppm nitrates, I hope>, and the coralline algae growth is phenomenal.  <Excellent.  My tank is fried with light to the point where mine will only grow in the shadows> I have not added any corals yet, but I have some zoanthids and Palythoa that have sprung from my live rock. <Cool> The tank also houses 8 fish (all small reef safe species). I have the ballast capacity and space in my hood to run up to eight 46 ?"  VHO lamps. Right now I have four 36" VHO URI super actinics, and four 46 ?" URI actinic whites. The tubes are 2 inches above the water surface, and 14 inches above the surface of the sandbed. I run the smaller actinics just to keep my color rendering from being too blue.  <The PAR of actinics is virtually next to nothing for anemones> My question stems around my wife's desire to add an anemone and clown fish to this tank. <Really neat relationship to observe> With the ability to run up to 880 watts of VHO lighting, I'm assuming I can keep one of the easier species like a bulb anemone, but I wanted your opinion, as well as a recommendation on whether I should continue running a 50/50 blend of white to actinic, or should I cut down the number of actinics and add more full spectrum to make the anemone (and future SPS additions) happy?  Give me a good ratio. Aesthetics take a back seat to good husbandry, so if I need to be running 100% full spectrum, I'm all for it, so give me your best recommendation.  <If you plan on running eight bulbs, I would keep only two actinic, and run the rest daylight, preferably from the 5.5k-10k range for anemones> Also, is there any real benefit for anemones and SPS to switching the full spectrum lamps to 10K Aquasuns, instead of the 12K actinic whites?  <What most people don't as anything over 10k is going to give you slower growth rates, because the PAR is lower than bulbs from 5.5k-10k range.  The sun puts out 5.5k light, so that is what most animals will do well\best at.  This doesn't mean that other temperatures can't be used, it just means the growth rates won't be as good.  As I stated, I recommend between 5.5k and 10k for anemones.  SPS will do fine all the way to 20k.  If you do try your hand at some SPS, be sure to place them high up in the aquarium.  You may have a lot of wattage, but the water penetration of fluorescents is still rather weak> Thanks you for a great forum, and for the advice, <Anytime, glad to help out here> Robert Moore <M. Maddox>

Providing Proper Lighting Hey guys, <Scott F. your guy tonight!> I've been browsing through the site, and I have to say, outstanding work, keep it up! <Thanks for the kind words. We have some great people here who really enjoy what they do!> I know you are all very busy spreading your seemingless endless knowledge around the marine hobby world, but I have a few concerns maybe you could help me with. <Sure!> I have a 75G reef tank with about 110lbs of live rock, and some corals, mostly Mushrooms, and some Yellow Polyps, I have an Octobubble Coral and a few Toadstool Leathers.  The tank has been going for about six months now, before that the same setup had about a year in my old apartment before I moved. I had to break it down so I don't count the time prior to the move. Filtration is handled by a sump with a mesh sock, a Kent Nautilus TE protein skimmer and a UV sterilizer.  How am I doing so far? <Sounds fine. Just make sure that you regularly (like every couple of days) clean the filter "sock", so that it doesn't accumulate detritus that can degrade water quality. Also, make sure that the skimmer is yanking out a couple of cups of dark, yucky skimmate per week.> Lighting consists of four 65W PC's two blue and two white.  I have a mated pair of Gold Stripe Maroon Clowns, and two Firefish. <Nice fish to work with!> This brings me to my first concern.  I don't think my light setup is good enough, I have had a purple Bubble tip anemone for about four months now, and it is constantly on the move.  I don't think it's hungry, as I feed it every two days, and on the other days, the female clown is real good about feeding it, but I do think my lighting setup isn't cutting it.   <Well, anemones have very demanding lighting requirements, and will move about the tank to get into a position that suits their needs. Although PC's are great lighting systems, they may not provide adequate intensity for these animals in many systems.> My LFS retailer said this was the recommended amount for a reef tank, but I know enough not to get all my info from only one source. <Good intuition!> My anemone won't stop running around in my tank, and I know it's only going to move when something is wrong, so I guess I can say something has been wrong for the better part of three months now.  Water quality is good, and I change about ten percent every other week. <Very good.> Please advise. <Well, as you surmise- the anemone is trying to tell you something! If water parameters are checking out, the obvious culprit is lighting...Do consider an upgrade, or offer the anemone to a friend who has more intense lighting.> My next concern is that I would like to add tang to my setup.  It's been about three months since the last addition of livestock, and other than my endless anemone migration, everything seems to be going good.  Ideally I would go for a powder blue tang, but I've heard nothing other than ich magnet, and guaranteed death in the tank. <Well, not "guaranteed death", but these fishes require very careful selection, quarantine, diet, and environmental stability, or you will encounter problems. Also, I personally feel that you'd want a larger tank for their long-term husbandry. Physical space is very important to these guys.> Do you think it would be stressed out? <Well, "stress" is caused by many factors; If your tank is not suitable, the fish will "tell" you!> Is my tank too small, or two crowded? What do you recommend? <Not too crowded, but I think that a larger tank would be better. Perhaps you might want to try a more suitable tang, such as the Yellow Tang (Z. flavescens), which in size, tolerance, and behavior, is better suited for this tank.> I would like to start adding some Acroporas to my tank, if you could give me some pointers on that, that would be awesome. <Well, my best advice on Acropora is to be aware that, in general, they have high demands for lighting (I HIGHLY recommend halides), water flow, and calcium (supplied either with Kalkwasser or a calcium reactor). Arm yourself with a good book on coral husbandry (Borneman's "Aquarium Corals" and Anthony's "Book of Coral Propagation" are great choices), study your selections carefully, and start only with captive-propagated fragments, which give you a much higher chance of success. Also, it's not an ideal situation to mix SPS and soft corals (as well as anemones) in the same modest-sized aquarium. Better to "specialize", IMO> Again, thank you for all your help, you are a guiding light in what sometimes seems to be a sea of contradicting information.  Thank you and don't ever stop, the way I see it we can never know enough about our hobby. Frank <Thanks again for the kind words, Frank. With a little research and some minor tweaking to your setup, you will advance well in this hobby! Good luck! Regards, Scott F.>    

Anemone - how much light? Hi Bob: Firstly, I'd really like to thank you for the time and effort it took to write the conscientious marine aquarist.  We are new to the salt water hobby and your reference book (my LFS calls it the bible for fish keepers) makes it easy to find our way (which is really, really perplexing even after reading the literature!!!). However, I have a question regarding the LTA and the false clownfish residing therein.  The clowns love the anemone and it seems to be doing ok, but I worry that the lighting I have is not adequate.  We have a 75 gallon saltwater tank with live rock, some hermit crabs, a tang, the anemone and 2 clownfish, emerald crab.  Cycled fine, readings excellent, maintenance is great.  The lighting is Coralife 48" double linear strip which consists of two 65 watt 10,000K and 2 65 watt True Actinic 03 blue fluorescent lamps.  This was sold to me as adequate for a reef/fish tank with corals and anemones.  However, I have now been told that I MUST have metal halides for this particular kind of anemone to flourish.  Is this true?  We are determined to do everything we can to keep the little guy alive, but $1800 seems a lot to spend for a $40 anemone!!!  Please help. Thanks again for the info. Kathleen Sun in Vancouver, BC, Canada >>>Greetings Kathleen, Jim here, First of all, by "false clown" I assume you mean A. ocellaris, which is in fact a REAL clown fish. :) They are often called "false perculas" a term which I don't care for as they are every bit a attractive as A. percula. In fact, I'd rather see perculas called "false ocellaris" :) Anyway, your lighting is indeed on the sparse side for keeping this particular anemone. While it's certainly possible to attain the needed light levels with power compacts and such, it's not very practical in my opinion, nor is it as attractive. The best thing for you would be a 2x 150W double ended "HQI" metal halide fixture such as the one made by Aquamedic. I recommend 20K bulbs. This will give you enough PAR to keep your anemone happy. 2 250W single ended pendant fixtures will work as well. The single ended "mogul" bulbs are not as intense per given amount of wattage as the double ended bulbs - this is why the quoted wattage for the single ended bulbs is higher. You could also step up to 250W DE bulbs (which is what I use) or 400 watt double ended bulbs. I don't think it's necessary, but with that setup you can truly keep anything you want. Good luck! Jim<<<

Acclimating An Anemone To A New Lighting Scheme Hey Crew, <Scott F. here today> I have to say I found your site about three weeks ago and haven't been able to stop reading.  For two years my setup has been a 90 gal. FOWLR up until twenty days ago when I purchased my first LTA.  Currently, I have only four fish a sebae clown, flame angel, domino damsel and a yellow tailed blue damsel.  I wanted to move to a reef tank but can't purchase any corals because of the angels picking habit thus the anemone. <A good reason to hold off. Plus, it is never a great idea to mix stinging cnidarians and corals together in most closed systems...> My equipment consists of RO water, canister filter, skimmer and 2 x Hagen 402 and 2x Hagen 802 power heads. Water parameters are S.G. = 1.023, pH = 8.2, Temp = 78oF, Alk. = 3.0 meq/L, Ca = 400, and trace nitrates, 10% water changes every two weeks. <Sounds fine> Initially my lighting was only 260 watts of PC so I placed the anemone on the live rock 7" from the tank top.  That night he moved to the middle of the tank about 14" from the top of the tank and stayed buried in some macro algae.  Four days later my new 400 W 6500K Iwasaki light showed up and I installed it 12" above the tank top and removed the PC. I was feeding him every second day a little thawed "Reef Gourmet" food and shredded mysis shrimp.  Ten days later I moved the MH down 1".  The next day when the lights came on he continually got smaller and smaller and I assumed he was going to expel some waste.  Finally he just disappeared all the way into the little hole in the live rock and popped out the other side upside down under a ledge.  The problem is he doesn't get any light and I can't feed him until I figure out how to get it to him without someone stealing it.  He has been in this position for six days and I'm getting a little impatient. My questions are; 1)Will he move again when he gets hungry or wants light? <Usually, yes. Keep in mind that the lighting upgrade that you did was significant, and the animal was high up on the rockwork. It will require some time to acclimate. This seems to be a pretty normal response to this change.> 2)Should I wait a little longer to feed him? How long can he survive this way? <I would not "force feed" the animal. Let it become acclimated to your new lighting regime. If the food is not consumed, it will simply accumulate in the tank, degrading water quality in the process. Just be patient here.> 3)What average height should my 400 W MH be at? <I would keep the light anywhere from 8 to 12 inches of the water surface. Sounds like you are fine.> Regards, Glenn <Glad to help, Glen. Just hang in there for a while longer. The animal should come around. If this "hiding" goes on for several weeks, then it may be cause for greater concern. Stay on top of things! Regards, Scott F>

Lighting a BTA 9/30/04 I am thinking about purchasing a Aqualight Pro 24" lighting fixture (1 - 150watt HQI Metal Halide, 2 - 65watt Actinic PC's and 2 - 1watt Moon Lights) for my 29 gallon tank (30" X 12" X 18").  I keep an RTBA in the tank along with several corals.  Will this fixture be ok on this tank or will it be too much light?  Thanks for your input. Jeff <it sounds right on par to me with the oft-tossed about "rule" of 5 watts per gallon (of daylight) for popular zooxanthellate reef invertebrates. The actinics don't count in "the rule" BTW... they are mostly aesthetic - enjoy :) Anthony>

Anemone Question 9/9/04 Hello!  I was reading over your articles on owning an anemone and the light intensity required for them, but I wasn't able to figure out what I need exactly for my situation, so I'm hoping you can help me out. I had a horrible experience a few years ago with a 45-gallon hex tall tank and $100's of dollars worth of coral dying, so I'm hesitant to try it again. <my first impression was that you were misguided to some extent on the hex tank... its  a tough aquarium to light because it is so tall. Without a small metal halide lamp, this aquarium was very hard to light for reef invertebrates. Fluorescents were only good for the top 10" of water or so with corals there... really a very difficult tank for coral keeping> However, I recently saw a beautiful tank in someone's home that had long-tentacle anemone in it (not entirely sure what it's called, but it had a tube-like stem and long tentacles). I would love to put one into my 150 gallon tank, but I'm afraid I don't have the special lights because I didn't plan on doing any reef because of my past experience with it. <anemones really need to be kept in species specific tanks for best results. Mixed community tanks are poor long term habitats (besides being unnatural for most species)> I have a brand new custom-made canopy that has six 4' fixtures built into it (two separate ballasts). Is there any way that I can have enough lighting by purchasing higher wattage bulbs (currently 40w each), or will I have to rip all of the fixtures out and start over with something more intense in order to have an anemone? <160 - 320 watts of fluorescent light (Normal Output) will not keep any common/popular zooxanthellate anemones well if at all. More intense light is likely needed here> I am not wanting any other kind of coral, just the anemone. <ah, this will help. Do read more on our archives about BTA and rose anemones... a much hardier choice and pretty too!> I'd appreciate any help you can give me. Thanks! Heather Graham Chellette  <best regards, Anthony>

How much light does my rose anemone need? Hi Gang: << Blundell here this afternoon. >> I set up an anemone tank (60 gals) and added it to my reef system (common sump) six months ago. Using a DSB and lots of live rock with surfaces available at varying depths and 2-96 watt PC's (daylight plus actinic), I figured I was safe. However after 2-3 months of frequent wandering, my rose BTA has settle in to stay (3+ months) in the left rear of the tank, right at the top. . . where it's 5-6" cumulative vertical-plus-horizontal distance from a measly 28 watt PC mounted to run front-to-back near the sidewall of the tank. The thing is, it's staying there. . . and growing nicely (easily doubled in size). . . and the only thing that seems a bit 'off' is that some of the lower tentacles are as long as 2-1/2". << Wondering if there will be a question coming.  If my rose anemone was staying put and growing well, I think I'd just be sitting back and enjoying it. >> Water parameters are good. . . and diet is for the BTA is varied (formula one, Mysis with Selcon, live bloodworms). The anemone keeps itself 'canted' like a satellite dish toward the available light. I feed a bit heavier than I might otherwise. . . and keep the lighting cycle for that portion of the tank long (14-15 hours) to try to make up for the 'meager' light. Should I be worried? [The BTA is a bright fluorescent orange. . . no trace of green or other colors anywhere. . . if that makes any difference.] << I wouldn't be worried at all.  If he is growing, just do what you are doing.  I believe that many anemones (including yours) will simply move if they aren't getting what they need.  So if that is where he wants to be, then I guess let him be. >> Chuck <<  Blundell  >> 

Anemone light and food needs continued Thanks for getting back to me.  I was looking into a 400W 20000k bulb and a 175 20000k MH bulb plus ill keep my two 40w fluorescents.  Is this more suitable for a 77 gal tank and will it be good enough for most coral? << That sounds super.  A 400w may even be a little much.  But being a 20k and not a 10k makes it okay.  I would probably get two 250 watt 14k or 20k.  Not sure if you need to spend the money on a 400 watt system.  But hey, it sounds good to me. >> I believe I am going to build up my coral selection for the next 3-4 months due to ich problems (fortunately I saved the fish but after reintroducing one 5 weeks later he was covered after a day, they will just have to stay in quarantine for a while longer).  I just wanted to let you know that a couple days after I emailed this to you the BT stopped shrinking every time the lights turn off.  Suddenly yesterday I woke up and it looked as though the BT was moving.  I had just done a water change and was afraid I had changed the conditions a little and he was no longer happy there.  I let him be and ran some errands.  When I got back there were two BT's in my tank.  I was very excited. << I too would be excited. >>  My question for you is that most of the BT I have read about splitting they split due to stress factors. My anemone was not very big ( 3" across) and I wouldn't expect him to split so soon in getting him. << Maybe getting him is what caused that stress.  Hard to say, but either way it is great. >>  Is it possible that I am causing some sort of stress by changing my water? << Oh yes.  But usually this stress is a good stress, not a bad stress.  Like when you go on vacation and go somewhere new it is stressful.  But when that place you are going to is a mountain camping site then the stress of all that fresh air and relaxation is usually a good thing. >> I changed about 20 gal out of  my 77, I always siphon the water back into my tank as to not disturb everything, I put declhorinizer in the water before it goes into the tank and of course make sure the salinity and temp are the same? << I would let the newly mixed water sit for a few days to make sure it is all mixed well.  But I'm guessing you are already doing that as well. >>  Anything special you have to do once a BT splits?  << I'd feed both anemones now to make sure they get the nutrients they need. >> Thanks again Jeremy <<  Blundell  >>

Too much light for Anemones? 8/6/04 Hi guys, I'm back, and unfortunately so!  I have a 70 gallon reef with a 30 gal sump. I am running an Aquaspacelight with two 250w 10,000k, and one 150w 20,000k bulbs, and an Aqua-C EV-150 skimmer, and it's a deep sand bed with ~110 lbs of live rock.  The tank is a combo of some soft corals, LPS, and SPS, one small maxima, and a couple small fish. My main question is of anemones however.  I have two bubble anemones, one green, and one rose.  Both anemones started life with bubbles and lost them mostly.  Normal.  As time goes on though, the tentacles of both anemones are getting longer and stringier, and the central disc areas of them are getting "clear" looking or at least opaque.  This seems consistent with a lack of lighting, but I can hardly believe that is the case.  <You do not have too much light for these anemones.  I would suspect lack of feeding as a good possibility.  Each anemone should get at least a marble size piece of food weekly.> Both are in the middle of the tank, and are not hiding from the light which is on about 10 hours/day.  The rose has changed behavior as well as it's stringy tentacles, it's tentacles are also getting squiggly and it has dropped several of them by twisting them off and then they just float around the tank until I grab them.  I have read that this may be due to territoriality or chemical warfare, but am unsure what would typically cause this that I may have in the tank. There are no corals in direct contact with either anemone either.  <Direct contact is not required to provoke chemical aggression.  Anemones in reef tanks often suffer from these interactions.> My other tank inhabitants are: a grooved blade Gorgonia that I think may emit toxins, Ricordea, frilly mushrooms, a cats paw, star polyps, zoanthids, Montipora, Acropora, two Alveopora (sp?) that I'm getting rid of, one small maxima clam, an open brain, a plate coral, a red hard tube feather duster, and a 3" sea squirt.  I think that's it.  Are there any of these that would be responsible for affecting anemone health? <Ricordea and other corallimorphs, zoanthids and Alveopora are all good candidates.> Is it possible to get too much light? <Possible, yes.  Likely in your case, no.> I do frequent water changes and all of the corals/fish/clam seem to be doing excellent, it's just those two anemones driving me nuts!  Any help would be appreciated!  Scott <If you aren't feeding your anemones, I would suspect that this is your problem.  My second guess would be the corallimorphs.  Best Regards.  Adam>

BTA anemones hiding from light? 7/12/04 HEY Anthony, Hope you are doing well these days <getting by my friend... I hope you are as well or better> it has been a little while since I last spoke to you. My question is since we last spoke I had told you that I had converted my tank to an anemone only tank and for awhile both the bubble and the rose were doing fine. Now they both seem to be hiding from the light. <this is not uncommon, although not a good sign and not likely a response to light that is "too bright" - quiet the contrary... read on> I have one that is now almost completely hidden under a rock and another one that has climbed as high in the tank as it can. My first thought about the one that had climbed up high was that it wasn't getting enough light, <this is likely so> but it opens up one heck of a lot more when the lights go out? <because it is a filter feeder... like so many corals, they seek to trap zooplankton that comes out at night. Polyp extension in corals and anemones has much to do with water flow and feeding opportunities regardless of light (or not)> I have only a 20gal. high tank with 130 watts pc lighting and I cannot figure out what I'm doing wrong. <keep in mind that anemones do not have sight or the power of reason - if they got shadowed in the wild, they would pick up and keep moving till they found better light/water flow etc. But when one of these params is lacking in an aquarium - they are trapped. The are weak from suffering the lack of the right kind of water flow, light, etc... they wander around the aquarium for X days/weeks looking for it and get progressively weaker> Water parameters are ca,450  alk 2.3meq/l salt, <yikes... the Calcium is getting a whisker too high and that may be a reason why your Alk is so low. Do some water changes here and adjust your supplementation so that it is more even keeled: 375-400 Ca and 10-12 dKH is better is stable and safer nonetheless.> 1.025 nh3-0 nh4-o no2-0 no3<5ppm, photoperiod is about 10 hrs a day.25 pounds of live rock and 3 inches of live sand, protein skimmer is in use and an air stone nothing else is in  operation. please help before I accidentally kill another one of natures most beautiful creations and royally p**s off my two gold stripe maroon  clowns! THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR HELP! ALSO I CHANGE WATER ABOUT TWICE A MONTH. Cheers, Todd Biondolillo <I'm also wondering if the lights are too old. Fluorescents are weak by 6-8 months and severely degraded (read: near useless) after 10 months for keeping corals and anemones. This is not just my opinion, alas, but verifiable with a PAR meter. Is this perhaps contributory? Is their dust or salt creep on the bulbs or glass cover severely impeding the entry of light. Have you stopped changing carbon regularly (or never used) and as such... water clarity has yellowed over months? Many possibilities here. Best of luck! Anthony>

BTA lighting Saw a nice bubble tip anemone (Entacmaea Quadricolor - spelling?) at my LFS today, thinking about purchasing it for my reef tank.  One of the things I honestly have never kept is an anemone.  I have a fixture containing 2x 96 watt PCs (1 10k 1 actinic) and another fixture with 2 18 watt PCs (1 6.5k and 1 actinic) in a 40 gallon tank 18" deep. (Massive space constraints at my house :\ )  Would I need to get a metal halide to provide necessary lighting at that depth (was considering this anyway) or should I add another 36 watt PC fixture (which I have spare)? Thanks for any info.  M. Maddox<I don't believe any extra lights are needed here my friend... especially if you take the time to feed the anemone small amounts regularly (say 3-5 times weekly). Do know, though... that those actinics really do little for most coral/anemone growth and should not "count" in any numbers you might be using like a watts per gallon rule. Don't get me wrong, I love them too... and keep them for aesthetics. But they are not the "best" light for supporting zooxanthellate activity. Just a perk/tweak. Anthony>

Lighting Change with Adverse Reaction I've had a 6 gal Nano for 6 months with 28 watt 10,000K/actinic03 compact fluorescent.  I've had a flower anemone for 2 months which had been doing great until my light went out and used temporary lighting for 6 days.  During that time my anemone closed up and hid under rock.  When light was fixed he came around again (not as much color though.) Now, 3 three weeks later he's been completely closed up and detached from rock for 4 days.  He's not mushy and no smell.  I have a peppermint shrimp, hermits, snails, watchman goby, reef Chromis, yellow polyps, green Ricordea, and just added a yellow gorgonian.  I also have a 10gal just set up with live rock/sand only which is cycled/stable but has 20 watt 6500K compact fluorescent.  Should I move him into that tank, is he dying?, etc? <He went through a period of adjustment when the light was replaced.  The symbiotic algae living in his tissues needed to adjust it's population to accommodate the available light.  Now, they're doing the same process again.  Leave him be, if there's a chance for this guy it's in his current conditions.  Good luck, Ryan>

- Using Iodine/dide and Rose Bubble Lighting - Greetings from Tampa, <Greetings from Boca Raton.> I work at an LFS and have some experience with freshwater and FOWLR systems, with little to none in corals ( not that i pretend to have any when anyone asks)(it has definitely given me the right starting point on basic questions of inquiry in troubleshooting), but let me say that with WWM I at least have somewhere to go to do some homework and at least have something to say about things im unfamiliar with. <Good to hear.> Quite simply, I am in an eternal state of gratefulness towards this site and all its contents and would have felt a lot less confident/ informed otherwise. So here's a big thank you, now on to the varied questions :) - I've heard some differing opinions on the use of iodine/iodide dosing in tanks, this also happens in the WetWebFotos forums as well where some people swear by its use and others do just fine by saying water changes are enough and using those added into their salt, I also find little information in The Conscientious Marine Aquarist book which keep at the store where only 1-2 sentences are dedicated to it. at the same time I've seen some email responses advocating its use on a daily basis where other staff members would consider it much less important. Anyway, its hard to find literature on this, could you recommend a website or another reading material that is comprehensive on the subject? <None that I can think of, although I'd add Eric Borneman's Aquarium Corals to your reading list - some good information there.> At most I'd like to give an informed response to customers to the best of my abilities. at most i understand the basics, utilized by some corals, depreciates quickly, useful for molting of inverts. dosing is needed based on its consumption and is somewhat replenished via the salt, but there's are all somewhat laymen and i kind of desire a little more in-depth coverage of it, any help would be useful. <I'm afraid I don't have a link for you.> also, concerning BTAs, primarily a rose anemone, in your exp have you found any clown that doesn't take to these? <Most perculas and ocellaris won't but there's always exceptions to the rule.> because so far I've found that Clarkiis, maroons, and Sebaes (sp), have all taken to this anemone. and after searching through the faqs and articles i have yet to find a general specification towards their lighting (im assuming VHOs/ halides would be sufficient but would one placed within around 1watt/gal fluorescents be sufficient in any case? <No... they need more intense lighting.> i know these are rather basic but the best way for me to learn is by asking the dummy questions first, at least you can somewhat offset lack of experience in some cases with a plethora of information. thanks for your help (wetweb + FAQs and everything) I'll be bugging you soon im certain Jared <Cheers, J -- >

Light Acclimation Problems? hi <Hi! Ryan Bowen with you today> I have a rose anemone and it has a problem that it doesn't have any bubbles on the end of the tips they are more stringy but it seems that he is happy <These come and go, don't count on him having bubbled tips all the time.> I have another question to ask I have a sebae and he has been bleaching in power compact I recently put him into a halide tank and he is not eating and what should I do to make him happy <Keep offering him foods, hopefully you slowly acclimated him to the new lighting scheme.> my last question is that I have a finger shaped leather and he resembles a branches. When it was at the store it was tall and stretched out (happy) but now that I put it in my tank he is shrunken and not the original white/tan color and instead is purple/gray. It is currently located in the middle level of my tank (which has 175 watt 13,000 k metal halides). we tried putting a powerhead pointing towards it and everything. <Not a great idea- Corals need random turbulent flow. Powerheads, and other direct lateral flows can actually damage cnidarian tissues.> what is your advice on where to move it or if it requires a heavy or light water flow. <It requires medium flow and light. I would keep my hands off it, and allow it to recover from the shock of acclimation. The next time you're in a shop, take a look at what kind of lighting is used on the animal you're purchasing. The closer you can come to giving him a spot with a similar light intensity, the less stress. Good luck! Ryan> 

Anemones and light 5/11/04 I have read through several pages of Q&A's about anemones and light. I figure you guys must just cringe when you see these words in a title so I'll apologize in advance for yet another question. <No cringing at all! Always glad to help.> I set up a 12 gallon eclipse for a pair of Clarkii clownfish and a rose BTA. There is one large piece of live rock with a hole close to the top (about 10" from light) that I knew a BTA would love. <Sounds like a good plane, but this will become close quarters pretty quickly as the clowns grow.> Unfortunately when I put the anemone in the tank it bolted to the back and scooted into a crevice where the rock met the sand. I waited several days and even put the clowns in another tank to let the anemone get its bearings. Eventually I just picked up the rock and turned it around to face the front and the anemone bolted to the back and attached itself into the hole. So after about a week I turned the rock around and again it bolted. After another week and now very frustrated I once more turned the rock (never had to touch the anemone) and again it went to the back and to the hole. <Yikes!! This is very stressful to the anemone! I always advise strongly to let it go where it wants and live with it's choice. You could probably get away with turning it to the front, but if it moves again, leave it. Where the anemone "decides" to settle will depend on light and current, as well as a secure crevice to plant it's foot into (which might be the interface of the rock and sand).> Now this is with a 32 watt SmartLite retro kit. I took the retro off and put the original 13 watt fixture back in and put in a 50/50 13 watt PC and then turned the rock around. "Miss Piggy" has not moved since she seems very happy and would eat everyday if I would feed her that often. <Perhaps this is looking at the issue backwards... The anemone may not be "running from" the higher light, but rather has enough light to choose a position based on other factors. With the lower watt lamp, the need for light is outweighing other considerations.> The clowns enjoy her and feed her. She expels periodically, leaving them temporarily homeless but it never last for long. <Totally normal.> I gotta think it's the lights, yet everything I read says they have to have a lot more light that she's getting. My water is great and I check it weekly. <I would go with the higher light and let the anemone go where it wants. It is possible that it will need some time to adapt to the new light, but especially with regular feedings, it will grow so large that it will be visible no matter where in the tank it is attached.> Other than the fish and anemone I have a few feather dusters, some mushrooms, a cleanup crew of blue legged and red legged hermits, Astrea and turbo snails, a baby brittle starfish that came from my big tank, shaving brush plants, dollar plants that came in on the rock and grows (slowly) and Caulerpa, which the crabs munch on so I replace as needed. My questions: If not the lights then what? Should I try to change the lights back to the 32 watt? I truly love 'Miss Piggy' and want to give her what she needs to live the long life she's capable of so you advise would be much appreciated. Sincerely, Ila Minton <Everything else sounds fine. Best Regards. Adam>

The Ethics Of Anemone Husbandry Hi, <Hello! Scott F. in today> I was considering getting a magnificent anemone, partially to host a pair of Ocellaris clowns and was just wondering about the lighting. From your site it seems that only metal-halide lights are the only option but my LFS tells me that 4-40w fluor would be enough (for a 20inch deep tank), could this be because the anemone is an Australian variety or is the dealer mis-informed? <Well, it is possible to keep some light-demanding animals (such as SPS corals) under fluorescents, if you compensate through heavy feeding. However, where anemones are concerned, I would recommend halides, period. The intensity is so important for long term successful husbandry, IMO> I was considering (from the lighting articles on your site) to check out full spectrum fluor's but apparently they are not available in Australia, would you know if this is true and if (if they are suitable) there would be any way of ordering them to Australia. <I'm sure that they can be obtained from various internet sources.> It also appears that both the gigantic and carpet anemones are both natural hosts to ocellaris clowns. Do they need as much light as the magnificent variety? <I would say that they do. Lighting is not something that I would compromise on when considering keeping these animals> Also is it possible to tell me what size these species can grow to in captivity? <Depends on the conditions that they are kept under. They have amazingly long life spans in the wild (many decades or more!), so their growth potential is significant> Still on the question of lighting, how important is metal-halide lighting for keeping most varieties of corals (sorry about the vague question), I'm just trying to work out if it is worthwhile buying MH mainly for an anemone, especially when the MA will limit what corals I can get. <Glad you actually looked at it this way! You are correct in assuming that it is not a good idea to keep anemones and corals in the same system. Sure, it can be done, and has been done, but it is not a natural, nor responsible arrangement, IMO. A dedicated system is the absolute best way to go. As far as the metal halide lighting is concerned, I would say that this, along with excellent environmental parameters, is an "entry level requirement" with anemones. I'd rather not keep anemones if I could not supply the proper lighting. They are a potentially scarce wild resource, and they should not be kept by aquarists who don't want to (or cannot) supply these requirements.> Is there a chance these clowns would except a BTA? <Ocellaris are not symbionts with BTA's in the wild, but I have seen them adopt them in captivity. Another caution: Many clownfish are tank raised now days, and have not even seen an anemone! They sometimes never take up residence in them, much to the chagrin of hobbyists. Remember, an anemone is absolutely not a requirement for success with clownfish> While I'm here, I was wondering if you could help me with a more immediate problem, I bought a pair of Ocellaris clowns (both around 1 inch) 9 days ago and they both don't seem 'happy'. I should mention my water parameters are perfect, I even got my LFS to double check them. When I first put them in, my Bicolour damsel (village belle?) began sort of bullying them, flaring his fins etc. at them and subsequently kept the clowns in the top couple of inches of water. After two more days of this (and lots of reading, tried re-arranging LR etc) and no progress I decided I had to, regretfully, remove the damsel. After I did this, the clowns still keep to the top of the water, but do venture down further in the water (do you know how to encourage them to mix in with the tank-I only have a Vermiculated Angel and a Firefish-both doing excellently and both peaceful) but both hardly eat at all. The larger does eat bits and pieces but I think I have corrupted him by introducing live brine shrimp to the mix, in an effort to tempt the smaller one to start eating, which hasn't seemed to work. I have seen the smaller clown taste things and spit them back out, but nothing appears to be interesting enough to make a meal out of. I have tried frozen/live brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, spectrum pellets, marine green, fish dinners, I even bought fresh seafood (mussels, scallops, prawns etc) and blended them but nothing has worked. I noticed the small clown biting at the glass and later saw tiny white critters, possibly pods of some kind in decent numbers on another part of the glass. Could the little guy be surviving off these. <Possible, but not likely> The larger clown appears alright but the smaller looks skinny and I have been worried about him from the start, do you have any suggestions, or, if I returned him would his chance of survival improve. <I'd keep doing what you're doing. Tempting the fish with a wide variety of foods is the best you can do. Sure, you could move them to a temporary tank to provide them with a quieter environment, but I'd stay the course in the display for now> You guys probably find it amusing (or annoying) that I am having troubles with one of the easiest to keep marine fish, but am still considering getting one of the hardest to keep invertebrates, but be assured I will not get the magnificent anemone unless fully prepared. <Not annoyed at all! I'm frankly impressed by the enormous consideration and concern that you are showing for these animals. It is a special responsibility to take on an anemone, and your research and intellectual honesty is important. I'm sure that you'll make the right decision! As far as the trouble with clowns is concerned, that is no reflection on your skill as an aquarist. It happens to the best of them. We are dealing with living creatures which, despite our best efforts and expectations, do not always conform to our expectations...All part of the challenge of the hobby> Thanks for your assistance and for the excellent site - Chris <It's our pleasure, Chris. Good luck! Regards, Scott F.>

Lighting for Anemone Hi there, <Hi. Graham at your service today.> I have a 14.5 G saltwater tank. It is about 1 foot deep and I have made a "platform" for about 5 inches high. I have a 36W PC with actinic/10,000K tube which is about 4 inches from the surface of water. My question is: 1. Would the lighting be sufficient for a Heteractis crispa or a Heteractis magnifica? <I would recommend against adding an anemone to your aquarium. To start with, most anemones will easily outgrow such small aquariums. I've kept some anemones which have grown over 14" in diameter and took up a large portion of the aquarium. Secondly, if the anemone dies and you do not remove immediately, you can pretty much say goodbye to all of your livestock. In such a small tank the toxins the anemone releases when it is dead can easily kill off most (if not all) of your livestock. Overall I would not recommend any anemone for your aquarium. Instead, you may want to consider adding a toadstool leather (Sarcophyton sp.) for your aquarium. These will do fine in your aquarium and often will appear like a Carpet anemone.> 2. Compared to the actinic/10,000K tube, would a 6500K tube be better? Would it be sufficient? <See the above response. A 6500k bulb would add a "daylight" appearance to your aquarium -- the actinics will often add a blue coloration to your aquarium which often produces the fluorescent colorations on your corals. If you're interested in keeping live coral, I would recommend a mixture of 6,500k and 10,000k tubes.> Thanks you very much. <Take Care, Graham.> Wid

Anemone Lighting Hi, <Hi! Ryan with you today> I have a 55 gal tank with 2 48 inch T5 (one white one blue) a 350 gph pump, circulating through a refugium of about 4 gallons with 2 13 watt PCs (again one white one blue) some small mushroom corals and polyps growing in there along with several types of macro algae, this flows into a wet/dry filter and sump with live sand and live rock in it. Ammonia is nil as is nitrites, nitrates are about 20 ppm. alkalinity, PH and hardness are all on the high end.  In the main tank I have the 2 tomato clowns, have been getting along for quite sometime, a FoxFace, a panther grouper, a Humu Humu trigger and a Kole tang. <Oh my.  Do you know the adult size of these animals?  The panther grouper, trigger and the FoxFace are all far too large to stay in a 55 gallon aquarium for long.  If you don't find a new home soon, they will die> I'd like to add an anemone for the clowns, and wonder what would be the best choice. I'm thinking of an LTA or BTA. Is the lighting enough or should I add more? If so.... what type. <You're lighting is about half of what is needed to keep an anemone alive.  I suggest you read up here, and please don't buy one of these animals until you're more confident in their needs.  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemonelightngfaqs.htm.  I suggest you start with a Sarcophyton once your lighting is adequate.  Thanks, Ryan> Thanks for your help, Eric

Anemone Questions (4/27/04)  hello, <How goes it, Michael here>  I was wondering if you can answer my questions I have two rose BTA <sure> I was wondering how long should I live the light on <13 on\11 off seems to work well>, plus is 15 inches to high for a 250 metal halide light. tank is 24 inches deep and 6 feet in length and 18inches wide. <I'd lower it 1\2" a day until it's 12" above the aquarium. You're going to need more than 1 bulb to light a 6 foot long aquarium, though> One more question, should I buy 10K or 13K or 20k for rose BTA. <I prefer 10K> Thanks <Anytime> josh <M. Maddox>

Anemone Lighting For A Small Tank  Hi!  <Hi there! Scott F. with you today!>  I just bought a 40 Gallon tank (LxWxD 36x12x20'') which will eventually contain a pair of tomato clowns, an anemone and maybe a couple soft corals. I was wondering whether the Coralife 2x96W compact fluorescent fixture would be sufficient to keep everyone happy. Thanks, Marc  <Well, I'm admittedly biased towards halides, particularly when anemones are involved. I like PC's a lot, and they can work with many corals in shallow tanks if the wattage is high. However, in the long run, if you're determined to keep an anemone, go for a metal halide pendant. An ideal solution would be my favorite- the "Reef Optix III" HQI pendant by Sunlight Supply. A 150 watter would do the trick! Check it out! Regards, Scott F>

-Lighting for an anemone- I have a 55gallon slat water tank and I wanted to know what how many watts (for a light) per gallon I should have <The 'watts per gallon rule' is a horrible one, it takes no account for tank depth! Ahhh! Sorry, the watts per gallon rule gets me going.> , and then what if I wanted an anemone, what should I have. <That would all depend on what species of anemone you wish to keep. I would suggest picking up Joyce Wilkerson's book entitled Clownfishes as it has excellent up to date information on keeping clownfish hosting anemones. If you choose a hardy Atlantic variety, you'll need little more than a few PowerCompact lamps. Do a search on wetwebmedia.com for the bazillions of previously answered anemone lighting emails, I'm sure you'll find them quite useful.> Do you recommend a certain brand? <For power compacts, the now defunct Custom Sealife were pretty good, right now Coralife is churning out pretty good products. I won't even go there on halides since everyone has their own color preferences. I hope this helps! -Kevin> Cole

Anemone lighting hello again <Hello.> i really want to keep these anemones so i am going to change the lighting system when i hear back from you. But i don't understand, i have other anemones that are doing quite well. They have even split. Can these lights be good for one sort of anemone and not so good for another. <Many anemones are quite tolerant of lower amounts of lighting. Unfortunately, this is not the same for all anemones. Many prefer  much more intense lighting to flourish.> I agree, the people haven't been much help. They keep saying that my lights are enough but i wasnt sure. You said metal halide. Are they the best sort of artificial light. <Hands down, metal halides are the best artificial light available.> I am going to remove the lights i currently have and replace them. Are they alright or enough for the fish and corals and the other anemones? <Metal halides should be able to sustain just about anything that is photosynthetic. Of course, lighting only plays a small role in the husbandry of keeping marinelife. Water quality plays an equal role in successfully keeping marinelife.> how should i set them up above the tank. <Depends if you have a canopy or wish to use a pendant. If you choose to use a canopy to put your lights in, I would recommend a canopy at least 8" high (due to heat reasons) along with one or two small fans. If you went with a pendant, you would be able to hang the lighting about 8-14" from the aquarium.> Once i change the lights will it pick up and get back to the colour it was before? <Halides all have a break-in period-- it will often take several weeks until the halide achieves its "final" coloration.> Should i also get a water uv sterilizer? <That's up to you. There are many pros and cons to using  UV sterilizer. On the pro side, they will eliminate many species of problem algae as well as many fish parasites and diseases (while the diseases are in the water column). Unfortunately, they will also kill off many beneficial creatures in the aquarium; copepods, amphipods, isopods, plankton, etc. It's really up to you.> thanks <Take Care, Graham.>
Re: Lighting for Anemone Hi Graham, <Hello.> Thanks so much... <Your welcome. I apologize for the delayed reply. So can I say that actinic tube is more for aesthetic rather than for zooxanthellae photosynthetic? <Yes. Actinics are not needed to successfully keep corals. Many people use them because of their ability to make corals "glow."> I've heard that 6500K tube will encourage algae bloom and its colour is "less appropriate" for zooxanthellae photosynthesis, is it true? <A 6,500k bulb will increase algae growth. But, don't forget, zooxanthellae (I should also add the Chlorophyll) is also a type of algae. 6,500k bulbs often have much more photosynthetically active radiation (known as PAR) and intensity which will often cause much more algae growth, but in no way is "less appropriate" for photosynthesis.>   If that's the case will all 10000K tube be better than the a mixture 6500K and 10000K tube? <It mostly boils down to personal preference -- which bulb do you like best (As far as coloration comes)? Both will still do a good job at sustaining photosynthetic corals.> Thanks. <Take Care, Graham.> Wid

Lighting a S. haddoni Hi,<Hello, Ryan with you today> I am wondering if  I have enough lighting to support the anemone.  I believe that it is a S. Haddoni as it is bright green with stubby tentacles and it is about 10" or so across.  We have a 90 gal community reef 48x24x24 with a wave shaped front.  Our current lighting is 2, 40w 03 actinics, 2, 65w  pc SmartLite bulbs, and 2, 10000K 65w pc bulbs all in 48" hooded design.  Is this enough to sustain the anemone. <Almost 4 watts per gallon...I'd say he has a good chance of success> Currently it has moved from where I originally placed it about 3/4 the way up in the tank to about the 1/2 point or even a little lower. <He'll move again> It at least is facing the front of the tank and looks totally awesome.  It is curled and tends to swell way up and go down every 10 to 15 min at first but lately it does it about every hour.  Since I put it in the tank yesterday it may still be adjusting to the tank.  water quality is good probably thanks to 100# of live rock and two eheim pro II 92 gal tank filters with a remora hang on skimmer. <Great, feed him chopped clams, shrimp, etc.  Good luck! Ryan> Any help will be appreciated as I am a rookie. Kevin

Anemone Lighting Should two 110 watt blue actinic lights be good enough to house an anemone?<What size of tank, how tall of tank, and what kind of anemone? You can find lots of info at our site: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/. Cody>
Anemones II It is in a 75 gallon long tank and I was thinking of the sebae anemone, so would the lights work? <No, I would add a couple of day lights (around 6,500k to the mix also.> Also I have other fish in the tank as well. I was going to put the anemone on the tank divider side but would the strong lights make my fish sick? I only have 2 regular 40 watts in there now. <They shouldn't bother your fish unless you have a fish that is nocturnal and it doesn't have a cave or something to retreat into.  Cody> Thanks

Light For Anemone? Sorry to be a bother, but its tough to find the answer specific to my tank specs.  I am trying to care for a bubble tip anemone.  It is in a 55gal long.  From the substrate to the lights themselves there is about 21 inches (18in of water).  I have a 4 x 65watt setup.  2 of the bulbs are 10,000K Daylight and the other two are 7100K Blue Actinic Bulbs.  Is this sufficient for the anemone.  If so, to what extent.  Am I safely within range, or only borderline? Thanks for your time and for your invaluable service to the aquatic community. Stratos Kotzabassi <Well, Stratos, as I've said many times on WWM, PC's are a great, versatile light source! However, I think that this may be "only borderline" for the anemone. I'd feel better if you were running, say, a 150 HQI halide over the tank...Just a bit more "punch", and as you know- anemones need as much light as you can provide! Hope this helps. Regards, Scott F>

Anemone for a thirty gallon tank - 1/23/04 hello, I have a thirty gal that has been established for about 4 months. I have a percula clown, 1 French angel fish, <You're kidding right?? This fish is going to be much too big for this tank very quickly> 1 striped damsel, and a fire fish and a couple of small hermit crabs. I wanted to fit an anemone in the tank to top it off and complete it. <Not so sure if I would do one. Could be very dangerous for the other fish in such small confines although, I am aware that this is a very typical setup for many> However I do not know what type of lighting I would need to make it livable for an anemone and the fish at the same time. <Depends on the anemone, but in most cases lighting with a T-5 or Power Compacts is a best bet at the minimum but feeding is way more important than lighting in most cases. Do your research here and on other sites. Talk in the forums and get as many views as you can> what should I do, or is it even a good idea to get something that fragile in my tank? <Do some research and make that determination for yourself. I think, though, that it could be a detriment to your other animals in the long run. ~Paul>

Anemone Lighting I have a question about lighting requirements for a BTA and LTA anemone in a 90 gallon reef. I currently have (4) 96 watt power compacts lighting my system. Do you think this would be enough? <I love PC's, but I'm partial to using metal halides with anemones. In the long run, they provide even greater intensity and a variety of useful spectra for anemones. Lighting is hugely important with these animals...> I'm sure it's not on the floor of my tank, but what about closer to the light on the rock? Would the anemone move to were the light would be the most intense? <It would, but I still feel that the MH's would be better in the long run. HTH. Regards, Scott F>

WAS meeting (and anemone photoadaptation) Sorry to hear none of you guys are gonna be making it to the World Aquaculture Society Conference in Honolulu this year (im going because the ornamental marine aquaculture conference is in conjunction with it this year) But if any one there is planning on going, I would love to meet any of you guys-buy you a drink, You all have been life savers to me and to many that I have sent your way as well. <Please do us a service by sending along your impressions of the meeting> One quick question, I picked up a new rose anemone that i carefully checked over and from what i could see of the foot there were no tears and all else seemed to be fine. It was attached to a rock and the guy wanted to rip it off the rock to sell it to be so i quickly diffused the situation by purchasing the rock as well. <Good move> (its foot was about 3 inches into a crevice) My problem is that on their 20" deep tank they only had 2 40 watt NOF bubbles and the BTA was at the bottom. Now that it is in my tank it has shrunk into its crevice, i am guessing due to such an increase in light. (its now 5 inches away from 4 65watt PCs) Common sense tells you that isn't to much light for a BTA, possibly not enough if not close to the surface, I feel it is just having a hard time adjusting to its new surroundings, <Likely so> its almost completely inside the rock now. My water parameters are excellent in my opinion (0-NH3,NO3,N02 and Phos., Ca-420, pH-8.3, Sp.Gravity-1.024) I cant move the actual anemone, but i can indirectly by moving the rock, should i place it lower in the tank and slowly work it up to the higher light? other suggestions. Thanks for your help. Matt <I would definitely do this. Bob Fenner>
Re: WAS meeting and anemone Thanks for the reply, I will certainly let you guys know how the meetings go and any new information on advances in rearing larval pelagics. The rose BTA is now on his way out of the rock but as i suspected he was stressed from the higher amount of light and change in water condition and a small portion of his gut is protruding, but at least he is out and appears to be free from any abrasion, hopefully he will begin to adjust a little more easily now. Thanks for your help. <Time will tell... Bob Fenner>

Heteractis magnifica Lighting - 12/25/03 Hi, I am a high school biology teacher who is filling in for the Marine Biology teacher.   <cheers, Jerry> My only experience with saltwater aquariums was back in 1975-1980 when I had a 29 g aquarium with an anemone (It looked a lot like a Heteractis crispa), <ahhh... a fairly hardy species... even for the time, back then> a clownfish (probably  Amphiprion  ocellaris),  a coral banded shrimp (Stenopus hispidus) and a blue tang (Paracanthurus hepatus).  This was in an aquarium that had 2-25 watt incandescent bulbs and an under gravel filter.  I guess the weekly 25% water changes recommended by my LFS helped a lot.   <yes... helpful> This aquarium was also next to a south facing window.   <indeed the best help overall... natural sunlight :) > I had to sell the system when it came time for college (from what I have been reading, I should not have been successful with this system).  I have lots of experience with freshwater systems. <no worries... times have changed and the keeping of marines is much easier with regard for maintenance (less than most FW), although still strict (water changes, stable pH, etc)> I am thankful for the internet and a few good books (The Conscientious Marine Aquarist was the first book I purchased and so far has been the best reference ;)). <outstanding! And please do look at our other works: "Reef Invertebrates" Calfo and Fenner, "Fishwatcher's Guide" by Fenner... and "Book of Coral Propagation" by Calfo (much on general reef/coral and anemones keeping here... water chemistry, lighting, etc)> My biology training has been genetics (BS), ecology (MS), and entomology (Ph.D).  After all of this I discovered I prefer teaching high school. <you may be a candidate for sainthood <G>. Kudos to you my friend> I inherited a Heteractis magnifica and A. percula from a student who did not last long in the class (student brought these in on a day I had a substitute and after I said no because of the great amount of care required for the anemone.  I told the student to find a new home for the anemone.   <yes... this is one of the most difficult and expensive to keep species (requiring brighter light than most any coral in the trade> Instead he transferred out and left me the anemone).  This class interested me again in marine aquariums, and I had started putting together a mini-reef system in a 20L (30x12x12) .  I made a custom canopy and lighting system with six 24 inch fluorescent tubes (3 actinics, 2 50/50's and 1-10,000K) and two 20 watt 6700K mini-compacts. <alas... this is not even remotely close to being able to keep this species. Without intense natural sunlight or metal halide, I suspect your anemone will perish from slow attrition in less than 2 years (perhaps much sooner)> It is a tight fit though the bulbs are about 4 inches above the water. <good to hear of the effort... but there is a rule that fluorescent lamps at 3" or higher off the surface are nearly ineffective. They are indeed severely reduced in intensity as revealed by a  PAR meter. These lamps need to be as close to the water as possible my friend> I have a 3-spot domino (Dascyllus trimaculatus), a blue velvet damsel (Neoglyphidodon oxyodon) and a yellow damsel (Amblyglyphidodon aureus). <heehee... tough crowd! <G> I do love those dominoes though :)> I have about 20 pounds of LR and 30 lbs of live sand and crushed coral.  I also have a variety of snails and hermit crabs as well as my first piece of coral, green star polyps. <please do resist mixing corals and anemones... motile cnidarians mixed with sessile ones are a recipe for disaster in the long run (no doubt when away from the tank on school holiday/weekends)> This was the only system I had for the rescued anemone and clownfish (several students wanted the pair, but no other aquarium has the required lighting).  Interestingly, the domino now shares the anemone with the clownfish, they each have their side.  At first the anemone immediately climbed the side of the aquarium.  I did some research and decide I did not have enough lighting.   <correct mate> I replaced one actinic and one 50/50 with 2-6700 bulbs with internal reflectors.   <the problem here is intensity and not (only) the color of the lamps> I built a rock ledge for the anemone, and it is now doing much better.  I realize this is only a short term solution.  I am already dealing with some water quality problems (I have a penguin 330 biowheel filter and two powerheads connected to sponge filters (to protect the anemone and provide a bit more filtration).  I can keep the system stable with 20% water changes every 2 or 3 days.  I will be getting a protein skimmer very soon. <good to hear> I have decided to build an aquarium to house the anemone and clownfish. (I do a lot of DIY in my free time).  I am thinking of an aquarium of 24x24x14 (about 35g).  Is this a good size or should I go larger?   <it will serve you for several years before the anemone outgrows it> I would rather build the best size now than have to go bigger later.  I want to keep the aquarium short so it will be easier (and cheaper) to provide the best lighting for the anemone.   <yes... shallow tanks will help here significantly. Keep such anemones in the top 10-12" of water under any fluorescents (PC, VHO or certainly SOs)> I would like to use PC lighting so I do not need to deal with the heat of metal halides (especially important in summer where I live where temps go above 100F regularly, I do not need to add to the air conditioning bill).   <this is a big misconception Jerry. PCs and VHOs close enough to the water and in an enclosed reflector/canopy produce a similar concern re: heat. Or put another way... the heat from halides is really a moot point. They are even easier to control heat with as they are further off the water and heat is more readily dissipated or exhausted (9 watt muffin fan)> Would 4-55 watt pc bulbs (2-10,000 k and 2-50/50) be enough or should I have more lighting?   <still not enough for a magnifica... although it would easily keep an Entacmea quadricolor or a brown malu anemone (the 2 best anemone choices)> I  do not wish to provide the minimum, I want to provide enough lighting to keep the anemone healthy and happy for a very long time.   <daily feeding will help to compensate in part for the deficiency in light... but only for so long.> I will be doing this project soon (my wife, also a teacher at the same school, said I could bring home the 20 g mini reef at the end of the year, but after watching the anemone and clownfish has given her ok to a second aquarium, so I have to get it done before she changes her mind).  I am hoping that after I get this one going she will let me have one more, I need a bigger FOWLR to house the domino and blue velvet damsel as well as a yellow tang I have my eye on.  My son says that one can go in his room.  It does help that he desires to become a marine biologist and he has a birthday coming up in a few months. Thank you, Jerry <you really have your work cut out for you here, mate. As you seem to be aware of... this is one of the most demanding and delicate of anemones... and certainly even among all cnidarians in the trade. H. mag requires more light than most SPS stony corals... and that means a light system of many hundreds of dollars to have a fair shot at keeping this specimen alive long term. I fear that even with good feeding under fluorescent lights, it will still perish in the short term (1-3 years at most). To make matters worse/more challenging... the tank is relatively small... and the presence of any other stinging cnidarians (Starpolyp is in fact one of the most competitive and chemically noxious of all corals)... and this tank seems unlikely to prove fruitful. I wish I could share a more optimistic opinion, but the animal is what it is... and has strict needs. Wishing you the best of luck. Anthony>