Lighting Question for LTA

M

mestupidcat

Hi all-

I received a green long tentacled anemone from another member for my maroon clownfish. Right now they are in a 20 gallon with this bulb:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=4491&N=2004+113350

She said it wasn't picky about lights and it would be fine. I'm not sure exactly what to look for as signs of health. I'm in process of getting a 55 gallon ready for them (lack lights and skimmer). Both 20-gal and 55-gal have LS and LR.

I was planning on getting two 18" 50/50 bulbs (15w each) for the 55-gal, but a sales rep a spoke to online said the LTA requires 4w per gallon. Is this right? I'm on a budget so wanted to get bulbs instead of $200+ fixture but creature's health tops all.

By going with what the Drs F&S rep said, I would need at least 220 watts of lighting for the LTA to be in 55-gal.

Would this light be okay for it (the 48")?

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=13637&N=2004+113345

I've had the anemone for about 2 weeks in the 20 gallon with 17w Zoo Med Coral Sun Actinic 420 Fluorescent. It's tentacles vary from skinny like spaghetti to short fat curls. Yesterday I hand fed it one small krill (it ate).

Advice welcome- I could possibly get the 50/50 bulbs this weekend, but the duel FL would have to wait til next Friday (and then a week to get here).
 
I looked at some T-5 fixtures on the F&S site:

The two T-5 fixtures within my budget are the 216w with lunar light for $200:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=12772&N=2004+113175

or the 108w for $120:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=16770&N=2004+113175

Similarly priced dual CFLs have 260w:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=13637&N=2004+113345

Both T-5 and CFL use actinic and 10000K bulbs.

Other alternatives welcome.

I looked at the T-5s too, but would probably choose a CFL for the higher wattage.

Yes, the anemone sure will be happier with more light. Want to get the best fitting light I can afford.
 
Ehn.. comparing watts to watts for different kinds of light isn't a good measure of suitability for a tank these days. 100w of PC is a lot different than 100w of t-5. PAR and PUR are two other terms that more accurately measure the available and usable amount of light that a bulb puts out. I've got 4x t-5s over my 55g refugium, I'd go with that one, were it me.
 
Okay, I looked back at my two top choices (in between T-5 and CFL):

Nova Extreme T-5 Fixture with Lunar Light - 216w/4x 54w bulbs (Slimpaq 460nm Actinic and 10,000 K T-5 HO)
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=12772&N=2004+113175

-OR-

Dual Satellite Compact Fluorescent Fixture with Lunar Light - 260w/ 4x 65w bulbs (Dual Daylight 6,700 K/10,000 K and Dual Actinic 420nm/460nm)
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=13637&N=2004+113345

So, I'm thinking hard between these two fixtures.. not sure which would be better for the anemone.

Any more input welcome- thank you.

I know that more light is better with anemones, but not sure which is better out of these two..
 
T5s are definitely a good choice but if you're stuck in a hard place... Pc lights will do just fine. All my anemones are thriving under PC lighting... my gbta has doubled in size. Just my .02c. Then again if you want more difficult corals like SPS then going with T5 or MH would be your best decision.
 
Since the T5's will probably put out more light than the compact flourescents, I would recommend the T5's also. We have the 24" versions of those over our searhorse tanks and they seem to work pretty well. The LTA definitely needs all the light you can give them. JMO
Doug
 
the t5s put out alot more light and they penatrate deeper into the water then pcs.t5s and halides are the way to go with higher lighted coral.
 
You will have greater options of what you will be able to keep in your tank if you get the T5s. The T5s will put out more light with less wattage (more efficient) than the CFs. The T5 bulbs should last longer as well. Going T5 will be cheaper in the long run.
 
One question would be how deep is your tank (missed seeing it above). I'm running a 46G bow-front under dual PC's. 96W 10K & 96W Actinic. (yes I know the actinic don't count for the light power) :p

My RBTA found a lovely home in a hole in a rock, and extends itself as needed. Since buying it around August of last year, I can easily say it has more than doubled in size...

When I upgrade my tank, I do plan to go to something stronger, as my tank will be quite a bit deeper... the idea of watts/gallon is just a rule of thumb. you could have a 55G tank that was only 15" deep and not need the penetrating power of some higher level lights... By the same token, if the tank was 30" deep, more power would/could be needed.
 
I'd strongly recommend checking out the retrofit kits, such as the ones sold by ReefGeek. The choice of reflectors makes a big difference when going with T5.

Another thing that hasn't been mentioned is that PC bulbs need to be replaced every 6 months; T5 will last 12-18 months.

Peter...
 
Hi again, all-

Thank you all for your input.

It sounds like T-5s really are the way to go (more light for less wattage, same price as PC- I'm all over it!)

I got a 24" dual bulb T-5 fixture for the 20-gal (finally!)- here's a link of same one: http://www.elmersaquarium.com/h107_aqualight_T5.htm

I actually got mine from North Waco Tropical Fish for $45 total. :D

They have the 48" one for $60 (no lunar lights, but VERY good price), so I'll probably get that for the 55-gallon.

As for tank depths:

55-gal is 20-21" tall; 20-gal is 16-17" tall..

Here's the anemone and clown:
100_0386.jpg
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I just added the new light a couple of hours ago, so.. I guess we can only go uphill now. The nem actually has yellow/green tentacles and a pink base. He eats frozen krill and squid cubes. The clown doesn't feed the 'nem, so I have to. It's easier to feed both at same time so clown doesn't take away the 'nem's food.
 
If I am not mistaken those are normal output T5s, as opposed to the high output T5s that you had linked from Dr. Fosters and Smith. Let us know how it works for you.
 
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