Will pc lights penetrate a 30 inch deep tank or would halide lighting be required for the light to reach the bottom?
need lighting for deep tank
- Thread starter Robert
- Start date
You can always place light-loving corals higher in the tank. Mushrooms will probably work in the lower regions.
pc is fine, actually any ol light can penetrate, people just use more "penetrating" lights when plants and corals are concerned....if ur not dealing with those then there really isn't any reason to be concerned with lighting
My concern for lighting is because I would like to maintain xenia, mushrooms, and leather coral, along with an anemone if I convert my 265 to a saltwater tank.
If you really want to keep an anenome more than just high lighting needs to be taken into account. First do you know which species you wish to keep? Each species has different lighting needs as well as different flow needs within the tank.
As Oriongirl said I would go with Metal Halide if you are planning on keeping anything but mushrooms near the bottom of the tank.
For instance I have a tank that is approx 30 inches deep that I have a total of 2X400W 20K Metal Halides and 4X32W pc Actinic above, but I do have a very high light anenome, H. Mag (Carpet Anenome), that sits right at the top of the tank and a clam on the sand bed at the very bottom.
As Oriongirl said I would go with Metal Halide if you are planning on keeping anything but mushrooms near the bottom of the tank.
For instance I have a tank that is approx 30 inches deep that I have a total of 2X400W 20K Metal Halides and 4X32W pc Actinic above, but I do have a very high light anenome, H. Mag (Carpet Anenome), that sits right at the top of the tank and a clam on the sand bed at the very bottom.
The one I have been thinking about is the long tentecled anemone, as I think it would make an amazing centerpiece for the large tank.
The Heteractis crispa (long tentacle, LTA, Sebae anemone) is actually one of the more difficult to keep. They do prefer to be in the sand or lower in the rock work with a moderate current, so the very high lighting of a 400W Metal Halide would be needed for the optimum health of the anemone. These anemones can grow up to 18 inches in diameter and have tentacles 5-6 inches long so they will need a lot of space around them to full expand.
Another species that is often referred to as a Long Tentacle Anemone is the Macrodactyla doreensis (LTA, Long Tentacle, or Corkscrew). This anemone should only be placed in the sand with a moderate and will also need the very high lighting of a 400W Metal Halide to reach the 30" depth to keep it at optimum health.
Both of these anemones will require frequent water changes and excellent water chemistry at all times to maintain optimum health. Keeping either of these will require very vigilant measurements of tank parameters and ensuring they do not change by a significant amount at any time. These anemones can live 100+ years in nature and unless you are willing to really dedicate to the maintenance of the tank and the cost of setting up a proper environment for them they may only live 6 months to a year.
One thing to note if you do plan to have clowns hosting in either of these Anemones be sure to choose carefully as perculas are not natural symbionts to either of these anemone species.
Another species that is often referred to as a Long Tentacle Anemone is the Macrodactyla doreensis (LTA, Long Tentacle, or Corkscrew). This anemone should only be placed in the sand with a moderate and will also need the very high lighting of a 400W Metal Halide to reach the 30" depth to keep it at optimum health.
Both of these anemones will require frequent water changes and excellent water chemistry at all times to maintain optimum health. Keeping either of these will require very vigilant measurements of tank parameters and ensuring they do not change by a significant amount at any time. These anemones can live 100+ years in nature and unless you are willing to really dedicate to the maintenance of the tank and the cost of setting up a proper environment for them they may only live 6 months to a year.
One thing to note if you do plan to have clowns hosting in either of these Anemones be sure to choose carefully as perculas are not natural symbionts to either of these anemone species.