lighting question

[hotmonkey]

Ok i have set up my juwell 240 as a marine tank got it all up and running with protein skimmer, external rena xp3 filter, live rock all added and added 2 blue damsels and cleaner shrimp and 2 clowns, so far all tests are spot on and it looks awesome with no problems, my question is i next want to look at adding some anenomes, now my lfs has told me all i need are the marine blue and marine white tube i have already got, but another has told me i need to add another marine white tube, please help because i dont really want to have to modify lid etc unless really neccessary to fit another tube in.

many thanks.

 

[spanair]

Hey dude,

I got the same tank as you . Anyways back to the topic, it depends on what anenome you are looking for, most need metal halides and some will be okay under a good few T5's (not T8's, what the original juwel lead holds). What I did first was add 2 more T5's, so I had the original 2 T8's + new 2 T5's. This was good for the anenome, but only temporarily. I then bought a metal halide and the anenome is gaining nice colour and bubble tips.

So all in all, depending on what you are looking 2 normal t8's wont do the trick. I'm still on the process of buying another 150W MH because I think 1 might not be enough .

 

[Navarre]

Im sorry to say that i wouldnt consider an anemone in anything less than a halide. They can live in less but thats the difference between surviving and thriving.

 

[hotmonkey]

thanks guys and spanair the tank looks awesome mate

 

[Max]

thanks guys and spanair the tank looks awesome mate

yeah how big is what? us gall?

 

[Navarre]

240ltrs = 63.42 US Gallons (52.86 UK)

 

[Max]

oh

 

[Great Lakes]

The good news is, you don't have to modify the hood. Just throw it away!

Get a 660 icecap ballast and four VHO tubes. You will be gunned up for just about anything shy of some acroporas and a species or two of clams.

I say VHO because they work really well, and are readily available everywhere.

 

[bottle of dees]

what about the t5 overtank luminaires i have been told these are ok for corals etc.Is this true?

 

[Navarre]

I have used T5s overtanks for my 40 gallons. Its a great set of lights and really works well.

It didnt work for my acros though. Before i had my larger tank setup, i had my 150w halides blow up on me over the 40 gallon. I went back to the T5s as a backup whilst i got the halides repaired/ordered the new 400w for my main tank and set it up early.

During the time it took for my new halides to arrive, i lost 2 of my 3 acros, the 3rd nearly died but was placed in the newsetup with 400w over them. They have recovered to about 90% of what they were.

If you did decide to try and keep acros then its highly unlikell tey would change colour, they would turn brown (as the colouration is partly as a protection from the sun).

T5s are great for softies though, perhaps even some of the lowerl light loving long polyped hard corals.

I am afraid i cant give much recomendation as to brand names etc as i am not from the states. sorry

 

[Ed4567]

I agree with all the above comments, I don't know how high the tank is but I would definatly recommend that you buy a metal halide if you are serious about photosynthesising inverts (corals, anenomes etc.).

I'd like to add though that anenomes need high quality water conditions as well as light, and they are generally not recommended in tanks less than 6 (or 12 depending on who you ask) months old. If you are set on an anenome consider a bubble tipped one- though not a natural host for your (I presume) perculas, they are considered the (and I use the term very loosely) hardiest species.

Ed

 

[spanair]

The juwel/rio 240 is 21 inches deep which is alot for t5's to penetrate. That's why I dumped mines and bought a metal halide, soon i'll be buying another one though.