Bubble tip Anemone ...

[TRIGGER SHARKFIST]

Mine disappeared for a couple of weeks I was almost certain it's had gone through a pump or something like that because absolute no sign of it.

Yesterday it showed up again out of the blue !!!

Anyway it's never done that well to be honest. Had it 6 months and it's never thrived.

I've tried different foods and it doesn't take anything really. Only food it seems to consume is meaty pellet food !.

I suspect my lighting isn't helping do they really need decent lighting to grow ?
Only running budget LED lighting.

Thanks

 

[Ron Reefman]

Don't hold back, what make and model led is it?

A few brands use 0.3 watt leds and they are junk for most tanks over 12" deep. But there are a lot of inexpensive (or budget) led fixtures that run 3 watt leds and put out perfectly fine PAR levels and spectrum mix.

 

[Gonebad395]

Yeah light is very important for your nem what setup are you running

 

[TRIGGER SHARKFIST]

I actually cannot confirm the make are bought off Ebay. (ashamed)
Think they are AquarienEco which Amazon also sell.

I'm already looking into replacing them as they were a stop gap until I could afford a decent upgrade.
Didn't think the reef thing would hook me like it has.

Been recently looking and some lights are eye wateringly expensive..

Any recommendations/ help on lighting would be appreciated. (Soft coral tank)

 

[SDboatguy]

How big is your tank?

 

[TRIGGER SHARKFIST]

How big is your tank?

60 x 24 x 18 (inch)

 

[SDboatguy]

You probably need something like reef breeders photon for a single fixture , or 2-3 black boxes ( mars aqua , viperspect , etc.) Or you could go T5 after that you start getting $$ for mid and upper level LED unit(s)

 

[SDboatguy]

FWIW , my tank is 60x20x18 and I’m currently running 4 x 48” T5s and 3 AI Hydra 26hds. My bubble tip has split once and seems pretty happy , might even be too much light for it...

 

[BestMomEver]

My experience... the hotter the light, the better the anemones like it. Also, how old is your tank? For some odd reason, anemones do better in a well established tank of a year old or better. Also, can you catch a picture of it? That always helps.

 

[Ron Reefman]

My experience... the hotter the light, the better the anemones like it. Also, how old is your tank? For some odd reason, anemones do better in a well established tank of a year old or better. Also, can you catch a picture of it? That always helps.

What!?!?!?!?!

Hot lights just make for hot water, it has zero effect on the actual light. I'm not inclined to call out faulty science, but there is no basis for that comment!

 

[BestMomEver]

What!?!?!?!?!

Hot lights just make for hot water, it has zero effect on the actual light. I'm not inclined to call out faulty science, but there is no basis for that comment!

I’m sorry.... miscommunication. When I say hot, I mean bright. You live in Florida so you know what “hot” light looks like. That’s what I meant. I kept my nems under LEDs. They weren’t hot in the traditional sense but they were bright.

 

[TRIGGER SHARKFIST]

My tank is 1 year old. Nem is living but not growing.

Thing is i've had him 6 months so he's surviving.

Maybe rushed into owning one. Next couple of months i'm going to purchase new lights.

Cheers all

 

[cvrle1]

If it's juts surviving, but not thriving, I would maybe look into trading it in at the LFS. Once you get new lights, then get another nem, with lot better chances of not just survival but growth as well.

Just my 2C

 

[Gonebad395]

If you have had it for 6 months and it’s not dieing and you are going to get lights in the next month or two you should be fine just don’t wait much longer

 

[Hallowhead]

Don't be ashamed of any of your equipment! Everyone has to start somewhere right?

 

[Cory]

Its probably a nutrient issue and not lighting. Whats your parameters?

 

[Gonebad395]

Its probably a nutrient issue and not lighting. Whats your parameters?

It’s definitely a light issue. Op please understand your lights are inadequate to keep this nem.

 

[Ron Reefman]

I’m sorry.... miscommunication. When I say hot, I mean bright. You live in Florida so you know what “hot” light looks like. That’s what I meant. I kept my nems under LEDs. They weren’t hot in the traditional sense but they were bright.

Wow! That makes so much more sense. Thanks for clarifying that! And you are right, most nems (not all) like and do better in bright light.

One example of a nem that doesn't need bright light are the very colorful Rock Flower Anemones. They do well in bright light, but they don't need it to be happy. But they are much happier if they get fed. They are collected between 3 and 5 feet down where the light gets to be mostly blue spectrum and not all that bright. The more plain looking RFA's come from shallow water, have good zooxanthellae and easily use bright light and have less need to be fed.

 

[Cory]

If you don't have nutrients all the light in the world wont matter.

 

[Ron Reefman]

If you don't have nutrients all the light in the world wont matter.

Just what kind of 'nutrients' are you talking about? In the OP's first post it says the nem gets fed. But if the light is too weak in terms of PAR, the zooxanthellae can't do enough (if any) photosynthesis to help feed the nem.