Need HELP... anemone lighting questions.

Adam10045 · Mar 31, 2012

i have kept and propagating bta for about 3 years now. i have recently added a ton of corals to my tank and now i dont have room for these guys in my display. i have a 10 galon tank plumbed into my main system that really isnt being used for anything. i plan to make this my new anemone tank. my question is, what kind of light can/should i put on this standard 10gal tank? i cant seem to find a light that will suit my anemones for a tank this small. i know they require high lighting. any ideas or link of a light fixture i can get for this tank?

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!!!!

REEFKEEPER10 · Mar 31, 2012

LEDs would be a good choice. There are a lot of options.

matty0206 · Apr 1, 2012

What kind of lighting are you looking at? I would think a small 150w hqi pendent over that tank would be nice for anemones. They can be found cheap now as everyone is switching to led's.

Adam10045 · Apr 1, 2012

my problem with leds is, is i dont know anything about them... im getting way behind on the new technology in the aquarium world.. are they all the same or are some brighter than others?

REEFKEEPER10 · Apr 1, 2012

Well people are growing sps dominate tanks under LEDs. I personally don't know much about LEDs but I'm following there progress. I run T5's.

Adam10045 · Apr 1, 2012

oh, and my other problem. i have NO SPAIR room... the tank has about 1/2in on each side and maybe a foot about the tank... im use to metal halides, but wouldnt that be too much on a 10 gal? im affraid id burn them up

Adam10045 · Apr 1, 2012

ok, so i need to find an LED fixture that will fit my 10gallon. i just googled them and they look small. they are made for nano tanks. i want one to cover every square inch of the water surface area. think this is going to be impossable?

matty0206 · Apr 1, 2012

I don't think so as long as you have room to mount it a little higher. I think a 250/400 would be a little much. You can also do one of the screw in par led bulbs and just mound the rock work in the middle. I use one over my 10g and it does well. They are cheap also and you can use a clamp lamp or desk lamp.

REEFKEEPER10 · Apr 1, 2012

JBJ makes a 75 and 150 HQI that might work and as far as burning them plastic window screen is your friend. Put several layers on the tank and remove a layer off ever week or two. That would be a option anyway.

Adam10045 · Apr 1, 2012

great ideas^ thanks!

Truereefer · Apr 4, 2012

Hi all just going to make this my 1st post lol. Just check out Skkye led 8watt. They have a 10k or 14k. I'll TTY and get a pic but I have my rainbow bta under it for the last few months and doing great. I am using the 14 k.

Reef Breeders · Apr 6, 2012

I would go LED, mh would create waay too much heat under the stand.

Zombie · Apr 6, 2012

I have a 40 with one standard output 50/50 reefbrite on it and I have bubble tips and leathers in it. I just sold a split.
A reefbrite for your 10 gallon will not be too much money and be easy on your electricity.

It's the tank on the right.

Zombie · Apr 6, 2012

Adam10045 said:
ok, so i need to find an LED fixture that will fit my 10gallon. i just googled them and they look small. they are made for nano tanks. i want one to cover every square inch of the water surface area. think this is going to be impossable?

As you can see in the picture the entire tank is illuminated and the light is just a couple inches above the water.

Edit...
The feet are sold separately and just slide onto the fixture.

redemer123 · Apr 6, 2012

one thing you NEED to know about LED fixtures is that they are not all created equal, they need to be CREE led's which are the best. another thing you need to know is that brightness of the LED's may not be proportional to the PAR or photosynthetic active radiation, for example AI sol fixtures are PAR monsters and can absolutely fry a coral but somtimes dont look all that bright, A good choice may be a AI nano the are awesome