New Anemone Tank - Lights?

[Aaron-A2]

My 250 mixed reef (SPS dominant) tank has 3 Radion G4's over it. I'm about to start building a 90g clown harem cube (36x24x24) and I'm really not sure what lights to use for most BTA's mixed in with carpets/others.

From what I've read, it seems many people suggest MH/T5 if you want to keep some of the designer anemones otherwise they loose their color. How true is this? Would Radion G4's work just as well? If you could pick any light fixture for your anemone only tank, which would it be?

Thanks for the help!

 

[Amoo]

I'm still running the original AI primes, not even the HDs and I've got Mags so....

 

[hijinks7]

I would do 1 radion supplimented by t5. The aquatic life hybrid is a good choice and has radion mounts.

 

[Aaron-A2]

I would do 1 radion supplimented by t5. The aquatic life hybrid is a good choice and has radion mounts.

Would you have to run a chiller with that setup? (No hood)

 

[hijinks7]

Would you have to run a chiller with that setup? (No hood)

I run the aquaticlife with 2 kessil 360s on my 120g and don't need a chiller but its in the basement which is generally no more then 75 degrees even on the hottest of days.

That will depend on the temp of your room but t5's don't give off the heat that MHs do. I have a rainbow and its kept its color great.

 

[Aaron-A2]

I run the aquaticlife with 2 kessil 360s on my 120g and don't need a chiller but its in the basement which is generally no more then 75 degrees even on the hottest of days.

That will depend on the temp of your room but t5's don't give off the heat that MHs do. I have a rainbow and its kept its color great.

What are your thoughts on (2) XR15's + T5 for the Aquatic Life hybrid fixture? For a 24" tank, are those XR15's good enough? Also, what bulbs would you suggest? (Never ran T5's)

 

[hijinks7]

What are your thoughts on (2) XR15's + T5 for the Aquatic Life hybrid fixture? For a 24" tank, are those XR15's good enough? Also, what bulbs would you suggest? (Never ran T5's)

2 xr15s are good. The t5s will add more pop and removing the shading from the tank. You can get them in different color temperatures. For you I'd go more on the blue/antic to make the colors pop

 

[Dancingmad]

I've done T5s, T5s+MH, T5S + Kessil(160), and Kessil(360) alone. I drink that kessil koolaid nowadays whenever I can afford it and I'm not ashamed. I was tired of replacing bulbs, and during the summer here in Houston MH was Taxing my AC big time. I have not experienced any color loss when running exclusively LEDs. I did toast a few and bleach them out because I didn't light-acclimate the nems first. For my nems, a slow ramp up over several days switching from T5+MH to LED was a must to avoid a repeat of bleachfest 2015.

All that being said I'm setting up another 75G to house my BTAs from my 150G and its going to have a 4x T5 fixture on it, and they'll be great! Sorry to be all contrary - lots of workable options out there!

 

[Aaron-A2]

I've done T5s, T5s+MH, T5S + Kessil(160), and Kessil(360) alone. I drink that kessil koolaid nowadays whenever I can afford it and I'm not ashamed. I was tired of replacing bulbs, and during the summer here in Houston MH was Taxing my AC big time. I have not experienced any color loss when running exclusively LEDs. I did toast a few and bleach them out because I didn't light-acclimate the nems first. For my nems, a slow ramp up over several days switching from T5+MH to LED was a must to avoid a repeat of bleachfest 2015.

All that being said I'm setting up another 75G to house my BTAs from my 150G and its going to have a 4x T5 fixture on it, and they'll be great! Sorry to be all contrary - lots of workable options out there!

Which fixture and bulbs are you looking at? Also, with your experience, which light solution makes anemone's look the best to you?

 

[Dancingmad]

Which fixture and bulbs are you looking at? Also, with your experience, which light solution makes anemone's look the best to you?

I use a no name, knock-off fixture. My WIP BTA tank is a Frankenstein build using my old tank, and a bunch of crusty old gear kicking around my garage that just needed some cleaning. I plan on doing 3 x actinic and a purple in my fixture - the color pop is nice. You don't get the"Shimmer" out of T5s you're going to get out of MH and LED though. So many tradeoffs! As I mentioned though, I drink the kessil kool aid, and my preference would be to keep them under the 360s, but I have other plans for that tank (Gorgonian obsession).

My cell phone camera and photography ignorance doesn't due them justice, but here's what mine look like under the 360s. Out of my particular BTAs I get to enjoy green, then purple, then orange/yellow to pink/redish tips - color is fantastic.

 

[davocean]

Anything w/ decent PAR value, I have a 4 bulb Giesemann T5 and LED strips on my 120g for my mag, no chiller needed.
I prefer a combo of T5 and LED's

 

[Aaron-A2]

Anything w/ decent PAR value, I have a 4 bulb Geisseman T5 and LED strips on my 120g for my mag, no chiller needed.
I prefer a combo of T5 and LED's

Can you post a few pictures of your tank and anemone? Also, what bulbs are you running on the giesseman?

 

[davocean]

My avatar is my tank.
2x ATI blue plus
1x Giesemann super purple (normally prefer KZ fiji purple when in stock at re-up time)
1x Giesemann aquablue azure

 

[Christopher Davis]

Tbh I am ring 4x t5Ho 2x kessil 160s, love it I got a cheap homedepot fixture for 90 and mounted it in my canopy. I also run ATI bulbs.
1 coral plus
1true actinic
2x blue plus.
My anemones have never lost colors and grown way to much I’ve sold countless splits. I had to get rid of the rainbows all together things were like aptaisa for me!