Will BTA survive under 36W actinic lighting?

[Jlobo]

I want to purchase a baby BTA/porcelain crab pair. Will the BTA survive under my not so powerful lighting?

[sponger0]

Survive....maybe. Thrive....most likely not. Anemones can take alot of light. Upgrade your lights first

[saltysailor2329]

I'm no nem expert, but I'm going to say that it isn't likely. They need strong lighting and great water quality. They are suggested for tanks that are at least a year old. I have an LTA under 3 AI Sols for reference.

Hopefully an expert can give you some more info.

[sponger0]

Also...how long has your tank been running?

[Jlobo]

This thing is living under 18W lighting at the LFS right now.

[Jlobo]

Running since 8/11
36W 10000K daylight & 36W actinic bulbs in hood

[sponger0]

Originally Posted by Jlobo

This thing is living under 18W lighting at the LFS right now.

Living is not thriving. Big difference. Upgrade your lights.

And if you trust your LFS.....you have alot more to learn

[Jlobo]

I do trust my LFS. They have a 21 year old tang in their big display and multiple, huge anemones that I think most customers are afraid to buy. I do know that anemones can be difficult to care for. I was just curious about my particular lighting. I'm guessing this pair will get moved under better lighting soon, not mine so don't worry. There is a difference between posting helpful replies and rude ones. Thanks

[sponger0]

You asked for advice....Im giving it. We dont always get the answer we want to hear.

[funkejj]

I would at least double the amount of light. We have tried to do what you are wanting to do when we first got in the hobby and failed miserably. If you want a nem make sure you have lights that will produce the par needed to support a nem.

[Ronic]

Originally Posted by sponger0

Survive....maybe. Thrive....most likely not. Anemones can take alot of light. Upgrade your lights first

I'm going to ask he question how much lighting should he have then, the tank is only a 29 gallon cube. And I want to have a reference to what I will need for my 40 breeder.

[Jlobo]

Thank u funke. Helpful post. My question should have been what wattage does a BTA need?

[sponger0]

Wattage doesnt matter anymore. You would need T5s, metal halide or LEDs. PC bulbs are strong enough.

If you go with T5s, do a minimum of 4 bulbs to get enough light penentration for the tank

[ajcanale]

Originally Posted by sponger0

survive....maybe. Thrive....most likely not. Anemones can take alot of light. Upgrade your lights first

+1

[kevin32]

Honestly, I dont think they will survive. I think they need moderate to high lighting.

I use 156watt T5 for my 40 gallon breeder.

[scarface70706]

wow i am shocked to see so many people say nems need strong light to live and thrive. i will tell you right now that this "strong light" statement is completely false. nems are the total opposite when compared to corals. they dont need much light at all. im running an old school coralife compact florescent fixture and its ruffly 1 1/2 watts per gallon and my nem is doing just fine in it and has doubled in size in the past few months. what you really need is FLOW to have a happy nem. lights do play an important roll when keeping nems healthy but they dont need to be bright as hell.

if you want to upgrade thats fine but its not necessary since your fixture is fine for a Bubble tip nem. good luck buddy.

[funkejj]

Originally Posted by scarface70706

wow i am shocked to see so many people say nems need strong light to live and thrive. i will tell you right now that this "strong light" statement is completely false. nems are the total opposite when compared to corals. they dont need much light at all. im running an old school coralife compact florescent fixture and its ruffly 1 1/2 watts per gallon and my nem is doing just fine in it and has doubled in size in the past few months. what you really need is FLOW to have a happy nem. lights do play an important roll when keeping nems healthy but they dont need to be bright as hell.

if you want to upgrade thats fine but its not necessary since your fixture is fine for a Bubble tip nem. good luck buddy.

What kind of nem do you have and how high is it in your tank? I had a PC light over a tank and watched a anemone bleach and die because we did not provide enough light for it.

[slapshot]

Nope, needs more light

[Ron Reefman]

Your title says 36w actinic lighting. And in a later post you said you have 36W 10000K daylight & 36W actinic bulbs. And a 29g tank is kind of shallow compared to 75g or bigger tanks. So you may have enough to keep it alive, but I think you and the anemone would be happier with more. I'd look for 96w 10k and 96w actinic on a 29/30g tank. Your tank is 8-9 months old, so it's just into that age where it's probably mature enough if your water parameters have been stable.

I have a 75g hexagon nem tank. There are about 17 anemones (6 species) under a 250w MH with 2 t5 actinics. But that doesn't mean you need MH... or even really strong lights.

sponger0 said you need t5, MH or leds and I'm here to say that is kind of right and kind of wrong. You can keep anemones under any kind of good aquarium light, PC, VHO, t5, MH or leds. I kept 2 nems under a Coralife PC light (two 96w bulbs) in a 30g tank for 3 years before I changed tanks. Then they were under about 500w of VHO fluorescents in a 75g tank. I don't claim to be an expert, just have some useful experience. I'd say your 29g tank should have about 150-200w of PC or t5 lighting, at the low end, to keep an anemone happy.

[bohannbj]

I tried to keep them with your exact setup years ago and it failed miserably. BTA's won't bubble under low lighting anyways so at best it will look like a long tentacle. If you decide to upgrade, look into Par 30 LED's from rapid or boost. They screw into a regular light socket, use practically no electricity, and have similar PAR ratings as a 250w halide. I've been using them for 1 1/2 years now and they grow SPS great. I did the math and the amount I have running, the bulbs have paid for themselves already in energy savings.
And for what it's worth, a lot of time anemones and corals swell when they are hungry for food or light. I have annoying carpet right now who has positioned himself near a powerhead with low light. He sits up big and tall but is bleached and unhealthy. I would move him if I he wasn't behind 75lbs of rock and guarded by a pair of adult clowns.
Simply put here is the math:
RBTA $75 + Replacement RBTA = $150
End result = Two dead RBTAs that you enjoyed for 4 months.
RBTA $75 + LED bulb w/ shipping $89-$110 = $164-$185
End result = RBTA that splits into two, then 4, then traded for something else cool. (With proper feeding too)