What is correct wattage?

Question

for anemone to live in my 20 gallon long

007 very impressive tank love it to death

Answer 1

Most Anemone's NEED a lot of PROPER lighting.
Half 10k and half Actinic is a must IMO.
My 15gal. has 1 LTA (long tentical anemone) in it and I have 2x65w PC's= 130w =8.66w/gal of PROPER lighting.
T5's would be better but you would need a LOT of tubes.
Even better would be metal halides, Mh lighting is as close as you can get to the same spectrum as the sun.
IMO you need at least 6Watts/gal.X 20gal=120w of good PROPER lighting.
This is my 15gal.(first 6 pics)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25717643@N00/

Answer 2

"Wattage" doesn't mean as much as you might think - all this really does is gives the amount of electricity that the unit uses, and can only be used to compare lamps/tubes of similar types of lighting. What you really need to consider is the output, or lumens produced.

To keep an anemone alive, you're going to need either a compact fluorescent, T-5 (or T-2 if you can find them), metal halide, or system that gives you some combination of these types. For a T-5, you're probably looking at a 4 tube system, or a double tube compact fluorescent. Half should be 10,000K lamps, and the other half an actinic or 50/50. Standard fluorescents (normal output or NO) that come with your tank won't be enough light, even if you use two fixtures.

These lights don't come cheap - expect to pay at least $150 for a decent system. Here are some examples of what you should be looking for:

http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/10922/product.web
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/10940/product.web
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/10947/product.web
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/823/product.web
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/23718/product.web
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/10952/product.web

Also bear in mind that these systems lose intensity after around 6 months with continued use, so plan to replace the lamps/tube at least once a year.

Answer 3

Different corals and anenomes have different light requirements. some corals such as zoa's and shrooms need atleast 4-6 watts per gallon (general rule of thumb). Acropora and other sps corals need atleast 7-10 watts per gallon(general rule of thumb), and do well under metal halides. Also you have to consider your tank dimensions. a very deep tank will require a more intense light to reach the bottem of your tank.

Answer 4

i think you should use an actinic lamp for soft corals!

Answer 5

i dont know anything about saltwater but i wish i had a saltwater fishtank!