enhancing gbta color?

sabazerehi · 05/11/2007, 06:10 PM

any way to enhance the color of a gbta? make it more green. mine is pretty dull, however, i did just get it today so i don't know if that makes a difference at all. but anyway, just for general knowledge and out of curiosity. sorry but i don't know how to post a pic

GSMguy · 05/11/2007, 06:11 PM

what kind of lighting do you have?

sabazerehi · 05/11/2007, 06:20 PM

65w pc, 30g, several lfs confirmed that it would be fine under those lighting conditions, and i did a good amount of research indicating moderate lighting would be fine. i placed it in the middle of the tank

jpa0741 · 05/11/2007, 06:26 PM

That is not going to be enough light. I don't know how you can say you did research and think that will be enough. It will probaly just continue to bleach under this light.

HowardW · 05/11/2007, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sabazerehi
65w pc, 30g, several lfs confirmed that it would be fine under those lighting conditions, and i did a good amount of research indicating moderate lighting would be fine. i placed it in the middle of the tank

Well I think those LFS gave you poor advice. About 2 watts per gallon of PC lighting is considered low light, not moderate.

IslandCrow · 05/11/2007, 08:15 PM

You tend to get one of three types of advice from an LFS: Dishonest, uninformed, and good advice. The last, unfortunately, is pretty rare. A forum like this is probably a better place to get honest opinions. That's not to say you'll never get bad advice, but generally, you can weed it out when 20 people are saying one thing, and only one or two people are saying something different.
In your case, I agree that you got poor advice, whether it fits into the dishonest or uninformed category. If you can take the anemone back, that would probably be a good idea. Your second option, of course, is it upgrade your lighting to either metal halides or T-5s. From what I've heard, anemones have a poor survival rate under PC lighting. In the interim, you'll probably want to feed the anemone 2-3 times per week to make up for the lack of light. It probably won't make a full recovery, but that should keep it on life support for awhile.

returnofsid · 05/11/2007, 10:04 PM

You can keep a GBTA under PC lighting but it'll need to be a lot more wattage than that. I've currently got an RBTA under PC lighting and it's been thriving for over a year. However, it's under 2X96 watt PC lighting. I know it would do even better under T5HO or MH lighting. Someday, it'll get moved to my 75 with the T5 lighting. 65 watt PC lighting is NOWHERE near "moderate." Also, in researching Bubble Tip Anemone's as much as I have...I'd be hard pressed to find anywhere that suggests "Moderate" lighting as adequate. Possibly "Moderate to High intensity" which would lean towards much higher "moderate" lighting. I also feed my RBTA several times a week. As I said, it's thriving and growing like crazy and has split once in the past year. The other half was also thriving in another tank under PC lighting. When I moved it to my 75, unfortunately it got sucked into a power head. I never could get it to "sit still" so gave it to someone else...it's now in a great home, under T5 lighting and loving it.

AquaReeferMan · 05/11/2007, 10:09 PM

Yeah you will need to upgrade your lighting asap. The least should be 2x96w PC's, t-5 or MH are even better. You did get rather poor advise from your LFS. They were just looking for money. You dont have moderate lighting either. I used to have that on my 10g. You have 2 options. Return it, or upgrade your lighting.

useskaforevil · 05/11/2007, 10:12 PM

the amounn of light per gallon is not that important right now since it has no concern for depth. if you have a tall 30 gallon the BTA might be ok if its very close to the top, if its a 36inch i dont think it will be enough no matter what. i had BTA that did very well withless than 3watts per gallon, but since it was 130watts of light over 2 feet i just placed it very high up in the rockwork. and i never fed it. it lived for a little over a year and a half until i removed it.

Toddrtrex · 05/11/2007, 10:49 PM

I think that 65 watt of PC is a bit low for a BTA, but I don't feel that you need to have MH or T5 for it. Would like to know the exact measurements of the 30 gal, but with out knowing that I would say you should at least double it.

I've kept my BTA ( and GBTAs until I sold them all ) in my 75g ( 4 foot long ) under 6*55 PC for at least 3 years now ( Haddoni carpet for 5 + years ). It is lucky if I feed it twice a month. Here is a recent picture of it.

05/11/2007, 06:10 PM	#1
sabazerehi Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Los Angeles, 90049 Posts: 2,491	enhancing gbta color? any way to enhance the color of a gbta? make it more green. mine is pretty dull, however, i did just get it today so i don't know if that makes a difference at all. but anyway, just for general knowledge and out of curiosity. sorry but i don't know how to post a pic

05/11/2007, 06:11 PM	#2
GSMguy Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Northern New Mexico Posts: 17,420	what kind of lighting do you have? __________________ Nick. Conehead. Shallow Reef club. Current Tank Info: 48"x27"x14" Envision Acrylic rimless, 6x39w ATi Sunpower, Custom ATB Deluxe Skimmer, 4x tunze nano stream,ATB flowstar 1500, ACJR, Tunze osmolator.

05/11/2007, 08:15 PM	#6
IslandCrow Reef Monkey Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Rockledge, Fl Posts: 5,759	You tend to get one of three types of advice from an LFS: Dishonest, uninformed, and good advice. The last, unfortunately, is pretty rare. A forum like this is probably a better place to get honest opinions. That's not to say you'll never get bad advice, but generally, you can weed it out when 20 people are saying one thing, and only one or two people are saying something different. In your case, I agree that you got poor advice, whether it fits into the dishonest or uninformed category. If you can take the anemone back, that would probably be a good idea. Your second option, of course, is it upgrade your lighting to either metal halides or T-5s. From what I've heard, anemones have a poor survival rate under PC lighting. In the interim, you'll probably want to feed the anemone 2-3 times per week to make up for the lack of light. It probably won't make a full recovery, but that should keep it on life support for awhile. __________________ All opinions in the above message should be taken with 35 ppt salt. -Mike C. Current Tank Info: I have a reef screen saver on my phone, does that count?

05/11/2007, 10:09 PM	#8
AquaReeferMan Got Reef? Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Under the Sea, Pa Posts: 4,593	Yeah you will need to upgrade your lighting asap. The least should be 2x96w PC's, t-5 or MH are even better. You did get rather poor advise from your LFS. They were just looking for money. You dont have moderate lighting either. I used to have that on my 10g. You have 2 options. Return it, or upgrade your lighting. __________________ Couple SPS/Zoanthid tanks and a couple of FW planted tanks. Current Tank Info: 5 pieces of glass with some silicone and plastic frames holding them together

05/11/2007, 10:12 PM	#9
useskaforevil Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: kent, ohio Posts: 1,012	the amounn of light per gallon is not that important right now since it has no concern for depth. if you have a tall 30 gallon the BTA might be ok if its very close to the top, if its a 36inch i dont think it will be enough no matter what. i had BTA that did very well withless than 3watts per gallon, but since it was 130watts of light over 2 feet i just placed it very high up in the rockwork. and i never fed it. it lived for a little over a year and a half until i removed it. __________________ "and the delicate mechanism stripped its gears" Current Tank Info: 80gallon bowfront

05/11/2007, 06:20 PM	#3
sabazerehi Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Los Angeles, 90049 Posts: 2,491	65w pc, 30g, several lfs confirmed that it would be fine under those lighting conditions, and i did a good amount of research indicating moderate lighting would be fine. i placed it in the middle of the tank

05/11/2007, 06:26 PM	#4
jpa0741 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MI Posts: 1,392	That is not going to be enough light. I don't know how you can say you did research and think that will be enough. It will probaly just continue to bleach under this light.

05/11/2007, 10:04 PM	#7
returnofsid Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 3,852	You can keep a GBTA under PC lighting but it'll need to be a lot more wattage than that. I've currently got an RBTA under PC lighting and it's been thriving for over a year. However, it's under 2X96 watt PC lighting. I know it would do even better under T5HO or MH lighting. Someday, it'll get moved to my 75 with the T5 lighting. 65 watt PC lighting is NOWHERE near "moderate." Also, in researching Bubble Tip Anemone's as much as I have...I'd be hard pressed to find anywhere that suggests "Moderate" lighting as adequate. Possibly "Moderate to High intensity" which would lean towards much higher "moderate" lighting. I also feed my RBTA several times a week. As I said, it's thriving and growing like crazy and has split once in the past year. The other half was also thriving in another tank under PC lighting. When I moved it to my 75, unfortunately it got sucked into a power head. I never could get it to "sit still" so gave it to someone else...it's now in a great home, under T5 lighting and loving it.

05/11/2007, 10:49 PM	#10
Toddrtrex Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Carol Stream, IL Posts: 23,162	I think that 65 watt of PC is a bit low for a BTA, but I don't feel that you need to have MH or T5 for it. Would like to know the exact measurements of the 30 gal, but with out knowing that I would say you should at least double it. I've kept my BTA ( and GBTAs until I sold them all ) in my 75g ( 4 foot long ) under 6*55 PC for at least 3 years now ( Haddoni carpet for 5 + years ). It is lucky if I feed it twice a month. Here is a recent picture of it. __________________ Click my name and then "visit toddrtrex's homepage" for tank pictures Current Tank Info: 210g reef and 65g reef