Hello all--
I'm pretty new here but have had my tank for a while and I've considered getting both a clam and an anemone at some point but all I ever get from people when I ask what requirements they need is lots of light and excellent water conditions.
I can get them the light they need but the water quality thing throws me a bit. What does this mean? I can currently test for ph, ammonia, trates, trites...and thats it for now. I imagine in the case of the clam calcium would be of concern as well and plan to get some more water tests but what about the anemone? WHat quantifies excellent "water quality?"
My parameters currently are:
pH 8.2
Salinity 1.025
Temp around 78-80 (my thermometer is lame)
Ammonia 0
Trite 0
Trates may be above 0 but certainly not above 5ppm at any given time (its one of those color tests and it leans mostly to 0)
I suppose knowing more would help, re my tank. It's a 46 gal bow front (have to admit, I HATE bow fronts... should have never gotten this one!), octopus skimmer 1000 going full blast, HOB filter that only contains a sock with carbon in it with biowheel, and roughly 45-50 lbs of fully cured live rock. Only one fish (have 3 new fish and a bunch of corals coming this Saturday!) and a clean up crew that does one heck of a job. No sump... I'm running a simple and small operation here. The tank has been running for maybe 4 years, but only about 5 months in my care now (it was simply relocated). No deaths, lots of creatures like pods, bristle worms, sponges, other weird worms etc. Everyone seems quite happy, but happy enough to have a clam or anemone? I hope so.
Regarding water quality, I use a 5 stage RO/DI unit that is only a few months old and filled the tank with store-bought ro water before I got the unit. No algae blooms and no pests that I can find. The algae I do see that forms is never very much though it will grow over a surface or a power head to the point of being noticeable and usually when I see that, the next morning its been stripped clean by a snail.
My photo period is from 9 to 9, under T5 lights (not very good and only two bulbs but I'm arranging to fix that this weekend, too, by adding 4 more bulbs and a mixture of different types of HO T5.).
Thanks for the help.
I'm pretty new here but have had my tank for a while and I've considered getting both a clam and an anemone at some point but all I ever get from people when I ask what requirements they need is lots of light and excellent water conditions.
I can get them the light they need but the water quality thing throws me a bit. What does this mean? I can currently test for ph, ammonia, trates, trites...and thats it for now. I imagine in the case of the clam calcium would be of concern as well and plan to get some more water tests but what about the anemone? WHat quantifies excellent "water quality?"
My parameters currently are:
pH 8.2
Salinity 1.025
Temp around 78-80 (my thermometer is lame)
Ammonia 0
Trite 0
Trates may be above 0 but certainly not above 5ppm at any given time (its one of those color tests and it leans mostly to 0)
I suppose knowing more would help, re my tank. It's a 46 gal bow front (have to admit, I HATE bow fronts... should have never gotten this one!), octopus skimmer 1000 going full blast, HOB filter that only contains a sock with carbon in it with biowheel, and roughly 45-50 lbs of fully cured live rock. Only one fish (have 3 new fish and a bunch of corals coming this Saturday!) and a clean up crew that does one heck of a job. No sump... I'm running a simple and small operation here. The tank has been running for maybe 4 years, but only about 5 months in my care now (it was simply relocated). No deaths, lots of creatures like pods, bristle worms, sponges, other weird worms etc. Everyone seems quite happy, but happy enough to have a clam or anemone? I hope so.
Regarding water quality, I use a 5 stage RO/DI unit that is only a few months old and filled the tank with store-bought ro water before I got the unit. No algae blooms and no pests that I can find. The algae I do see that forms is never very much though it will grow over a surface or a power head to the point of being noticeable and usually when I see that, the next morning its been stripped clean by a snail.
My photo period is from 9 to 9, under T5 lights (not very good and only two bulbs but I'm arranging to fix that this weekend, too, by adding 4 more bulbs and a mixture of different types of HO T5.).
Thanks for the help.