If "cheap" is in your vernacular, and "ethical" is as well... I'd advise
against keeping photosynthetic cnidarians. They require a lot of light
energy, which can only be produced by spending a fair amount of money on
lighting that is 1) capable of producing more intense light energy and 2)
they're going to consume a lot of energy, so they have a high maintenance
cost.
Non-photosynthetics are very difficult to keep because you're continually
polluting their water trying to even come close to the amount of food
flushed by them daily. So they're a poor choice by way of their feeding
mechanisms.
You will find plenty of people who will tell you otherwise, if you want to
hear otherwise, when it comes to them selling you (or having bought into)
something or not.
Even Aiptasia sp. need light, but I'm sure you'll find plenty of ethical
marine aquarists willing to part with a few thousand... ;)
There are probably far better choices for animals to husband if you don't
want to spend the money on the lighting. This isn't a cut against you, but
bottom line is... Photosymbionts are expensive to keep and really are an
excess, and only for those ethical aquarists who are willing to spend the
money to provide what they need.
I really like what Jan said yesterday as well:
"Its not incumbent on the [animal] to adapt to the conditions provided by
the
aquarist. Its the responsibility of the aquarist to accomodate the needs of
the [animal]."
Todd
----- Original Message -----
From: <Gastropodmania_at_aol.com>
To: <nanfa_at_aquaria.net>
Sent: Sunday, March 28, 2004 5:59 PM
Subject: NANFA-- Sea anemones
> Are sea anemones easy to keep? What amount of light do they need? The
most
> amount of light I can get reasonably cheap is 120 watts of fluorescent
bulbs.
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