Anyone willing to help a new reefer out with some cheap coral (open to trades too)

G

Ghost25

New member
Hey I've just set up my first tank, I plan on picking up some zoas tomorrow but I would love to get more corals. I understand this is an expensive hobby but the thought of paying $25 or $40 for a tiny coral frag from a LFS that will double in a few months is aggravating.

I would love to be able to trade and frag out coral to the community, but at the moment my tank is empty. So can anyone help me out? I'm open to pretty much any coral frags, I'm willing to pay but of course any free coral would be greatly appreciated and I would pay it forward. I'm also open to trades, though I don't have a whole lot I do have some plant seeds and cuttings as well as rooted succulents. I also have some laboratory glass and equipment as well as some chemicals.

I'm in Menlo Park but I work in SF and am willing to travel a reasonable distance from either.

Also interested in getting some micro fauna like bristle worms or snails or hermit crabs or anything else to add biodiversity to my tank.

Thanks.
 
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Hey ghost25...

You say you've just set up your first tank... What have you done so far to the tank? Reason I ask, is because if you are new to reefing (salt water), I would first want to make sure your tank is cycled and "ready" (stable) before you start introducing live stock (corals) to your tank. I don't mind guiding you through the process. In this hobby, you will definitely learn that patience is a virtue... if you'd like my assistance, please shoot me:
-what do you invision your tank to look like?
-what type of fish/corals do u plan on putting in
-what are the dimensions of your tank
-what type of lighting
-what type of circulation (powerheads)
-filtration (sump / all-in-one / canister filter
-what's currently in the tank (live sand / live rock)
-how long has your tank been wet (when did you first put water in the tank)

...getting these questions answered will assist you in a successful reef tank
 
czar1215 said:
Hey ghost25...

You say you've just set up your first tank... What have you done so far to the tank? Reason I ask, is because if you are new to reefing (salt water), I would first want to make sure your tank is cycled and "ready" (stable) before you start introducing live stock (corals) to your tank. I don't mind guiding you through the process. In this hobby, you will definitely learn that patience is a virtue... if you'd like my assistance, please shoot me:
-what do you invision your tank to look like?
-what type of fish/corals do u plan on putting in
-what are the dimensions of your tank
-what type of lighting
-what type of circulation (powerheads)
-filtration (sump / all-in-one / canister filter
-what's currently in the tank (live sand / live rock)
-how long has your tank been wet (when did you first put water in the tank)

...getting these questions answered will assist you in a successful reef tank
Click to expand...


30 Gallon tank (36" x 16" x 12")

20Lbs BRS Pukani dry rock, acid washed then cured with lanthaum chloride for 3 weeks.

20Lb Arag Alive live sand

Aquaclear 50 HOB filter +added GFO

2x Koralia 425GPH powerheads

300W Mars Hydro LED light

Rock and live sand put in tank 6/12/16 but dry rock was curing for weeks prior. Tank is cycled with daily additions of Microbacter7, NO3 peaked at 15ppm, as of last check (6/26/16) PO4 is at 0pmm, NH4 is at 0ppm, NO2 is at 0.005ppm, NO3 is at 2ppm.

I'd like to get some nice corals, probably mostly LPS but I'd like to try some SPS as well. Some fish I'd like to get are:

Royal gramar
Pair of clownfish
Yellow sea cucumber
Porcelain crab
Cleaner shrimp
Maxima clam
Yellow watchman goby (possibly w/ shrimp pair)
Orchid dotty back
Blue spotted jawfish or pearly jawfish
Maybe a blenny
 
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well, sounds like you've started off with a good start, thanks for the info. nice list of projected live stock. Everything looks pretty hardy except for the BSJF... majority of livestock will be just fine with a temp between 78-80, however BSJF are deep water and require colder temps... I've had experience in the past putting them in a mixed reef, and came to the conclusion that in order to keep them happy, healthy and maximize their life span, a temp of 75-76 is optimal. I have acclimated them very slowly up to 78, but confirmed that they are more susceptible to stress and diseases at that temp or higher.
 
...definitely not discouraging getting any BSJF, but my advise if one would attempt to keep those in a reef tank, to select colder temperament corals and other deep water fish... That way, all is happy.
 
just looked up your light. May or may not be sufficient enough to meet the lighting requirements to keep corals. But only way to find out is to experiment... Throw a couple cheap hardy LPS's I'm there and see how they do for a month. But for long term, id slowly put money aside to save up for a slightly higher end lighting.
Note: in this hobby, 90% of the time, higher end equipment are more energy efficient, longer lasting and better quality to grow healthy corals
 
where are u located?

I have some spare Ecoxotic Panorama Pro LED strips as well as a used Hydra 26 w/controller that I have for sale.... lmk

I also have an AquaMaxx HOB-1 Skimmer you might be interested in as well
 
The MARS aqua lights are actually pretty good lights. I use a lot of them in my coral farm and get great colors on my softies and lps. It's a great light and saves a lot of money when you're just trying to get your feet wet.

I would definitely try to stay away from sps at first since they are a more demanding type of coral and also will consume more calcium and alkalinity than softies and lps. This in turn will make your parameters swing more and make it a bit harder to keep a stable environment for the rest of your corals.

Although not the prettiest frags, if you're willing to come to San Jose I have a few frags I can hand out.
 
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