Beginner corals

BigTuna321

BigTuna321

New member
I'm pretty new to the whole saltwater "addiction".Anyways i just bought a 24 gal aqua pod compact florescent with the 10k and dual actinics. I have 20 pounds of live sand and am going to purchase live rock from salty critter soon.
My main question is what kind of corals would be hardy with the lighting that i have and the probable fluctuations in water quality i will make in the beginning.
Obviously i am not going to add corals until the live rock and everything is cycled. But id like to have suggestions so i can further my knowledge in the subject
 
you should stick to soft corals such as mushrooms, kenya trees and leathers. these are pretty hard to kill and grow quickly. zoas are very hardy and come in many colors. if you can keep these corals alive and well then you can move on to better corals.
 
look for the ones with the "little training wheels" on them.

seriously though, most soft corals will do fine under CF lighting. Mushrooms, zoos, etc are great because you can get a small FRAG and let them grow. Leathers might take over a 24 gallon in a year or less. Then you'll have to start fragging. SC will certainly steer you in the right direction. Good luck.
 
I also have a bunch of leathers, zoas, gorgonia that are very easy to care for.
Where about do you live?
 
Thanks for all the help. I live in kent which is about 20 minutes from akron. Id love to purchase some frags from you guys in the future but i still need to cycle my rock and maybe try a clown before i venture into corals.
 
Zoanthids are always nice in a tank that size because they dont take up as much room as some other corals. Look into them because they have alot of vivid color varieties available. You can also check out Green star polyps. they are super easy to keep.

And when you find you need a little more light to help you keep your corals and colors up check out this site for lighting upgrades

www.nanotuners.com
 
clowns will host in anything they feel safe in and aid in feeding what they are hosting in. they can host in green polys ,,but chances are they wont. look into a anemone of some sort . you will have better luck getting clowns to host in them ,,,, and go with a pair of clowns not just one . they seem to do better paired up
Dan at Salty has some nice clowns and they wont break the bank either ,,,look for "ORA " clowns ,,a bit more , not needed ..but really nice clowns.
 
i have a clump of anthelia i could give you some of. my maroon clowns host in it and it is very hardy. i am in mentor
 
i always have the stuff and probably agree with Jeff. maybe some chromis's to help seed the tank. then get the coral in november and let it spread a little before introducing the clowns
 
I live in Akron, so when you need to get some corals. I have some frags of hardy corals you can buy. There are other reefers that are also located in the Akron area that can sell you some stuff.
 
Thanks last questions if i put in the live rock, sand, and turn on the lights this sunday how long will it be before i can add a couple of fish (chromis) then later on corals.
Also should i get a clean up crew (snails etc) before i add fish and how many and what kind of snails should i get?
 
Wait a while for snails or hermits. Cycling usually is a week some people will say longer. Test kits can tell you what is happening. As for fish i disagree with chromis, just get what you want as long as the tank has settled and you researched the fish you like. Your size tank cant handle anything big, but a clown is fine this early. Also dont look into an anomenoe for a long time, your tank needs to be established and they also dont like PC lighting from my experience.
 
If the rocks are already cured, then it shouldn't be that long at all before you can add fishes to your tank. You would have to test the waters like all new tanks though to see if it is safe to start adding fishes.
 
My clown hosts in the sinulara, I think he thinks it is an anemome.
He doesnt go too far from it and don't let anything near it either. Pretty cool.
 
Thanks does salty critter sell cured live rock i have never been there
Also is that where i should get my rock? Is there a better spot to get rock from?
 
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