beginning

[GuppyGuy]

Hey all!
I was wondering what are some good corals to start out with? I have been saltwater tanking for a while, but haven't had the confidence to start corals....XD

Any suggestions as to what types of corals would be good to start off with?

And what's the best way to get corals? LFS? online?

 

[breakdanc3]

i started with green star polyps ... i got them at a local fish store .. all the polyps closed up and i put the purple leathery patch on a rock. next day it had bright green polyps opening up and and has been encrusting that rock for along time now. its still my favorite soft coral. Does well in low light, bright lighting, less than favorable conditions. i consider it a fast grower. i've given away frags of it that i tied to seashells. It closes at night and opens during the day. Mine has survived several forms of punishment. it may collect detritus over time though .. like several months. take a toothbrush or turkey baster to it. and later it will open again looking happier and healthier than ever.

 

[fanandy8]

By having this in the SPS forum I am assuming you're wanting to get some SPS. Some good beginner SPS would be monti caps, birdsnest, poccilpora (sp?).

 

[Brian Chong]

the best way is from fellow hobbyists, frag swaps, lfs, and conventions. The only time i would order online is when only e-commerce fish stores were legal or i was born to an indigenous tribe in the jungles of Peru. thats just me though

 

[GuppyGuy]

if calcium and alkalinity and mg are all at good levels, is there a reason not to start with SPS? does it take more attention and experience? I don't want to get a coral and kill it accidentally XD

and green star polyps are in the Soft Coral category, correct?

 

[dixiedog]

Yes and they're a weed. Run away.

+1 on local fellow hobbyists as a source. Reef clubs are the BOMB. You can start with SPS, just do some more homework first and DIP EVERYTHING.

Did I mention DIP EVERYTHING??

 

[breakdanc3]

oh ya green star polyp is considered soft coral....,my first SPS was an acropora plug and it turned bleach white and dead shortly after putting it in my tank. my second SPS was a brown looking birdnest it died cuz i glued the plug next to an aptasia. and it caused the whole thing to rot away from where it made contact. .. then my third SPS was hitch-hiker on a leather coral base rock. started as one polyp and its seemingly pretty tough cuz its lived in a tank which had a bleaching event with every coral. And its survived me fragging it a few times. Im trying to dial in my setup so it will turn fluorescent green again like it was when it was just a mere 20 or so polyps in my old tank.

 

[M88A2]

green slimers, birds nest, and most monti's are what come to mind for me. just make sure to dip all your corals and aclimate appropriatly. also start all of them on the sand bed and move up slowly to desired location.

 

[GuppyGuy]

ok
and what's a good coral dip that people prefer these days?

 

[dixiedog]

Coral Rx, or Revive

 

[GuppyGuy]

ok sweet! thanks everyone

 

[robs.mark]

I think its pretty irresponsible for people to suggest that this guy should go out and start buying sps for his first corals when we dont know anything whatsoever about his system. Based on the fact that you are inexperienced (Nothing wrong with that at all, we all started somewhere) here's a few point to think about..

Sps (small polyp stony), as a rule, require stable parameters.
calcium - 380-450
Alk - 7-9Dkh
Mag - 1350 - 1500
phosphates and nitrates close to 0.
Many will pick me up on these parameter guides as everyones has success with slightly different parameters. This is just a basic guide. Also there are other levels that require monitoring such as strontium, iodine and more, But we shall start with the basics..

For sps your system will need to be geared up correctly. Again im generalizing here but most sps requires strong lighting (i use 2x 250w metal halides over a 3x2x2), and good varied flow. At least 40x your displays total volume turned over per hour (the more the better i turnover 65 times, some more) Varied flow helps though. Also you will need to maintain a more stable temperature that softies and lps (large polyp stony) corals.

Easier or should i say, more forgiving corals to begin your adventure with may be soft and Lps. Most people start here as its good learning, keeping parameters and getting growth. Accidently spiking your alk in a softy tank will have little impact (depending on how big a spike obviously!!) though in a sps tank you could lose all your corals, or at least drop a lot of colour for a fair while.

All im trying to say is do a bit of research and decide what corals you like the look of, then weigh this up against the amount of time/money/and years of your life via stress your willing to donate to keep them.

Nobody wants to see you buy a heap of sps frags and loose then within a few days from inexperience, its would suck and wouldnt be a good experience for you to begin on. Coral keeping can be a fantastic interest/lifestyle and many people across the world, including myself will confirm the enjoyment you'll draw from this given you take your time go steady.

Good luck and if you need any help post it on the board in newbe's or fire me a pm and we will try our best to help you out!

Mark.

 

[dixiedog]

I think its pretty irresponsible people to suggest that this guy should go out and start buying sps for his first corals when we dont know anything whatsoever about his system. Based on the fact that you are inexperienced (Nothing wrong with that at all, we all started somewhere) here's a few point to think about..

Sps (small polyp stony), as a rule, require stable parameters.
calcium - 380-450
Alk - 7-9Dkh
Mag - 1350 - 1500
phosphates and nitrates close to 0.
Many will pick me up on these parameter guides as everyones has success with slightly different parameters. This is just a basic guide. Also there are other levels that require monitoring such as strontium, iodine and more, But we shall start with the basics..

For sps your system will need to be geared up correctly. Again im generalizing here but most sps requires strong lighting (i use 2x 250w metal halides over a 3x2x2), and good varied flow. At least 40x your displays total volume turned over per hour (the more the better i turnover 65 times, some more) Varied flow helps though. Also you will need to maintain a more stable temperature that softies and lps (large polyp stony) corals.

Easier or should i say, more forgiving corals to begin your adventure with may be soft and Lps. Most people start here as its good learning, keeping parameters and getting growth. Accidently spiking your alk in a softy tank will have little impact (depending on how big a spike obviously!!) though in a sps tank you could lose all your corals, or at least drop a lot of colour for a fair while.

All im trying to say is do a bit of research and decide what corals you like the look of, then weigh this up against the amount of time/money/and years of your life via stress your willing to donate to keep them.

Nobody wants to see you buy a heap of sps frags and loose then within a few days from inexperience, its would suck and wouldnt be a good experience for you to begin on. Coral keeping can be a fantastic interest/lifestyle and many people across the world, including myself will confirm the enjoyment you'll draw from this given you take your time go steady.

Good luck and if you need any help post it on the board in newbe's or fire me a pm and we will try our best to help you out!

Mark.

I think I did say "do some more homework first".

 

[robs.mark]

I dont believe i directed that post at you..

 

[dixiedog]

Thanks for making that clear.