coral supplements

[jay24k]

DT's imo are not needed however several people do use it. I personally think it just adds extra nutrients to the tank. Unless you have filter feeders that you want to keep, I would stay away from it. I used to feed my zoas and they will eat but who really know if it helps or not.

 

[ThunderousTalon]

Ricordia tend to like higher lighting to keep up decent color. they'll do alright with less. but i've noticed a tremendous jump in growth and coloration when i changed lighting. the only thing i'd really add to the water if you arent going to do weekly water changes would be iodide by seachem, it worx like iodine, but a lot less lethal and if you OD with it, its not as terrible as iodine. and it'll help w/ growth and new polyps. DT's is imo only good if you have a heavily stocked coral tank and filter feeds as well as a large refugium. Otherwise like Jay said its just dumping nutrients into the tank.

 

[Mr Neutron]

Feeding fish adds nutrients. Fish poo adds nutrients. Feeding corals adds nutrients. Use a deep sand bed, don't tune and clean your protein skimmer regularly and you'll have lots of problems, not just from adding DT's.

 

[DaveG99]

Well I am at 5.2 watts per gallon. I have a 4" DSB now as of tonight (man that was a pain in the *** adding sand). I also have a 6-7" DSB in my refugium now. I also have a maxi 1200 that pushes the water around pretty good. I just wanted to start with some of the easier corals. In a couple weeks I am going to make my first coral purchase. Thanks for all of your advice. BTW What should I be expecting to spend on a piece of coral?

 

[cschweitzer]

First, before you buy a coral, make sure your nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, and phosphates are at 0. The amount you will spend on a coral truely depends on what you want and your spending limit. Common corals like xenia, some leathers, some button polyps, and some mushrooms can be as low as $5 per frag, sometimes even less. I could help you out with a couple frags that are very hardy and great beginner corals for really cheap. There are also corals, like the infamous PPE's(purple people eater zoanthids) that go for 25-75 per polyp depending on where you get it and how nice the person selling it is and the green polyped sarcophyton(toadstool) that can go for 25-45 per inch frag. Color, size rarity all play a role.