Low-light Corals

[LouPhoenix]

What corals would you recommend for the bottom area of a 60 gallon tank. It is TALL, so they would be at least 30 inches deep.
Water flow is strong in the bottom area as well, but that can be controlled if necessary. I'm more concerned about enough light reaching them. Any suggestions on low light corals?

Thanks all!

 

[ReefWreak]

Would that be with your PC lighting? If so, then probably only non-photosynthetic corals could be kept down there (suncorals, some gorgonians, a bunch of soft corals come to mind)

 

[LouPhoenix]

Yes PC lighting for now... I'm having a wall-hung fixture built for my MH pendant, but that might take a while...

 

[ReefWreak]

Yea. i don't think that PCs can put enough par at the bottom of a 30" tank to really keep anything other than coralline... Algae might be starved for light that far down... There are really beautiful corals that you can still keep though. In fact most non-photosynthetic corals are BEAUTIFULLY colored.

 

[jessp]

what exactly is the height?

 

[LouPhoenix]

30 inches deep. Been looking at the orange sun corals, which look pretty sweet... does anyone have any?

 

[jessp]

since the tank is so deep it could be a pia to feed them all the way at the bottom of the tank.

 

[LouPhoenix]

Got me an extra long baster which will reach, so feeding wouldn't be an issue. It's an open top tank, so i'm not restricted for access to the bottom either.

 

[jessp]

i think that some of the lps are not as light demanding, open brains i think you might be able to get away w/ that.

 

[LouPhoenix]

My pink brain and the ricordias are the lowest at 2/3 of the way down.

 

[ReefWreak]

I doubt it. I had a hard time keeping my open brain (it's red/green combo, the redder they are, the less light they need) farther than 12" from my T5 4x54w when I had them over my tank.. (it was the nova fixture..) PCs give even less light.

 

[ReefWreak]

Your brain might actually be fine, because it's used to that level of lighting already. My green brain came from a halide heavy tank, so it didn't fare so well with less light and worse water params.

 

[itz frank]

Well given that i'm guessing u have substrate that'll take up a few inches or so. The to top that unless you plan on placing the coral ON the sand it'll be on a few inches of liverock. I don't think you'll actually have corals 30" from the light. Maybe more like 26-24. Which you could probably get away with lowlight corals. Perhaps some mushrooms, even though i've done some recent reading saying that they need alot more light then we give them credit for.

 

[LouPhoenix]

My brain is more pink than anything else, so it seems to be comfortable where it is, but I wouldn't put it any lower than where it is now.

Yes I do have substrate, but I don't plan on putting anything on it, so everything will sit on live rock.

I'll probably wind up getting some gorgonians, Dendronephthya and sun corals.... so far the pics i've checked out online look awesome... so that may be the way to go. Does anyone keep these? I'm officially looking to buy some now!

 

[ReefWreak]

They're beautiful, the only issue is that you've got to feed them. but if you don't currently have a heavy bio-load, then maybe you'll be fine.