Lower light corals?
- Thread starter scar79
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seamuskrat
New member
You want species that are non-photosynthetic. The cup corals, many mushrooms and polyps would rather feed and do not photosynthesize. These would count as low light.
Tell us about what you have in mind for a tank. The size, lighting, filtration and I can provide a more detailed list rather than generalities.
- Jonathan
Tell us about what you have in mind for a tank. The size, lighting, filtration and I can provide a more detailed list rather than generalities.
- Jonathan
cup corals mushrooms and polyps are all photosynthetic. stay away from non photosynthetic corals like sun polyps,dendros and some gorgonians. they require special feeding which can be very hard if not impossible to do.
they will live under your lighting. frogspawn will probably need at least another 96 watts to be happy.
they will live under your lighting. frogspawn will probably need at least another 96 watts to be happy.
seamuskrat
New member
Oops. That is what happens when I type, talk on the phone and feed babies at the same time, I leave out paragraphs.
The azooxanthellate or non-photosynthetic coral group, includes several families and genera. These include soft corals such as Chironephthya, Scleronephthya, Siphonogorgia, Dendronephthya and Stereonephthya, gorgonians such as Acalcygorgia ,Acabaria,, Melithaea and Subergorgia, black corals and wire corals such as Antipathes and Cirripathes, hydrocorals such as Distichopora and Stylaster and Distichopora, and of course stony corals in the genus Tubastraea. These corals are specialized feeders and require a supply of food or they starve. Targeted feeding of these guys can be difficult on a good day, and impossible on most days.
What you do want are low light tolerant corals. What I meant to say above as this group is best if light is a limiting factor for you. 96 watts of PC at 17 inches should be able to support Any number of Ricordea species, Discosoma species, and if you water flow is adequate some Zoanthus species, and some Palythoa species. All of these would also happily take some zooplankton for extra food.
It is also possible with your set up that some LPS would do ok. If they were placed about 10 inches from the lights they would be happier. Scolymia species would probably do all right. I had some in a 10 gallon with only 24 watts of PC and they thrived.
Sorry for the disjointed post above.
- Jonathan
The azooxanthellate or non-photosynthetic coral group, includes several families and genera. These include soft corals such as Chironephthya, Scleronephthya, Siphonogorgia, Dendronephthya and Stereonephthya, gorgonians such as Acalcygorgia ,Acabaria,, Melithaea and Subergorgia, black corals and wire corals such as Antipathes and Cirripathes, hydrocorals such as Distichopora and Stylaster and Distichopora, and of course stony corals in the genus Tubastraea. These corals are specialized feeders and require a supply of food or they starve. Targeted feeding of these guys can be difficult on a good day, and impossible on most days.
What you do want are low light tolerant corals. What I meant to say above as this group is best if light is a limiting factor for you. 96 watts of PC at 17 inches should be able to support Any number of Ricordea species, Discosoma species, and if you water flow is adequate some Zoanthus species, and some Palythoa species. All of these would also happily take some zooplankton for extra food.
It is also possible with your set up that some LPS would do ok. If they were placed about 10 inches from the lights they would be happier. Scolymia species would probably do all right. I had some in a 10 gallon with only 24 watts of PC and they thrived.
Sorry for the disjointed post above.
- Jonathan
Last edited:
PoggiPJ
Premium Member
Sun Corals
Sun Corals
I've had very good results with my sun corals for 4 years now under 2 65w PC lamps. I place them in areas where I can easily reach them with my feeder. This consists of a turkey baster, with a 12" length of 1/8" diameter rigid tubing stuck into the end as an extension.
First I will release a small amount of food into the water so that they sense it, and come out to feed. After the polyps are extended, and ready to accept food I fill the baster, and then slowly release a cloud of it around the corals.
I feed them with defrosted cyclop-eze, twice daily, and they thrive. The few times I've neglected to feed them for a few days, they did begin to recede. However they recover quite quickly and spread quite well. I work from home and they are right in my office, so it is an easy thing for me to walk into the kitchen and get some food for them.
The sun corals will grab the food right out of the baster, and are quite beautiful when opened. Sun corals aside, I definitely agree with the other posters, that MOST of the non-photosynthesizing corals are very difficult.
You MUST make a committment that you will feed them for as long as you have them, or they WILL die. So be sure to keep plenty of frozen cyclop-eze on hand, and place them where you can reach them with your feeder.
Sun Corals
I've had very good results with my sun corals for 4 years now under 2 65w PC lamps. I place them in areas where I can easily reach them with my feeder. This consists of a turkey baster, with a 12" length of 1/8" diameter rigid tubing stuck into the end as an extension.
First I will release a small amount of food into the water so that they sense it, and come out to feed. After the polyps are extended, and ready to accept food I fill the baster, and then slowly release a cloud of it around the corals.
I feed them with defrosted cyclop-eze, twice daily, and they thrive. The few times I've neglected to feed them for a few days, they did begin to recede. However they recover quite quickly and spread quite well. I work from home and they are right in my office, so it is an easy thing for me to walk into the kitchen and get some food for them.
The sun corals will grab the food right out of the baster, and are quite beautiful when opened. Sun corals aside, I definitely agree with the other posters, that MOST of the non-photosynthesizing corals are very difficult.
You MUST make a committment that you will feed them for as long as you have them, or they WILL die. So be sure to keep plenty of frozen cyclop-eze on hand, and place them where you can reach them with your feeder.
