LPS with softies and reef fish

[confusedxx]

I am rather thinking about doing a 180g tank and wondered if SPS and Softies could be rather easily combined with a few reef fish? I am a beginner and would go with corals that do not need feeding but get nutrients from photosynthesis

What would you recommend for watts per gallon in a 24" high tank (LED lights).

Which LPS would you recommend for mixing into a softie and fish tank?

 

[VoiceInTheDeser]

You mean LPS or do you intend to have SPS in there as well? SPS would require a much more intense light fixture that will probably be a little much for most LPS without some acclimating.

If you're interested in LEDs, I'd head over to the reefbreeders sponser forum. They have a group buy going on right now to get a discount on their fixtures. I got mine from them recently and am extremely happy with it. You can ask for a recommendation on which fixture to get over there as well.

 

[confusedxx]

sorry you are absolutely correct. i want to mix reef fish with softies and LPS. I am not interested in doing SPS or overly difficult systems (lighting, Ca+, etc).

For LPS and Soft corals, what lighting levels would you recommend as a guide line and which LPS would you recommend for beginners to saltwater

 

[VoiceInTheDeser]

I would wait to get some opinions from other people as I've only been doing this since about Christmas, but I've found my Open Brain (Trachyphyllia) to be fairly forgiving. I have had fairly good results with my acans as well, but they are a little more touchy for sure. The very first corals I got were mushrooms and zoas, which helped me kinda learn how to place and care for coral before I moved to the stuff I mentioned before.

For light, I just switched to a Photon 24 from reefbreeders. If you're into the LED look, you won't find a better price on programmable fixtures than those. T5s also work very well though and are more "tried and true" than LED at this point. You could get a 4x T5 fixture for whatever size tank you have and probably be pretty good for light requirements on LPS and softies.

 

[Reef Frog]

People keep softies, LPS & fish together all the time. In a bigger tank like a 180g it's easier than a small tank because you can spread the corals out, so less chance of a stinging and/or chemical warfare incidents.

Watts per gallon is an a rough gauge cooked up for old style fluorescent lights and metal halides. It has no value with LEDs.

Keep in mind that some LPS corals really should be fed. If the species puts out tentacles, it's lookin for something more than sunshine. Now some can get this food from fish waste, native pods, plankton, stray fish food, etc. So target feeding is not always absolutely required but is a huge benefit for most species...especially if you're expecting growth. But all LPS I can think of do "eat".