New corals

[mikeadams1985]

Im currently running a 38gallon FOWLR stock is 2 clowns.
But im going to be buying a new tank, hopefull around the 80galln mark

the tank will measure

4ft x 2ft x 16"high

I will be using the old tank as a sump.

What corals can you recommend to a newbiew

Im lookin for something with color in it.

Light at the moment is a t5 power compact 55w daylight blue moon. - so im sure ill have to upgrade that?

So any suggestions or coral and lighting?

much appreciated - mike

 

[DJ88©]

[moved]

 

[Sk8r]

Candy canes forgive almost anything: just start them at the bottom of the tank and move them up only cautiously. They grow fast. Acroporas can be cranky and don't like to be handled. Stylophora has certainly tolerated my clumsiness well. Just be careful, IMHO, about mixing leathers into the tank: they're prone to snits if the water gets 'off' and then compound matters by shedding chemicals into the water. Carbon can help that, but certain corals do conduct chemical warfare---there's a lot of specific info in the sps subject area. Watch the mood of your mushrooms and test quickly if they look glum or annoyed. Do check out the light requirements on anything you buy, and familiarize yourself with the peculiar pests and maladies of corals.

 

[Gargausius]

Acroporas need way too much light for what you've got. I don't recommend those for people who don't have halides or their equivalents in intensity. Same goes for Seriatoporas, Porites, and Stylophoras. They're also not easy to keep for inexperienced hobbyists.

Candy Canes are awesome. They're easy to keep, and can do well in moderately intense lighting such as with what you've got. Bubble Corals are cool too. I personally like the "white" ones, but there are bright neon green ones, brownish blue ones, and brown ones. They're neat to observe when the tentacles come out at night and can be fed! Open Brains are undemanding and very colorful, some are purple w/ green, flourescent orange w/ green. flourescent green, and flourescent pink w/ green. Star polyps are cute. They like good current around them w/o any detritus or silt collecting onto them. It grows into a green, white, or brown mat of stars. Healthy ones take over the tank easily. Zooanthids come in a variety of colors and shapes but don't like algae growing on it or near it. Mushroom Polyps come in a variety of sizes, colors, shapes, and textures.

The list can go on, but these are good beginners corals. Have fun.

 

[Gargausius]

Oops! Didn't see you had T5's!

You can grow a small percentage of SPS corals but be aware that not all species are created equal when it comes to lighting and current requirements. I've personally seen Acropora millepora do fairly well under T5's. But the more intensely colored Acros you might not be able to do well with. The colors get washed out and bleached under T5's. Tissue mass covering the sclerites under this lighting for brighter colored Acros don't look good either. Seriatopora might do well, but they are delicate to handle, (don't handle the coral, handle the base). I'm not sure about Pocilloporas doing well with T5's, but I'll just say they might not. Pocilloporas are more difficult to grow than Acros in my opinion. They don't heal as quickly as Acros do when damaged. I think they also like farily intense lighting as most of the ones that are brown are actually supposed to be either orange, pink, or green.

Pavonas (Potato Chip or Cactus Corals) though I've seen do well under this type of light. Pectinias (Lettuce Corals) are very unique and are bluish purple or brown. There's also a blue violet coral that I believe is an Echinopora that I've been seeing quite a bit of lately, and those look cool too!

I recommend upgrading to those double ended bulbs that are becoming very popular now. Tbey're just as intense if not more so than halides.

 

[Mrs.kbmdale]

I would recommend any mushroom and zoanthid.
You can check out all kinds of zoa's colors and whatnot on www.zoaid.com. Under the lighting you've got, I would say you could get some monticaps as long as you keep them above the middle of your tank. Frogspawns are neat too! I have a pink birdsnest (my avatar) under 500w of VHO in my 75g. And of course trumpets and candycanes, but only if you sing sweet lullabys to them everynight at lights out :lol:

Good luck and Happy hunting