New Mantis Tank and Soft Corals

[villious]

Hello all. I'm currently in the process of setting up a 14 gallon Oceanic Nano Cube for a n. wennerae manits only tank. I took out the bio balls and will use the liverock for filtration. Since the tank is small and enclosed I wont have a protien skimmer on it (bad mistake?).

I want to put a few soft corals in it just to add to the astetic value of the tank. The lights that come with the Nano Cube seem ok for softies. I dont want to leave the light on all day due to heating up the tank. What would be good choices for soft corals that dont need a LOT of light? Xienia, muchrooms, green star polyps, other polyps?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks so much!!!!!

Villious

 

[Pea-brain]

hmmm...Probably a question best suited for the softie forum, but I would go with green star polyps. They grow fast (allowing you to frag them and help support your hobby) and look awesome. I saw a pic of a mantis looking out from a whole bunch of GSP and it was amazing looking. Kind of like a lion stalking prey in tall grass.....

 

[TMPoften]

I have a 6gallon jbj nano cube with star polyps, candy coral, mushrooms, zoanthids, fivite brain coral, leather, and in the 12 gallon nanocube I have ricordea, torch, hammer, leathers again, zonathids, and your plain old mushrooms again. The lighting is only one part of the eqaution. If you can keep the water clear it wont get relfected by all the particles and the corals will grow just fine. 3watts per/gallon should be enough to do most of that stuff. In these small tanks you have to watch the consumption of chemicals corals use to grow. I do regular water changes in these guys, probably once a week.

 

[KafudaFish]

I have a peacock in a 29 gal with a single 65 watt PC light. I keep xenia, GSP, kenya tree, galaxia, several zoas, several mushrooms, blastos, and frogspawn. Everything is doing well. I have very little algae on my glass and also get good coraline alage growth. Hope this helps. I also don't have a skimmer. You can use the xenia and cheato (if you have any) for nutrient export.

 

[rwhhunt]

I have a young O Havanensis in a Biocube8, with zoos, xenia, bubble, and rose flower corals...I want to add GSPs and large neon green hair mushrooms..

 

[Ms. K]

I have GSP growing in my fuge under normal fluorescent strip lights. What wattage are the lights you have?

 

[KafudaFish]

50/50 pc 65 watt. The GSP were given to me as part of a trade. They have not spread but are a nice additon because one of the burrows is right under them in the very front and I often see 2 eyes looking at me. It is like camo or something.

 

[travisurfer]

Be careful. My mantis destroyed a flower anemone as well as a kenya tree frag.