Newb to LPS.

[pledosophy]

So, i have been keeping tanks for over 5 years. For the entire time I have been looking at you LPS keepers with envy, and sad that I could not participate. No more. I will now look with envy while I participate.

I have a 20g long setup for now. It has a 150w HQI 14k bulb. It also has a 40g sump, a wet dry model with LR instead of bioballs and a refugium section with chaeto and caulphera. Total over over 100 lbs of LR in the system (most in the sump). I seeded the tank with various pods. About an inch of LS in the display. Plans for a 20g gravity fed refugium byt he end of next month. Tank turns over 20x an hour. Right now now fish.

I would like to keep some LPS, as well as a couple of SPS. I would also like to get a clam, but that is down the raod.

Questions?

1. Is my tank setup O.K. to keep LPS? What would you add to the setup or subtract?

2. What are good starter corals for me to keep? I'm thinking some candy canes, euphyillia's, blasto's, acans, a brain or two anything else that is cool. Possibly some zoo's and some ric's or yuma's.

3. How often and what d you feed? Should I target food directly onto the corals?

4. I have been in this hobby for a bit, but tell me, what are the stupid mistakes that new LPS keepers make. Would like to avoid before hand.

5. Where is the best place to buy LPS?

6. What fish woul dyou consider for this size and style of tank?

Thanks for the help. Look forward to getting to know you all.

 

[GMAX]

That a lot of questions!

Blastos can be a little tricky sometimes. Rest of your list should be fine. How about a brain collection? A symphyllia, a trachyphyllia and a platygyra?

 

[blange3]

Welcome to the LPS side!!

20 longs are pretty shallow so I wouldn't hang the light too close to the surface. Of course bigger is always better, but you have 60 gallons and lots of rock so conditions will be good, you'll just run out of display space quick.

I started with candycanes and frogspawns. Candycanes are easy to keep, fun to watch feed and generally multiply quickly so you can experience the thrill of fragging and trading early in the game!

You are going to get crowded quickly so I would suggest a mostly euphyllia tank as frogspawns and hammers can generally touch with no aggression. You can get a green version and a pink version of each and have some nice variety.

I like to feed 1 - 2x a week. With all that rock in the fuge you should develop a pretty good pod population. I don't have a fuge so I let my tank cycle for 5 months before I added coral and fish.

As far as fish for that size tank; I would consider chalk bass, a royal gramma, a fire fish, flasher / fairy wrasses. You will need a good cover for most of them as they like to carpet surf.

I avoided clowns as their habit of hosting in the corals can annoy some LPS to the point where they stay closed. The corals are more likely to tolerate hosting after they have been established a while. So if you want clowns, I would add them after the corals are established for a few months.

Where to buy? Join a club in your area. I've gotten most of my corals from club members.

Hope this helps and good luck!

 

[pledosophy]

Thanks for all of your great advice.

The 20g is just a grow out tank until I can get my 65g up and running and cycled right. I just moved and decided to turn my old 65g seahorse tank into a 65g LPS Wrasse tank after I lost my seahorses. So it is going to be a project that will take time. I will let the 65g cycle for sometime to get the desired pd and shrimp populations before stocking. 65g will be pretty ridiculous when it is completed.

There are not many active clubs who have cool stock up here. Are there any good etailers that you know? Ideally I woul dlike to pay for a great frag of something awesome and grow it myself then pay the same price for a less stunning, larger coral.

Also wants the thought of mixing LPS with SPS. There are a few SPS corals that I would like, mainly a blue tort, a type of cup coral, and some type of plate montipora.

In my horse tank I used fish that were helpful to the horses and played a function in the maintence of the tank. Are there any such fish in regards to LPS?

 

[blange3]

Sounds great!

I haven't used the eTailers myself but I know quite a few folks that love Dr. Mac and Atlantis Aquarium.

As far as mixing SPS goes, the easier, more forgiving ones will work. I have a montipora cap, a milli and a pavona that do OK in my 75 LPS tank. I have a digi in my softie tank. but my tanks are optimized for LPS and Softies.

 

[pledosophy]

Thanks for the hlep.

I have helped so many people in the seahorse froum it is great to have some of it returned here. Karma is rad.

Thanks again for the time.