Softie suggestions?

[bryn.sessums1]

I have spent a lot of time looking online and feel lost. I want mostly softies & a few LPS to start, possibly a clam.

What suggestions do have? I am new to coral but have had tanks for long time. My tanks details are 40 breeder, AI Hydra 16 awl, jeboa twin wp25, Eshopps hob PSK-100 skimmer.

Looking for good color.

 

[bryn.sessums1]

I am looking for some specialty or harder to find good color colars. No just the average or ordinary

 

[Potsy]

Take a look at photosynthetic gorgonians. Some of them come in attractive purple hues. Also, stereonephthea(sp?) is tree like coral that comes in purples, yellows and pinks but is harder to find.

 

[bryn.sessums1]

Awesome, that's the type of thing I am looking for!

 

[Tzwizzle]

I have both a yellow and purple stereo trees and they are pretty cool. As far as rare colorful stuff. I've seen some purple leathers that have neon polyps that are sweet/expensive. Lots of high end/colorful mushrooms both Yuma/rhodias. Can come in oranges/purples/reds. I've got a neon green finger leather. I've seen these come in all sorts of shades. Mines got a bluish tint to it. Devils hand leathers come in different colors as well. Also don't forget zoas. They come in pretty much every color.

 

[bryn.sessums1]

Very nice!

 

[bryn.sessums1]

Really like the idea of acans and zoas. Tons of color!

 

[Tzwizzle]

Also just a heads up, I have an AI hydra 12" off the water and I had to crank the leds waaaaay back for my softies/lps. Leathers are ok near the top but I did roast some monti/zoa frags that I had near the top. Acans I have near the bottom. Slow growers but are defiantly colorful. Also be careful of palytoxin poisoning when handling zoas/palys. Both types of corals will show some really cool neon colors with some UV light.

 

[bryn.sessums1]

Thanks for the heads up. I have mine 14 awl. What settings are you using?

 

[Tzwizzle]

15 W
15 V
5 R
6 G
20 DB
20 RB
18 UV

4 hr ramp. 11 hr total

I think if anything I'm going to adjust my ramp time before I increase intensity. I bumped these up 10% and some corals started to bleach on me.

 

[bryn.sessums1]

I am trying those with the blues a little higher and 20% acclimatization.

 

[Vucious]

Scolies are awesome and super colorful.

 

[Fallling]

Stereonepthya come in a variety of colors including pink, purple, and yellow... look kind of similar to carnation corals but are photosynthetic. Nice specimens on DD occasionally show up (I got a nice pink one there). Live Aquaria also has aquacultured specimens (very small, but grow relatively fast). Blue ridge corals (Heliopora coerulea), heteroxenia, blue cespitularia, and photo gorgonians (Sealife Inc. and Your Reef both have nice selection) are also some of the harder to find softies that are interesting . Also, check DD for lobophytum, sinularia, and toadstool leathers... yellow, green, and pink/purplish ones are more uncommon and make nice and colorful additions.

 

[bryn.sessums1]

Awesome. I like the stereonepthya.

 

[bryn.sessums1]

The time has come to glue my first coral. What type can ya'll recommend?

 

[Tzwizzle]

Super glue gel works good.

I have tried the clayish sticks of 2 part putty and had difficulty.

 

[Fallling]

I also use super glue. A little trick I found that is helpful is to add superglue to frag, then add some reef safe putty (I use JB underwater weld), and finally add more superglue... a superglue and putty sandwich. This seems to work much better than just super glue or putty by itself, but you can still pop the frag off the rock if you need to. Just make sure to get reef safe superglue = )

 

[bryn.sessums1]

Help with ID. This was a thank you "freebie" in a order. Hard Y shape with orange tips that only open in the evening.

 

[Tzwizzle]

Somewhat hard to tell but kinda looks like a branched dendro. If that's the case the are not photosynthetic. You have to feed each head a couple times a week or they will die. High flow can help get them to extend their poylps but if you see the polyps you should feed them : ) Cool coral imo and not impossible to keep by any means.

 

[Fallling]

Kind of looks like a dendro head. If it is, not too difficult for nps... just make sure to target feed several times a week with meaty food like mysis, frozen cyclop-eeze, etc. and put in moderate flow. Mine stays open almost all of the time vs. my sun coral that is open 80% of the time. They're not necessarily light sensitive, meaning they don't have to be in a dark or shaded area, but if you do put them in a cave or under a overhang, just make you can get to it for feeding and there's still moderate flow.

Of course, I don't typically see dendros given as "freebies," so that makes a little more suspect to it actually being a dendro. I'm sure someone else can chime in for a definite ID =)