Starter Coral

[stagefright13]

What would be a good starter coral. I have never kept any corals before just a BTA. I have a 29 gallon with a 10 gallon sump and 2 Coralife 65 watt 50/50 power compacts about 6 inches from the water. The tank has been up like 7 years and the water quality is excellent. Just wondering what corals look cool and are easy to maintain. And will do well with my lighting. Also remember I have a Bubble Tipped Anemone and 2 Clarki Clowns. (Low bio load)

Thanks in advance!

 

[Michael]

mushrooms are really easy to keep, as a novice they would be a good starter

 

[Sk8r]

You might do with a candycane (caulestra) but if you go the stony route, you do have to keep up with calcium/alkalinity/magnesium---not too hard to do, even to automate. The euphyllias (frog, hammer) are pretty well behaved. I'm trying to think of things that will live fairly easily and won't reach out and annoy your nem. These corals I've named don't have sneaky 6" sweepers that come out after dark, and they're pretty tolerant of various lighting.
Another route would be to pick carefully and run some mushrooms and buttons (not compatible too easily with stony); or other softie corals (avoid leathers. Most softies spit when annoyed, but leathers are particularly spitty, and you don't want to annoy your nem into moving or stinging back.) Most stonies behave themselves. There are a few leathers that don't.

 

[stagefright13]

Thanks! My LFS is having a sale on corals and I did see some mushrooms there. I will have to check what types they are.They were on tiny pieces of rock.

Where would I place them in the tank? I have about 600 gph flow. Would I place them away from the flow or somewhere in between? Do I have to glue the rock down? Should I place them on top to be closer to the light?

Sorry for asking dumb questions! I always like to know what I am doing WAY in advance. I don't want to harm them or my other pets.

 

[Slayer311]

Mushrooms are pretty tollerant to most lighting conditions, they prefer medium to high light but they get pretty annoyed with heavy current. So medium flow and medium light is good to start and can move them a bit if they appear unhappy.

 

[Sk8r]

They like to be able to spread out nicely without having themselves blown sideways. Think of them as tiny versions of your nem---what would make it happy will make these guys happy. They reproduce like nems, by dividing, and will slowly 'walk' a few inches (about 1/2 a day) to reach a more advantageous spot. With shrooms, always watch your ph, and your alkalinity. They like a ph of 7.3-8.3 and an alk of about 8.3-9.3, salinity of 1.025 give or take .001, and are generally very good growers. Do NOT get an elephant-ear mushroom: they're dangerous to small fish. They're kind of brown-green, large, "hairy" and they close up on intruding fishes and eat them. All other kinds including some 'fuzzy' ones are perfectly safe and a great deal of fun.

Visit the corallimorphian forum (that's shrooms) and tap their expertise, too.

sometimes you'll have a shroom leave its rock and blow about the tank like an angry nem. With a nem in there, you'll want to catch it and pin it down fast. There are various techniques for doing this: rubber-banding a piece of netting to a rock with the stray inside is classic.

 

[stagefright13]

Thanks that is great advice I appreciate it. My tank is stuck at 8.2 PH for years and I run 1.024 at 80 degrees also for years. And I keep the KH and Calcium pretty high for my coraline. So I guess that will be ok. I'm not getting them 'till next weekend so I will definitely do some more reading.

Once again thanks! Getting excited at something new lol. I'm only getting 1 coral tho. My salt tank is only 29 gallons. I plan to move the salt water to my 55 when my last 3 Silver dollars die of old age. They have been in there 7 years LOL. I was told they only live for 4. But that is another topic...

 

[Todd March]

As far as stony corals, Montipora digita is very hardy and will do well even under your PC lights. And if you are watching Alk and Calcium, so much the better. Montipora can grow very fast and well, so in a 29G, you will have to watch it gets its calcification needs met (though coralline sucks up the bicarbs and Ca pretty fast too...!)

Below is a picture of an average, no-frills color wise, digita. They can come in much better and more vivid colors as well, commonly pinks and greens...

 

[stagefright13]

That is a great pic. I just don't want something my clownfish will migrate to. She is funny and thinks anything that moves is an anemone lol. Maybe a stony is a good way to go.

I used 2 NO actinics and a 175 watt MH for years. But got tired of hearing my 4 small fans (2 in And 2 out) in the hood. Kinda sounded like a jet engine whining up. The PC's are 6" closer to the water and the tank actually to my eyes looks brighter.

 

[Sk8r]

she might, on the other hand, get quite protective of her nem. You just can't tell with clowns.

 

[Mykel Obvious]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12880959#post12880959 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Todd March
As far as stony corals, Montipora digita is very hardy and will do well even under your PC lights. And if you are watching Alk and Calcium, so much the better. Montipora can grow very fast and well, so in a 29G, you will have to watch it gets its calcification needs met (though coralline sucks up the bicarbs and Ca pretty fast too...!)

Below is a picture of an average, no-frills color wise, digita. They can come in much better and more vivid colors as well, commonly pinks and greens...

Hey Todd,
Any other SPS that are known to do well under PC's? I'm running 384 watts right now (with another 96 watts that I could add if needed), and would like a few pieces of SPS to place up high that will survive well for the next year, until I can save up for T5's

 

[Todd March]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12881263#post12881263 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Mykel Obvious
Hey Todd,
Any other SPS that are known to do well under PC's? I'm running 384 watts right now (with another 96 watts that I could add if needed), and would like a few pieces of SPS to place up high that will survive well for the next year, until I can save up for T5's

Under 384 watts of PC's you should be able to keep almost anything--even for PC's this is a good amount of light, unless we are talking a tank over 4' long...? I think you would be more limited by nutrient levels than lights...

While Monti's are about as cast iron as SPS gets, I think that Pocillopora and Damicornis are hardy. And if you're up to a little more challenge, as far as Acros go, Bali Green Slimer does well high in the tank, right under the lights...

 

[stagefright13]

So my lighting is ok for a coral? My hood is full at this point. I can only fit 2 PC's in it. At least the Coralife ones I got. But it is VERY bright. And I can move them 6 inches from the water instead of 12" that my MH needed.

Remember my salt tank is only 30 inches wide. About the same width as the lights.

 

[Mykel Obvious]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12881418#post12881418 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Todd March
Under 384 watts of PC's you should be able to keep almost anything--even for PC's this is a good amount of light, unless we are talking a tank over 4' long...? I think you would be more limited by nutrient levels than lights...

While Monti's are about as cast iron as SPS gets, I think that Pocillopora and Damicornis are hardy. And if you're up to a little more challenge, as far as Acros go, Bali Green Slimer does well high in the tank, right under the lights...

Tank is 36"x18"x24" with a water depth of 18" (6" DSB) so I still get a nice amount of light at the bottom for shrooms, zoas and the like... I hope my lighting is enough for a plate coral on the sand bed

What prompted me to ask is Drs. Foster & Smith has a "Certified Beginner SPS Frag 5 Pack" that lists the following as good "beginner" SPS: Pavona, Seriatopora, Stylophora, Porites, and Pocillopora... They state: "They will also thrive under multiple T-5 or compact fluorescents if placed towards the top in the aquarium." but I never know when to believe something I read on their site

 

[stagefright13]

Hey I work at a Triumph dealer lol...

 

[Mykel Obvious]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12881520#post12881520 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stagefright13
Hey I work at a Triumph dealer lol...

That's the dog bone on my 2007 Bonneville... I love it!!

 

[Todd March]

Mykel, those are decent corals for under your lights--I would have no reservations about buying that starter pack as long as you are watching nutrient levels (primarily phosphate). You're not going to find them in cobalt Blue or turquoise or raspberry pink, but...

Stagefright, if you keep the higher light lovers (SPS) up near the top, the more hardy ones should do fine. I've had Monti's grow even when phosphate levels were too high--levels that would just shut Acros down for instance (calcification).

 

[Mykel Obvious]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12881548#post12881548 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Todd March
Mykel, those are decent corals for under your lights--I would have no reservations about buying that starter pack as long as you are watching nutrient levels (primarily phosphate). You're not going to find them in cobalt Blue or turquoise or raspberry pink, but...

Stagefright, if you keep the higher light lovers (SPS) up near the top, the more hardy ones should do fine. I've had Monti's grow even when phosphate levels were too high--levels that would just shut Acros down for instance (calcification).

That's what I needed to know... I'll most likely cherry pick corals at my NSLFS*, the Aquatic Critter in Nashville, TN instead of buying the starter pack... it's either that or Diver' Den, I'm a WYSIWYG kinda guy

Thanks for your help, Todd (and sorry to hijack your thread stagefright)

*Not So Local Fish Store