Beginner corals?

[Molli]

I'm just starting out. My passion (atm) is zoas. I was told they're good for beginners. However, the more I read about zoa pox, mystery melts, and nudi eating zoas, the more I wonder if my info was bad. Besides pest corals ( like evil 'take over the world polps' or 'masterminding xenias' ) what other good beginner type stuff is out there? Decent colors, easy keeper. Forgiving of gentle salinity swings or other parameter mess ups?

[fishboyt]

Nearly all soft and LPS corals are good for beginners. The LPS corals do require a little more attention to lighting and nitrates, but are generally easy to care for.

[Molli]

Great thanks!

Are there any SPS that are good to start with? I've read green slimers are good to start with, anything else? I really love how pocillopora and milles look.

[mcarroll]

Molli:

Have you kept a tank of any kind before this one?

I highly recommend avoiding corals that are "good for beginners" and to first consider what corals you'd really like to keep. (You're not going to be a beginner for long....then who are those corals in the tank for??? ) Once you decide what you like, it's not to hard to make sure both you and your tank are set up for it. Highly recommended not to skimp on an automatic top off system (recommend an AquaHub kit or Ultralife kit + an Aqua Lifter pump) and plan to add a doser ($30-$80 these days) if you decide you like LPS or SPS - it's very inexpensive in the long run and I promise you will thank me for it. Varying salinity and other parameters isn't good for most inhabitants, but particularly not stony coral.

Some thoughts:

Do you really like the varied shapes and colors of SPS coral such as Montipora and Acropora?

Do you like the flowing movements and wild color patterns of LPS corals such as Scolymia, Euphillia and the various "chalices"?

Leather corals have a whole other variety of (mostly) flowing shapes and colors - many more "earth tones".

Most soft corals like Cloves, Zoas, Briariums, Star Polypls, Mushrooms, etc. are recommended for beginners because they grow like weeds (i.e. quickly and everywhere you don't want them) and will survive many bad husbandry practices.

If your goal is to practice good husbandry of whatever animals you keep (of course it is!) then I see nothing in particular to recommend soft corals over any other variety you might find attractive.

There are many easy SPS, LPS, Leather and soft corals, so don't start off being intimidated into "beginner corals". (Unless that's really what you like!)

I always recommend that beginners take as long as possible to look at coral pictures in books (very good to have a good coral book at home) and online as well as looking at as many live coral at your local fish store(s) as possible to decide what you like.

Rule #1 for beginners (and everyone else too) is to GO SLOW.

If you want to start with SPS coral and feel unsure of yourself, start with one small frag and "live with it" for a few months.

Get a Salifert Alkalinity test kit and test you tank water regularly (weekly or so at first, always same time of day) to see what happens as the coral grows out into a full colony.

Above all: READ. There are many great books out there - get a few of them (no Dummies books unless you're really a dummy! Seek out Borneman and Fenner as great starting points.) for home. There is no online substitute that I'm aware of. :-)

-Matt

[Molli]

Molli:

Have you kept a tank of any kind before this one?

I highly recommend avoiding corals that are "good for beginners" and to first consider what corals you'd really like to keep. (You're not going to be a beginner for long....then who are those corals in the tank for??? ) Once you decide what you like, it's not to hard to make sure both you and your tank are set up for it.

Some thoughts:

Do you really like the varied shapes and colors of SPS coral such as Montipora and Acropora?

Do you like the flowing movements and wild color patterns of LPS corals such as Scolymia, Euphillia and the various "chalices"?

Leather corals have a whole other variety of (mostly) flowing shapes and colors - many more "earth tones".

Most soft corals like Cloves, Zoas, Briariums, Star Polypls, Mushrooms, etc. are recommended for beginners because they grow like weeds (i.e. quickly and everywhere you don't want them) and will survive many bad husbandry practices.

If your goal is to practice good husbandry of whatever animals you keep (of course it is!) then I see nothing in particular to recommend soft corals over any other variety you might find attractive.

There are many easy SPS, LPS, Leather and soft corals, so don't start off being intimidated into "beginner corals". (Unless that's really what you like!)

I always recommend that beginners take as long as possible to look at coral pictures in books (very good to have a good coral book at home) and online as well as looking at as many live coral at your local fish store(s) as possible to decide what you like.

Rule #1 for beginners (and everyone else too) is to GO SLOW.

If you want to start with SPS coral and feel unsure of yourself, start with one small frag and "live with it" for a few months.

Get a Salifert Alkalinity test kit and test you tank water regularly (weekly or so at first, always same time of day) to see what happens as the coral grows out into a full colony.

-Matt

This is the kind of reply I was looking for! I've been reading and researching for a little over a year now and my tank is finally ready for it's first several corals. I already have a little frag of zoanthids, which I really love. In fact they're my favorite coral.
I started out wanting some of that cool pulsing xenia but learned xenias aren't for me, since I don't want a tank full of them! I'm not interested in things that grow like weeds and are hard to remove, though I think a small tank full of gsp would be pretty.
What I'm getting from your post is to choose what I like, as long as I can meet it's requirements. Am I right?
I don't really feel confused, just nervous I guess, and looking for a little guidance. I don't like the idea of purchasing something beautiful and then killing it. I have managed not to kill my zoa yet, it's been alive 12 days now :O
Edit: Oh ya, I have Bob Fenners 'Conscientious Aquarist' and I do read a ton!

[mcarroll]

Are there any SPS that are good to start with? I've read green slimers are good to start with, anything else? I really love how pocillopora and milles look.

Either of those (sub almost any birdsnest for the pocillopora) or a classic Montipora digi or cap (any solid color) would make a good start. For the very first stony I typically recommend something thinner bodied because their growth (or lack thereof) is easier for you to see. You need to become familiar with what growth, health (and the lack of those) look like. Some stony corals that are easy are very slow growers, so it can be hard to detect if you're doing anything right or wrong. :-)

(For that reason, SPS like Acropora and Millipora usually aren't on my first coral list, even though many are quite easy to grow.)

-Matt

[Molli]

Either of those (sub almost any birdsnest for the pocillopora) or a classic Montipora digi or cap (any solid color) would make a good start. For the very first stony I typically recommend something thinner bodied because their growth (or lack thereof) is easier for you to see. You need to become familiar with what growth, health (and the lack of those) look like. Some stony corals that are easy are very slow growers, so it can be hard to detect if you're doing anything right or wrong. :-)

(For that reason, SPS like Acropora and Millipora usually aren't on my first coral list, even though many are quite easy to grow.)

-Matt

That's good to hear, birdsnest is pretty high on my list of neat looking corals. I'll be sure to start with one of them. And watch it like a hawk!

[mcarroll]

This is the kind of reply I was looking for! I've been reading and researching for a little over a year now and my tank is finally ready for it's first several corals. I already have a little frag of zoanthids, which I really love. In fact they're my favorite coral.
I started out wanting some of that cool pulsing xenia but learned xenias aren't for me, since I don't want a tank full of them! I'm not interested in things that grow like weeds and are hard to remove, though I think a small tank full of gsp would be pretty.

Welcome! And I'm glad you like the zoas, but they have the same fate in store for you as would Xenia. The timeframe might be a little different, but the outcome the same. And you're right about them being beautiful, just be sure it's what you set up the tank for in the first place, not what you're keeping because "it's for beginners". (And don't bother putting stony coral in with them.)

I would take your time to enjoy what you have for a few weeks/months, but if you decide you want to have a stony coral tank, I'd recommend selling or trading the zoos.

What I'm getting from your post is to choose what I like, as long as I can meet it's requirements. Am I right?

Absolutely! Saltwater tanks are expensive no matter what you keep, so why on earth would we not actually keep what we want? Very few corals you'll be likely to find for sale are really all that hard to keep. Especially if you go slow.

I don't really feel confused, just nervous I guess, and looking for a little guidance. I don't like the idea of purchasing something beautiful and then killing it. I have managed not to kill my zoa yet, it's been alive 12 days now :O

Edit: Oh ya, I have Bob Fenners 'Conscientious Aquarist' and I do read a ton!

I think the fact that you're here and reading means you're not too likely to have many of the "beginner problems". Pick you corals with confidence and learn their requirements...like you would a fish.

-Matt

P.S. One more piece of advice (not that you necessarily need it ). There's nothing wrong with taking advantage of a bargain, but be careful not to be too cheap with your tank. Deal with the fact (if you haven't already) that this is an expensive hobby and know that trying to scrimp too much when you're a newbie can make things more difficult than they need to be. Buy the equipment you need and while you don't usually have to buy "top-flight", do not be afraid to buy good equipment. If any of this is off limits due to budget, I would probably just recommend mushrooms, which are far more durable than zoas, still come if many brilliant colors and shapes. Best of all (for that scenario) they have practically no care requirements at all!

[Molli]

Welcome! And I'm glad you like the zoas, but they have the same fate in store for you as would Xenia. The timeframe might be a little different, but the outcome the same. And you're right about them being beautiful, just be sure it's what you set up the tank for in the first place, not what you're keeping because "it's for beginners". (And don't bother putting stony coral in with them.)

I can't keep stoney corals with them at all? I don't mind if they grow more slowly because of higher nutrients or something like that, but I was under the impression that I could have both zoas and some birdsnest or pocollipora or whatnot. I want to eventually have some of those, but every time I visit a coral site, I immediately look for the paly/zoa button and not SPS. That habit tells on me.
I was of the mind that corals are sort of like freshwater fish... some of them tolerate worse conditions than others. This doesn't mean that you can treat them bad because they can take it, but rather, they won't perish if you mess up once in a while. Like starting off a freshwater noobie with some white clouds instead of discus. That's sort of my mindset asking about 'beginner' corals.

P.S. One more piece of advice (not that you necessarily need it ). There's nothing wrong with taking advantage of a bargain, but be careful not to be too cheap with your tank. Deal with the fact (if you haven't already) that this is an expensive hobby and know that trying to scrimp too much when you're a newbie can make things more difficult than they need to be. Buy the equipment you need and while you don't usually have to buy "top-flight", do not be afraid to buy good equipment. If any of this is off limits due to budget, I would probably just recommend mushrooms, which are far more durable than zoas, still come if many brilliant colors and shapes. Best of all (for that scenario) they have practically no care requirements at all!

I didn't allow myself to even fill the tank until I had everything, including all the tests I thought I'd need. Ammonia, Calc, Mag, Alk, Phosphate, Nitrates and Nitrites. Almost a year ago I bought all my gear from a Marine Depot sidewalk sale for pretty darn cheap. The stuff was all returns that worked. Even my return pump. I didn't get to even plumb the stuff until the end of December '11! Now the only thing that is limiting my acquisitions is my budget. Well, and the fear that I might kill something. ha!

Thanks for all the input, I really apprieciate it!

[ca2or]

I am successfully keeping zoaz and SPS.....I know many others who do as well in both small tanks and large