Coral Introduction

[kiwis]

I've got my marine tank up and running and now stable. Working my way into corals is my next step.

I know SPS is small polyp stony while LPS is large polyp stony, there are also soft corals? But that's my limit.

What's a good reference for learning the different coral types, what's needed to care for them etc.

I often see them on facebook groups and people refer to some as common names but often look different to assume some are like "angle fish" which is a family vs specific...

Not sure if I"m making any sense but anything to help me get a better understanding would be nice.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

I've got my marine tank up and running and now stable. Working my way into corals is my next step.

I know SPS is small polyp stony while LPS is large polyp stony, there are also soft corals? But that's my limit.

What's a good reference for learning the different coral types, what's needed to care for them etc.

I often see them on facebook groups and people refer to some as common names but often look different to assume some are like "angle fish" which is a family vs specific...

Not sure if I"m making any sense but anything to help me get a better understanding would be nice.

A diver sent this to me, SPS with dendronephthya, carnation coral (rare one). Just harvested 1 day ago.

 

[ndrwater]

There are a ton of threads here to read. Although I would love to answer your question directly, my answer would take up half the internet.
I suggest either posting g a specific question, or, better yet, enter key words into the search section, sit back and enjoy a lot of good reading. You'll find most of your answers, but if have a specific question, feel free to ask.

 

[Cfellini91]

I've got my marine tank up and running and now stable. Working my way into corals is my next step.

I know SPS is small polyp stony while LPS is large polyp stony, there are also soft corals? But that's my limit.

What's a good reference for learning the different coral types, what's needed to care for them etc.

I often see them on facebook groups and people refer to some as common names but often look different to assume some are like "angle fish" which is a family vs specific...

Not sure if I"m making any sense but anything to help me get a better understanding would be nice.

I have only been in the hobby for 6 months. I have a 24g set up. There is so much to learn and so many types of corals out there. I really pull off of many sources. Retail sites such as LiveAquaira, Saltwaterfish, and even Chewy, offer some great basic introductions to their corals. I’d encourage you to browse their selections and familiarize yourself with names and types and look at their requirements I/e lighting, water parameters, what they eat, what elements they consume, what gets along with what.
They aren’t lengthy but they offer great basic information.
A good article for the water chemistry worth checking out is:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

I've got my marine tank up and running and now stable. Working my way into corals is my next step.

I know SPS is small polyp stony while LPS is large polyp stony, there are also soft corals? But that's my limit.

What's a good reference for learning the different coral types, what's needed to care for them etc.

I often see them on facebook groups and people refer to some as common names but often look different to assume some are like "angle fish" which is a family vs specific...

Not sure if I"m making any sense but anything to help me get a better understanding would be nice.

Take it slow, you'll successed, with patience, the key

 

[lapin]

I've got my marine tank up and running and now stable. Working my way into corals is my next step.

I know SPS is small polyp stony while LPS is large polyp stony, there are also soft corals? But that's my limit.

What's a good reference for learning the different coral types, what's needed to care for them etc.

I often see them on facebook groups and people refer to some as common names but often look different to assume some are like "angle fish" which is a family vs specific...

Not sure if I"m making any sense but anything to help me get a better understanding would be nice.

This site can give some ID info on corals
http://reeffrontiers.com/photos_corals/
Here are some care sheets for different types
https://sites.google.com/a/asira.org/www2/caresheets

 

[kiwis]

Would it be safe to say as a generalisation Mushrooms, Soft Corals are the easiest to care for, then LPS and then SPS being the hardest? I'm sure there are a million different requirements for each species and each tank but just a very high-level ranking...

 

[Cfellini91]

Would it be safe to say as a generalisation Mushrooms, Soft Corals are the easiest to care for, then LPS and then SPS being the hardest? I'm sure there are a million different requirements for each species and each tank but just a very high-level ranking...

That is about accurate.

 

[lapin]

Yes. Corals are usually rated on a scale. From beginner to expert. But dont think that SPS can be any harder than LPS. Some are easy, some are hard, and some people just cant grow certain corals. More important is the type of tank. A mixed reef being most difficult to balance every things requirements.

 

[FLSharkvictim]

A diver sent this to me, SPS with dendronephthya, carnation coral (rare one). Just harvested 1 day ago.

What ocean did that come out of @Jomama ?

 

[29bonsaireef]

A diver sent this to me, SPS with dendronephthya, carnation coral (rare one). Just harvested 1 day ago.

Also curious as to how you acquired this?