I'm new. Torch coral?

[Jennyw]

Hi! I'm new.

Should I get a torch coral? Will it get too big for my biocube 32? Where's the best place to get it? I don't have a qt tank. Do I need one for corals?what is a dip for coral?

I bought a used tank from Craigslist. It had a star coral and clove Coral when we got it. They seem happy. We bought a green coral, (nonidea what it is) which is still alive and seems to be growing. We have two clowns, a scarlet skunk shrimp and a few hermits.

 

[James M]

Don’t see why you shouldn’t get one since your interested in one. If you buy a frag it won’t get too big for the tank. Takes a long time for them to out grow a tank. You don’t need one of all corals, you can mix and match.
Are you looking for any specific type of torch coral ?
You don’t need a qt for coral but it’s optional. A good dip is Coral Rx to get rid is unwanted pest.

Needs pictures to ID that coral, green star polyp and clove polyps are invasive coral btw.

 

[ReefEsq]

Torch would be a good starter coral, IMO. You should have some flow in the tank though, although it should not be very strong for torches. Gentle swaying is optimal.

As far as from where, I don't think you'll get a straight answer. This forum has a great vendors section full of really high-quality options. You may know this already, but I mention it because I didn't when I was first getting into it, but WYSIWYG means what you see is what you get. Typically, vendors won't post a photo of the exact coral you're getting because it would be too time-consuming and generally not worth it. If you see a WYSIWYG, you're supposed to be receiving the exact item in the photo. You can also check the livestock sale section on here for some awesome deals from other reefers.

QT stands for quarantining. A QT tank is something some people have where they'll place a coral or fish for a certain amount of time to make sure it is healthy and free of pests before placing it in their systems with the rest of their livestock. Down the line, consider one because once something is introduced into your system, be it pest or illness, it can be hard to get rid of and you might lose expensive livestock. That being said, you don't NEED one.

Dipping a coral is typically using some sort of Iodine solution (usually branded as dip for coral) for a short period of time so the Iodine will kill off the same pests and illness you want to avoid introducing into your system. This requires much less of a start-up cost/time so I would recommend it. If you go to any store that sells coral they'll recommend one. I use ReVive by two littles fishies, but people often have their own favorites. Especially with torches, I'd recommend since it might be hard to see if anything is lurking within the.. whatever the swaying things are called. That being said, its good practice, but I don't do it always, or as often as I should. Just follow the instructions on the bottle and watch a youtube video.

 

[ReefEsq]

Second the invasive coral comment. Keep it on a rock if you don't want it to cover your tank and potentially harm other corals by growing over it. Don't get in the mentality that noticing GSP growth is a really good sign. It can be, because well.. you're growing a coral, but if you don't contain the growth it can be troublesome.

 

[Jennyw]

Second the invasive coral comment. Keep it on a rock if you don't want it to cover your tank and potentially harm other corals by growing over it. Don't get in the mentality that noticing GSP growth is a really good sign. It can be, because well.. you're growing a coral, but if you don't contain the growth it can be troublesome.

I'm sorry ..GSP?

 

[Bayareareefer18]

My biggest suggestion would be do some more research on the different coral types and plan accordingly for your flow, lighting and water params. From there you can decide what you want in your tank. Also your goals for the tank.

For me I took my first dip into reefing starting last summer. Did tons of research prior and still do every day.

I started my tank with all LPS and all are happy and thriving because they match the amount of light, flow and nutrients I run in the tank.

Torches are great and you would really enjoy them. Just be sure that your tank setup is a healthy environment for them. They definitely are more finicky than the other euphyllias IMO.

 

[Musovski]

I'm sorry ..GSP?

green star polyp, one of the most gorgeous soft coral, but one of the weeds of coral. dont let that make you scared of it, it grows and looks beautiful. look it up on youtube.

 

[James M]

Any info on the tank ?
We could recommend you some coral based on your tank

 

[Jennyw]

green star polyp, one of the most gorgeous soft coral, but one of the weeds of coral. dont let that make you scared of it, it grows and looks beautiful. look it up on youtube.

Ah! Yes! I think I have that. It's beautiful. I see that it spreads, but it also just sits in a mat on top of the sand, and can be picked up easily...
The clove Coral is growing on rocks, but doesn't seem to travel between rocks...

 

[Musovski]

Ah! Yes! I think I have that. It's beautiful. I see that it spreads, but it also just sits in a mat on top of the sand, and can be picked up easily...
The clove Coral is growing on rocks, but doesn't seem to travel between rocks...

yep thats GSP for ya, as for cloves, as long as its on its own seperate rock it wont spread as crazy.

 

[Jennyw]

Don’t see why you shouldn’t get one since your interested in one. If you buy a frag it won’t get too big for the tank. Takes a long time for them to out grow a tank. You don’t need one of all corals, you can mix and match.
Are you looking for any specific type of torch coral ?
You don’t need a qt for coral but it’s optional. A good dip is Coral Rx to get rid is unwanted pest.

Needs pictures to ID that coral, green star polyp and clove polyps are invasive coral btw.

It looks bright green under the blue lights. It's not exactly growing fast, I'm pretty sure it's grown a couple mm in three months. And by grow, I'm not sure it's even growing or if im just seeing polyps

 

[Jennyw]

yep thats GSP for ya, as for cloves, as long as its on its own seperate rock it wont spread as crazy.

Thank you.

 

[Jennyw]

I

Any info on the tank ?
We could recommend you some coral based on your tank

Take a biocube 32, stock lights, one powerhead. IDK what else you need to know...um....it's at 79 degrees.... salinity is 1.025....

 

[Musovski]

Thank you.

as for torch corals, Get one and try it. Remember sometimes things die, sometimes they live long and healthy. Dont let that discourage you. If you want easy to keep with no headache type corals, def. go with soft coral, then progress to LPS (torches.. etc..)

 

[Jennyw]

I

Take a biocube 32, stock lights, one powerhead. IDK what else you need to know...um....it's at 79 degrees.... salinity is 1.025....

 

[Jennyw]

That wasny meant as snarkyness...I really don't know what info you need.

 

[Musovski]

That wasny meant as snarkyness...I really don't know what info you need.

no need to apologize :P usually you just need to state equipment and parameters.

 

[Bayareareefer18]

What are alk, ca, mag, no3, po4?

 

[Jennyw]

What are alk, ca, mag, no3, po4?

Um...I haven't tested for a week. All was good, but I don't remember what it was. Is 8and answer? Calcium was 390, so I dosed up to 410. Haven't tested mag, and haven't tested nitrite/nitrate for several days . ... So not sure. It's been holding steady at under 10(my API kits sucks, so I've had the lfs test the last couple times we've gone in, but they won't tell me an actual number