Lighting for softies or any corals

[NoobTank]

So I’ve noticed my corraline algae coming in nicely and heard if that is coming in the parameters are good for corals. I was thinking about some Zoas, but what would be some easy but colorful beginner corals? No rush but wanna kind of get an idea and plan ahead, thanks!

 

[Spare time]

90% of "soft" corals in this hobby will be easy. Green Nepthea is my favorite. I like leathers a lot.

 

[NoobTank]

90% of "soft" corals in this hobby will be easy. Green Nepthea is my favorite. I like leathers a lot.

Ohh that is dope looking! That’s something I could work with

 

[Spare time]

Ohh that is dope looking! That’s something I could work with

Very easy to care for. What light do you have out of curiosity?

 

[Sebastiancrab]

I love my ricordeas. Also have leather mushrooms and a Zenia. They are easy for a beginner. Zoas are next for me.

 

[NoobTank]

Very easy to care for. What light do you have out of curiosity?

I’m looking to upgrade but right now I have an aqueon LED strip light. I’m told I should upgrade before corals but everything else grows ok but idk

 

[NoobTank]

I love my ricordeas. Also have leather mushrooms and a Zenia. They are easy for a beginner. Zoas are next for me.

dang some of those look crazy! I like those, I’m adding to my list lol never heard of those yet.

 

[CanuckReefer]

Why can't I see any of these images lol....my vote is for shrooms, and also consider a small Duncan frag, see how it does. My lighting is far from intense and mine has exploded over the years....

 

[NoobTank]

Why can't I see any of these images lol....my vote is for shrooms, and also consider a small Duncan frag, see how it does. My lighting is far from intense and mine has exploded over the years....

I’m looking them up but that’s exactly what I’m looking for! That neon look is awesome

 

[Rmckoy]

Why can't I see any of these images lol....my vote is for shrooms, and also consider a small Duncan frag, see how it does. My lighting is far from intense and mine has exploded over the years....

I thought you ran t5’s with led ?

 

[MaxTremors]

Regardless of what corals you get, you shouldn’t base your tank’s readiness on the growth of coralline. If you’re going to keep corals, and especially stony corals (LPS and SPS), you need to be testing your water regularly (at least until you get enough experience to be able to look at your tank and have an idea of where your parameters are). You need to be able to troubleshoot and ensure that your parameters are stable. It’s just part of the care requirements for keeping these animals.

The only other advice I can give you (without specific questions) is to go slow, start with soft corals, and make sure that you research the corals you want before you bring them home. We see a lot of people new to the hobby post pictures here asking what the coral they just bought is, if the LFS recommends a specific coral, ask what it is and don’t be scared to do research there at the store if need be. We often see new people get sold corals that are not appropriate for beginners or for their specific tank set up, unfortunately there are a lot of LFS’s that are more interested in making a sale than helping you choose the coral that is right for you/your tank. When selecting corals, only buy corals that look clean, are open and have fully extended polyps, that don’t have exposed skeleton (again, wait to buy stony corals until you have more experience), and lastly, don’t buy an anemone until you have some experience with corals.

All that said, corals really aren’t as difficult as people make them seem. So long as you provide appropriate conditions, can monitor your parameters, and go slow, you’ll have a thriving reef in no time (but again, go slow, lol).

Edit: you will likely need to upgrade your light, there are plenty of options and it can be confusing, so if you’d like recommendations, feel free to ask.

 

[NoobTank]

I thought you ran t5’s with led ?

Me? Negative, but I definitely plan on upgrading my light before corals, payday is tomorrow and I’ll be getting a new light. I had a few recommendations on another post I made

 

[NoobTank]

Regardless of what corals you get, you shouldn’t base your tank’s readiness on the growth of coralline. If you’re going to keep corals, and especially stony corals (LPS and SPS), you need to be testing your water regularly (at least until you get enough experience to be able to look at your tank and have an idea of where your parameters are). You need to be able to troubleshoot and ensure that your parameters are stable. It’s just part of the care requirements for keeping these animals.

The only other advice I can give you (without specific questions) is to go slow, start with soft corals, and make sure that you research the corals you want before you bring them home. We see a lot of people new to the hobby post pictures here asking what the coral they just bought is, if the LFS recommends a specific coral, ask what it is and don’t be scared to do research there at the store if need be. We often see new people get sold corals that are not appropriate for beginners or for their specific tank set up, unfortunately there are a lot of LFS’s that are more interested in making a sale than helping you choose the coral that is right for you/your tank. When selecting corals, only buy corals that look clean, are open and have fully extended polyps, that don’t have exposed skeleton (again, wait to buy stony corals until you have more experience), and lastly, don’t buy an anemone until you have some experience with corals.

All that said, corals really aren’t as difficult as people make them seem. So long as you provide appropriate conditions, can monitor your parameters, and go slow, you’ll have a thriving reef in no time (but again, go slow, lol).

Edit: you will likely need to upgrade your light, there are plenty of options and it can be confusing, so if you’d like recommendations, feel free to ask.

I get my water tested at my LFS every week, and they tell me everything is good last week, other than low alkaline but I dosed with alkaline booster, I forget what it was called and I’m in bed but I’m going for another test tomorrow and will ask the exact levels if they can provide them. I have a 20 gallon and trying to go on a budget, something around or less than 200. I kind just wanted to get an idea of what ti start with, but I’ll take any advice I can get I have another thread with light options but if you got something you’d recommend lmk I appreciate it

 

[NoobTank]

Regardless of what corals you get, you shouldn’t base your tank’s readiness on the growth of coralline. If you’re going to keep corals, and especially stony corals (LPS and SPS), you need to be testing your water regularly (at least until you get enough experience to be able to look at your tank and have an idea of where your parameters are). You need to be able to troubleshoot and ensure that your parameters are stable. It’s just part of the care requirements for keeping these animals.

The only other advice I can give you (without specific questions) is to go slow, start with soft corals, and make sure that you research the corals you want before you bring them home. We see a lot of people new to the hobby post pictures here asking what the coral they just bought is, if the LFS recommends a specific coral, ask what it is and don’t be scared to do research there at the store if need be. We often see new people get sold corals that are not appropriate for beginners or for their specific tank set up, unfortunately there are a lot of LFS’s that are more interested in making a sale than helping you choose the coral that is right for you/your tank. When selecting corals, only buy corals that look clean, are open and have fully extended polyps, that don’t have exposed skeleton (again, wait to buy stony corals until you have more experience), and lastly, don’t buy an anemone until you have some experience with corals.

All that said, corals really aren’t as difficult as people make them seem. So long as you provide appropriate conditions, can monitor your parameters, and go slow, you’ll have a thriving reef in no time (but again, go slow, lol).

Edit: you will likely need to upgrade your light, there are plenty of options and it can be confusing, so if you’d like recommendations, feel free to ask.

Side note, they are really honest and informative, they didn’t recommend me getting any till they had some tests done because I told them I wasn’t 100% sure. They’re the one I chose out of 5 lol which is sad but they’re good people

 

[JPM San Diego]

Another advantage of starting with soft corals is avoiding the need to be dosing your tank with alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium. Stony corals use these elements to build their skeleton thereby depleting the water of these chemicals. If these chemicals drop low stony corals will cease growing and eventually die. I learned this the hard way when I first started. My LFS failed to mention this when I was buying stony coral. Soft corals (leathers, clove polyps, mushrooms, etc) don't have a stony coral skeleton. They do have tiny spicules in their tissue, but to make these they don't pull much alkalinity, calcium, or magnesium out of the water. Just doing water changes will replenish these for a tank with softies.

 

[MaxTremors]

I get my water tested at my LFS every week, and they tell me everything is good last week, other than low alkaline but I dosed with alkaline booster, I forget what it was called and I’m in bed but I’m going for another test tomorrow and will ask the exact levels if they can provide them. I have a 20 gallon and trying to go on a budget, something around or less than 200. I kind just wanted to get an idea of what ti start with, but I’ll take any advice I can get I have another thread with light options but if you got something you’d recommend lmk I appreciate it

You shouldn’t be dosing anything that you can’t test the effects of afterwards. IMO, relying on the LFS to test your water is unreliable and inadequate, and worse, it robs you of learning how to properly manage your tank. The lfs telling you that your parameters are ‘good’ or that your alkalinity is ‘low’ is meaningless. You should be keeping a log of all of your test results, maintenance, dosing, stocking, and any changes you make. I would recommend at a minimum getting alkalinity, phosphate, and nitrate test kits (avoid API, Salifert is cheap and fairly accurate). This is assuming you already have a refractometer and calibration fluid. I understand you’re trying to stay under a certain budget, but we’re not talking about inanimate objects, these are sensitive living animals that have very specific husbandry requirements, and being able to test your water is just one of the things you need to provide proper care. If that’s not something you’re currently able to do, then I would recommend sticking with fish only until you can.

 

[NoobTank]

You shouldn’t be dosing anything that you can’t test the effects of afterwards. IMO, relying on the LFS to test your water is unreliable and inadequate, and worse, it robs you of learning how to properly manage your tank. The lfs telling you that your parameters are ‘good’ or that your alkalinity is ‘low’ is meaningless. You should be keeping a log of all of your test results, maintenance, dosing, stocking, and any changes you make. I would recommend at a minimum getting alkalinity, phosphate, and nitrate test kits (avoid API, Salifert is cheap and fairly accurate). This is assuming you already have a refractometer and calibration fluid. I understand you’re trying to stay under a certain budget, but we’re not talking about inanimate objects, these are sensitive living animals that have very specific husbandry requirements, and being able to test your water is just one of the things you need to provide proper care. If that’s not something you’re currently able to do, then I would recommend sticking with fish only until you can.

This is what I’m looking for, thank you. I will hold off until I can test all these levels on my own with precision. All living creatures deserve the respect that any other thing that is alive does. That points me to focus on testing items and lights forst. Thank you for your input. I have nothing but patience so thank you, I don’t wanna be misled. I’ll stick with what I have until I can efficiently test and be safe about everything I add. Thank you

 

[mfinn]

I was thinking about some Zoas, but what would be some easy but colorful beginner corals? No rush but wanna kind of get an idea and plan ahead, thanks!

Eagle Eyes/Whammin Watermelons.
Lots of color, great growers.
One of my favorites.

 

[Rmckoy]

Me? Negative, but I definitely plan on upgrading my light before corals, payday is tomorrow and I’ll be getting a new light. I had a few recommendations on another post I made

No it was meant to be a reply to @CanuckReefer

 

[CanuckReefer]

I thought you ran t5’s with led ?

Oh I do! But I run a whopping 2 X 54 W T5 ( not the typical 4) on a 90 gallon, with a 54 W programmable LED. I am rather paltry on this size tank, imo.... but it works.