Newbie needs help

[GR00VY]

My 29 gallon tank is setup and I would like to add some soft corals in the not so distant future. I have dealt with saltwater fish in the past and this time around I would like to try some corals. My understanding is that soft corals are a good place to start. Is there a step by step in receiving,dipping, and mounting soft corals anywhere? My understand going is that corals come on a plug (which you can trim if you desire) and you can mount them on your rock or in a frag rock and place that in your tank somewhere. Is this correct?

I am also looking for advice on what soft corals to start with? My wife doesn’t want any Palytoxin corals so zoas are out. Here is a picture of my tank as it sits right now.

 

[lonelyfloat]

Leathers are a good softie to start with.

 

[LesPoissons]

1. Make a list of the corals you would like. (google "beginner" corals- there are more variety that are easy but aren't "softies.") Mushrooms, leathers, candy canes, kenya trees, bubble, plating montiporas, stylophoras, etc. You need to have an idea of a few you are likely to buy so you can plan placement.

2. If you cant take your rocks out or drain enough to work with dry rock, I find putty the easiest for mounting underwater. If you can work with drier placement, plain dollar store super glue works.

3. Get a coral dip

4. Plan your placement of selected corals by light requirement, flow needs, growth structure, and aggressiveness. (Ex: dont tuck a bubble coral into a tiny space between 2 others- it will kill them off, put a plating montipora in good light where it wont grow to shade others, leathers like light and good flow, etc.)

5. Make sure your parameters are stable and will support coral.

6. Buy coral.

7. Float bag, dip coral, rinse gently with tank water

8. I place my corals where I want them to be on the rocks and then I dim the lights and bring lighting up slowly over a week. Other people place them in the sand bed or a low frag rack and slowly lift them to desired placement. There is no exact way, you are just trying to avoid light shocking them from a dark shipping box to a brightly lit tank that may be very different from where ever they were before. I do it it my way because corals don't like to be messed with. I pick where I want them and adjust everything else, but you can adjust them instead, its your choice.

9. GIVE THEM TIME. You may have to make more changes if you find flow is too strong or they are bugging each other but give them a week at least before making changes. Corals are actually quite adaptable to lower lighting, its flow or too high light that is usually a little touchier. Dont go moving them every day bc they havent opened up etc.

 

[sfin52]

Leathers are very good starter coral. Finger, devils hand and toadstool leathers are a good starting point.

The ones that can be come weeds are Xenia, gsp and Kenya trees. But they are also great beginners.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Good advice above from others. Also, watching “beginner corals” videos is fun. Best wishes.

 

[GR00VY]

Thanks everyone. I will be watching some more videos. I really like gsp but don’t want it taking over my tank. Can I put a small rock in the sand in my tank attach gsp to it to prevent it from growing in other rocks?

 

[JumboShrimp]

Yes, isolated the GSP should stay put.