NPS corals: What I need?

[LaloJ]

First of all, I hope this topic is correctly placed here. Ok, I'm planning to put a 10 or 15 gallon tank with corals, my first option is to keep zoanthids, discosomas and star polyps, or any coral for beginners, for which I already have a handful of information, but my second option is to place an NPS tank, with sponges, christmas tree worm, gorgonians (maybe), and tubastreas, according to this, what are the requirements? What equipment do I need for a tank of this type and size? What do I need to successfully maintain these species?

 

[CanuckReefer]

First of all, I hope this topic is correctly placed here. Ok, I'm planning to put a 10 or 15 gallon tank with corals, my first option is to keep zoanthids, discosomas and star polyps, or any coral for beginners, for which I already have a handful of information, but my second option is to place an NPS tank, with sponges, christmas tree worm, gorgonians (maybe), and tubastreas, according to this, what are the requirements? What equipment do I need for a tank of this type and size? What do I need to successfully maintain these species?

Lots of filter food, incredibly varied, and a darn good filtration system. And no I'm not kidding....I would suggest the first option....it will be far easier to manage.

 

[ZoWhat]

And you're setting a this up in what amount of time? Expecting beautiful corals by when?

Just curious

 

[shakacuz]

good amount of flow and filter-feeding food (phyto, reef roids, reef chilli, benepets, etc)

 

[CanuckReefer]

good amount of flow and filter-feeding food (phyto, reef roids, reef chilli, benepets, etc)

And something to eat or remove/ metabolize all of the leftovers?....the phyto no, but the others? Oh ya, plenty of it uneaten, and becoming a detritus festival, unless something is getting rid of it in a hurry....

 

[LaloJ]

And you're setting a this up in what amount of time? Expecting beautiful corals by when?

Just curious

I plan to get what I need for the next month or two maybe, that does not mean that I will have spectacular corals a week after mounting the tank, so I'm analyzing what I'm going to do, also, I'm a beginner with corals, and it's more likely that I take the first option, although I have found diverse comments, many say that maintaining these corals (NPS) is quite simple because they only worry about sending food to the water, and others say that they are so difficult to maintain and almost doomed to die.

 

[LaloJ]

Lots of filter food, incredibly varied, and a darn good filtration system. And no I'm not kidding....I would suggest the first option....it will be far easier to manage.

I can't think of a filter system other than a HOB filter in this tank size, any suggestions? thanks for your reply.

 

[elysics]

Are you prepared to grow your own phyto- and zooplankton with all the maintenance that entails? Or burn a fortune on convenience products that are priced for much lower use?

Are you prepared to build a custom feeding system and/or handfeed multiple times a day for the next couple years?

Vacations are going to be an issue as well, especially for things like Tubastreas that need to be individually fed

It's a bit of a heavy task load for someone starting from scratch

 

[dk2nt9]

that maintaining these corals (NPS) is quite simple because they only worry about sending food to the water, and others say that they are so difficult to maintain and almost doomed to die.

You have to worry only about removing decomposing food from water, and this is not cheap or easy. Even on 100% water changes daily, you will see corals' reaction. Without this, in unsanitary conditions or starved, they are doomed to die. You have to have a tank that can handle a lot of feeding.

• LPS can take larger food and leftovers and regurgitated food are easier to remove, as long as it was not lost in the rock. If lost, it will rot, causing all kinds of problems.
• Fine polyp corals will require mouth sized food, and what was not eaten has to be removed by filtration (removed, not decomposing on the mechanical filter media for weeks), and a lot will settle on the rock and sand. Once a day feeding should be not enough, food dosing setup with refrigeration is expensive. Buoyant food, circulating in the tank, should be available for them for a longer time.
• Some of them, like decorative sponges, blueberry gorgonian, dendronephthya, have special needs that are hard to meet in majority of reef tanks.

What you will need: search for non-photosynthetic coral tanks and see how this is done. Even then it may or may not work for your tank. A lot of variables, this is not something that can be said in one post, covering everything and guaranteed that it will work.

 

[LaloJ]

Are you prepared to grow your own phyto- and zooplankton with all the maintenance that entails? Or burn a fortune on convenience products that are priced for much lower use?

Are you prepared to build a custom feeding system and/or handfeed multiple times a day for the next couple years?

Vacations are going to be an issue as well, especially for things like Tubastreas that need to be individually fed

It's a bit of a heavy task load for someone starting from scratch

Thank you very much, this is an excellent constructive criticism and just what I was looking for, I plan to better buy the food if I can install the NPS tank, it may be better to start getting experience with simpler corals.

 

[LaloJ]

You have to worry only about removing decomposing food from water, and this is not cheap or easy. Even on 100% water changes daily, you will see corals' reaction. Without this, in unsanitary conditions or starved, they are doomed to die. You have to have a tank that can handle a lot of feeding.

• LPS can take larger food and leftovers and regurgitated food are easier to remove, as long as it was not lost in the rock. If lost, it will rot, causing all kinds of problems.
• Fine polyp corals will require mouth sized food, and what was not eaten has to be removed by filtration (removed, not decomposing on the mechanical filter media for weeks), and a lot will settle on the rock and sand. Once a day feeding should be not enough, food dosing setup with refrigeration is expensive. Buoyant food, circulating in the tank, should be available for them for a longer time.
• Some of them, like decorative sponges, blueberry gorgonian, dendronephthya, have special needs that are hard to meet in majority of reef tanks.

What you will need: search for non-photosynthetic coral tanks and see how this is done. Even then it may or may not work for your tank. A lot of variables, this is not something that can be said in one post, covering everything and guaranteed that it will work.

You have to worry only about removing decomposing food from water, and this is not cheap or easy. Even on 100% water changes daily, you will see corals' reaction. Without this, in unsanitary conditions or starved, they are doomed to die. You have to have a tank that can handle a lot of feeding.

• LPS can take larger food and leftovers and regurgitated food are easier to remove, as long as it was not lost in the rock. If lost, it will rot, causing all kinds of problems.
• Fine polyp corals will require mouth sized food, and what was not eaten has to be removed by filtration (removed, not decomposing on the mechanical filter media for weeks), and a lot will settle on the rock and sand. Once a day feeding should be not enough, food dosing setup with refrigeration is expensive. Buoyant food, circulating in the tank, should be available for them for a longer time.
• Some of them, like decorative sponges, blueberry gorgonian, dendronephthya, have special needs that are hard to meet in majority of reef tanks.

What you will need: search for non-photosynthetic coral tanks and see how this is done. Even then it may or may not work for your tank. A lot of variables, this is not something that can be said in one post, covering everything and guaranteed that it will work.

Nice answer, thank you for your advice.

 

[J1a]

I have been thinking about NPS and their nutrition recently, especially those large polyp NPS (dendro, rhizo etc).

While we can feed them, polyp by polyp, with chuncky food, I think it's not very likely for them to consistently rely on large preys in their natural habitat. As such, I wonder if large polyp NPS can survive, and grow, with a micro/nano-planktonic diet. In addition, would these NPS survive, and grow, without target feeding.

I want to expriment with this. Would the following criteria suggest the NPS is coping well?

1. The coral survive for more than a year without receding, or
2. The coral grow

Let me know your thoughts. Thanks!

 

[CanuckReefer]

I can't think of a filter system other than a HOB filter in this tank size, any suggestions? thanks for your reply.

No problem. That's what I utilize is purely hob filters. I was trying NPS gorgonians for awhile, but the feeding requirements were too much based on my limited filtration in an old tank. Caused me quite a mess of cyano for a little bit so I backed off that venture and stuck to my mainly softies lol.