Phytoplankton and zooplankton

[mcarroll]

So should i continue ysimg my phtoplankton bc i have it?

With moderation, if you really want. Otherwise refrigerate it and wait until you have more corals that might use it.

I live my frogspawn and hammer but eant some stoney corals as well.

Those ARE stony corals!!

Its a 3ft deep tank and i have T5s currently.

Assuming you don't have a light meter, download a lux meter app (e.g. galactica luxmeter) and take some readings on your lights. Tell me what your peak and average are.

Frogspawn, hammers and candy canes are softies?

Stony corals.

Often referred to by the nearly-meaningless tag of "LPS"...or Large-Polyped Stony coral.

(There is no biological basis for "LPS" or "SPS". Both are found across many types of reef environment.)

What is a birdsnest considered?

If it has a skeleton, it is "stony".

Leather corals are "half way" as they have calcium carbonate "spicules" that give them quite a bit of rigidity, but not a skeleton per se.

Soft corals are anything without calcium carbonate. Mostly polyps, but there are surely others.

And what are some realitively easier hardier corals to add some contrast

Most corals you'll find at your LFS are not too hard. As long as you have your Ca, alk and Mg stabilized and have a regular feeding habit corals should generally do fine. Just remember that dosing (and maybe feeding) may need to increase at some point after you add new corals.

With that in mind, don't rush into getting more.....take some time to figure out what you like. Look at LOTS of corals. Spend as much time browsing at the LFS as you can stand. Ask questions while you're there. If any adjustments to your care routine are needed, make them before you bring the corals home. All will be well.

 

[FloatinBy]

Well then...im confused lol thank you for explaining different corald

 

[FloatinBy]

With moderation, if you really want. Otherwise refrigerate it and wait until you have more corals that might use it.



Those ARE stony corals!!



Assuming you don't have a light meter, download a lux meter app (e.g. galactica luxmeter) and take some readings on your lights. Tell me what your peak and average are.



Stony corals.

Often referred to by the nearly-meaningless tag of "LPS"...or Large-Polyped Stony coral.

(There is no biological basis for "LPS" or "SPS". Both are found across many types of reef environment.)



If it has a skeleton, it is "stony".

Leather corals are "half way" as they have calcium carbonate "spicules" that give them quite a bit of rigidity, but not a skeleton per se.

Soft corals are anything without calcium carbonate. Mostly polyps, but there are surely others.



Most corals you'll find at your LFS are not too hard. As long as you have your Ca, alk and Mg stabilized and have a regular feeding habit corals should generally do fine. Just remember that dosing (and maybe feeding) may need to increase at some point after you add new corals.

With that in mind, don't rush into getting more.....take some time to figure out what you like. Look at LOTS of corals. Spend as much time browsing at the LFS as you can stand. Ask questions while you're there. If any adjustments to your care routine are needed, make them before you bring the corals home. All will be well.

Gonna sound dang here. Should i just hold my phome outside of tank to get idea of PAR then?
Right at top surface of tank=average of 300-350

Middle of tank=steady at 240

Bottow=70-80

 

[mcarroll]

Gonna sound dang here. Should i just hold my phome outside of tank to get idea of PAR then?
Right at top surface of tank=average of 300-350

Middle of tank=steady at 240

Bottow=70-80

You just hold it near the water line (in the air!!!) with the camera facing the lights.

It'll give you a number in lux (not PAR) which is fine.....but you'll be looking for a reading somewhere between 10,000 and 100,000 lux.

(PAR: 0-2,000)
(lux: 0-100,000)

 

[FloatinBy]

At surface of water line 21896

 

[FloatinBy]

*lux

 

[mcarroll]

At surface of water line 21896

Should be fine.

My low-light tank (with mostly SPS) pull about 15,000 lux. My second tank get's about 50,000-60,000 lux – also mostly SPS.

Anywhere in that range should be just as good, depending on your needs. Clams, for example would like more light...>30,000 lux from what I've been able to glean from reading.

 

[Dragon52]

This may have been asked by someone but does anyone have a GOOD source for pods?
Thanks