QT Tips for Soft Corals (and anemones)

[PotatoPig]

So I’m venturing into adding corals to my 9 month old FOWLR tank and off to a bumpy start.

I have a basic invert QT tank (10 gallon, non-reef grow light) and tried starting with a GSP frag the LFS was giving away. Went great for about two weeks then the larger polyps retracted, then the smaller ones, then the water went cloudy…

No ammonia or nitrates (using Red Sea and API tests), I think I accidentally killed it by adding some spirulina for the pods in there. Full water change, seeing if it’s just sleeping…

So. Going forward I want to set this up better and have some questions…

10 gallons. Is this enough for a 6 week stay for a soft frag or anemone?

Lighting? Can I get away with a non-reef grow light for this limited period? If not, what is the most maximally economical light for these purposes?

Water change? The tank looks a lot happier after a ~80% water change (match salinity, match temp). Is it bad to to a change this big about once a week (not the cause of the GSP issue, for that I was changing out 5%/day that didn’t seem to have good results).

Crabs? I have three emerald crabs in there and they definitely started bothering the GSP while it was retracting. Couldn’t tell if they’re eating the GSP or pulling algae off it.

Rock: There’s plenty in there, a mix of live rock with established bacteria along with dry rock and aragonite sand to provide plenty of area for bacterial colonization. Using the tank to vet/QT live rock before adding to the DT.

Any other tips for success?

 

[sascoaquatics]

you could possibly look into buying zoas