Thinking about coral, no idea what to do.

[gfeb]

Hello! So I currently have a 55 gal FOWLR tank. It’s now about 4 months old. Has been cycled for a month or so. I am new to the reef tank hobby and I believe I have a decent handle on maintaining a healthy/happy tank. I’ve definitely made some mistakes in the beginning and have learned so much in the past several months. (I.e. supplement your crabs diet or he’ll eat your $30 fish…)
I am interested in trying my hand at adding some coral in the near-ish future. I was hoping for some tips.

1- what’s are some good, hardy starter coral would not require direct feeding
2- what corals should I avoid given my existing inhabitants?
3- what are big mistakes people make when adding coral?
4- when is a good time to add?
5- what kind of additional water monitoring/maintenance do corals add?

Fish:
3 baggnaii cardinals
1 yellow tail damsel
1 naked clown
1 fairy wrasse
1 purple dottyback
1 blue/green chromis

Invert:
1 emerald crab
1 cleaner skunk shrimp
15+ Mexican turban snails (ordered 5… ended up with 20)

Salinity 1.024
Nitrites ~0 ish
Nitrates 0
Ph 8.1
Temp 80-81.5 (heater is set to keep at 78, I think my thermometer reads high)
Hardness 180

 

[Dad2Wyatt]

Hello! So I currently have a 55 gal FOWLR tank. It’s now about 4 months old. Has been cycled for a month or so. I am new to the reef tank hobby and I believe I have a decent handle on maintaining a healthy/happy tank. I’ve definitely made some mistakes in the beginning and have learned so much in the past several months. (I.e. supplement your crabs diet or he’ll eat your $30 fish…)
I am interested in trying my hand at adding some coral in the near-ish future. I was hoping for some tips.

1- what’s are some good, hardy starter coral would not require direct feeding
2- what corals should I avoid given my existing inhabitants?
3- what are big mistakes people make when adding coral?
4- when is a good time to add?
5- what kind of additional water monitoring/maintenance do corals add?

Fish:
3 baggnaii cardinals
1 yellow tail damsel
1 naked clown
1 fairy wrasse
1 purple dottyback
1 blue/green chromis

Invert:
1 emerald crab
1 cleaner skunk shrimp
15+ Mexican turban snails (ordered 5… ended up with 20)

Salinity 1.024
Nitrites ~0 ish
Nitrates 0
Ph 8.1
Temp 80-81.5 (heater is set to keep at 78, I think my thermometer reads high)
Hardness 180

I’m not expert, but I recently added an Orange Ricordea mushroom! Mushrooms and other softies are gonna be the way to go! zoas, palys, GSP, pulsing Xenia, Clove polyps, finger leathers, etc

 

[Jacaine]

What kind of lighting do you have? Are you running a skimmer? Just a couple of things to think about.

 

[Zoa_Fanatic]

I don’t know about the fairy wrasses but my corris wrasses in the past wpuld never leave the Xenia alone. Plus for some people it becomes a plague. Ric Fl mushroom corals are easy to care for. So are zoa. If you want something stony I’d try candy canes. They’re literally immortal. As someone above mentioned leather corals are easy, stick with the toadstool leathers though the finger ones release checmicals that stunt the growth of other corals. Gsp is easy but you can see how big mine is in the pick below and it started out as a frag the size of a dime six months ago.


Edit: zoa, Xenia, and toadstools will grow in a mud hole. Doesn’t matter too much what your light is for those guys.

 

[gfeb]

What kind of lighting do you have? Are you running a skimmer? Just a couple of things to think about.

I have a full spectrum LED which I set to simulate sunrise to sunset on a long summer day (~12 hrs or so). I’m willing to upgrade to whatever lights are the best though.
no skimmer. After doing months of research when first getting into this and speaking with my LFS, I decided not to. Though I know the great benefits of it, I chose not to since it was not really essential per se. I decided if it comes to the point I can manage without it, I’d do it.

 

[gfeb]

I don’t know about the fairy wrasses but my corris wrasses in the past wpuld never leave the Xenia alone. Plus for some people it becomes a plague. Ric Fl mushroom corals are easy to care for. So are zoa. If you want something stony I’d try candy canes. They’re literally immortal. As someone above mentioned leather corals are easy, stick with the toadstool leathers though the finger ones release checmicals that stunt the growth of other corals. Gsp is easy but you can see how big mine is in the pick below and it started out as a frag the size of a dime six months ago.


Edit: zoa, Xenia, and toadstools will grow in a mud hole. Doesn’t matter too much what your light is for those guys.

Beautiful corals! Thank you for the tips. I’ll definitely look into those. Question: I’ve heard that emeralds can be rough on corals. Any idea if they’ll go for those mentioned?

 

[Dom]

Lighting and flow are important for thriving corals.

Generic lighting rarely provides the penetration and spread that are necessary for good coral growth. Have a look at the Kessil AP9X or the Kessil A360X. Both should provide the spread and penetration necessary for success.

But recommendations are difficult without knowing the dimensions of the tank. Is this a 55 gallon Aqueon? If so, was it a kit that came with a hood and light?

 

[gfeb]

Lighting and flow are important for thriving corals.

Generic lighting rarely provides the penetration and spread that are necessary for good coral growth. Have a look at the Kessil AP9X or the Kessil A360X. Both should provide the spread and penetration necessary for success.

But recommendations are difficult without knowing the dimensions of the tank. Is this a 55 gallon Aqueon? If so, was it a kit that came with a hood and light?

It was not a kit but a custom order from our lfs to fit our wall recess we built. Dimensions are 36x24x18. I purchased the fluval 307, 150w fluval heater, lid, light, and 75 gal power head separately. Wanted a sump set up but they couldn’t get us the right tank in that wasn’t tempered glass. But what we have works beautifully.
also have a small QT tank in my kitchen.

In regards to the lights you suggest, what do they offer exactly? is it the amount of UV ray or spectrum of light? Really was having a hard time figuring out what people say when “the right light”.

 

[Dan_P]

Hello! So I currently have a 55 gal FOWLR tank. It’s now about 4 months old. Has been cycled for a month or so. I am new to the reef tank hobby and I believe I have a decent handle on maintaining a healthy/happy tank. I’ve definitely made some mistakes in the beginning and have learned so much in the past several months. (I.e. supplement your crabs diet or he’ll eat your $30 fish…)
I am interested in trying my hand at adding some coral in the near-ish future. I was hoping for some tips.

1- what’s are some good, hardy starter coral would not require direct feeding
2- what corals should I avoid given my existing inhabitants?
3- what are big mistakes people make when adding coral?
4- when is a good time to add?
5- what kind of additional water monitoring/maintenance do corals add?

Fish:
3 baggnaii cardinals
1 yellow tail damsel
1 naked clown
1 fairy wrasse
1 purple dottyback
1 blue/green chromis

Invert:
1 emerald crab
1 cleaner skunk shrimp
15+ Mexican turban snails (ordered 5… ended up with 20)

Salinity 1.024
Nitrites ~0 ish
Nitrates 0
Ph 8.1
Temp 80-81.5 (heater is set to keep at 78, I think my thermometer reads high)
Hardness 180

A side note. With 15+ turbo snails. plan on feeding them or watch them starve to death. I have 15 myself. They are as big as plums now and eat 1-8in x 8in sheet of dried seaweed per day. It’s gone within a 2-3 hours after putting it in the tank.. And they generate drifts of poop everyday. They also are strong and can move small rocks with no trouble.

 

[gfeb]

A side note. With 15+ turbo snails. plan on feeding them or watch them starve to death. I have 15 myself. They are as big as plums now and eat 1-8in x 8in sheet of dried seaweed per day. It’s gone within a 2-3 hours after putting it in the tank.. And they generate drifts of poop everyday. They also are strong and can move small rocks with no trouble.

Yes! You’re telling me. My algae was gone so fast. I’ve been giving them macro algae that I grow as well as seaweed sheets. I’m thinking of selling some back to the store. :/

 

[Zoa_Fanatic]

Beautiful corals! Thank you for the tips. I’ll definitely look into those. Question: I’ve heard that emeralds can be rough on corals. Any idea if they’ll go for those mentioned?

I don’t do emeralds period. They eat small fish and I’ve never seen one completely leave coral alone

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

Looks like you have enough opinions. My learnings that I am going through:

1. NEVER let your Nitrates and Phosphates get too high or too low. Too high is toxic, too low dinos will take over.
2. More is not always better. Lighting, flow. If anything, start low and nudge up.
3. You need to feed your corals. I know this is obvious but after a few months of wondering why i was losing corals..I realized I was feeding Reef Roids wrong.
4. There is no magic reef in a bottle. Yes there are things that can help..but dont expect GFO, MicroBacter7 and NoPox and whatever the magic elixir of the week will save you. If anything, these things actually are probematic to the new reefer...refer to point number 2 as well as it helps you hide the underlying problems of your tank.
5. Now to your question...Shrooms, hammers and froggies are usually pretty forgiving. You could do cloves, xenia, GSP and Zoas...but those lose their luster really quickly when you cant keep them contained. If you are going to do them and dont want to have a tank full of them..use islands.

Good luck in your reefing journey.

 

[dedragon]

Warning with the cannister filter, try to replace filter media or clean it at least 1x a week or nutrients will start to get higher. For corals I would suggest getting good test kits like salifert, red sea or hanna checkers for nitrate, alkalinity, phosphate, calcium, and magnesium.
Also which light exactly are you using? Full spectrum led doesnt really relate to par output, color rendition, etc

 

[Dom]

It was not a kit but a custom order from our lfs to fit our wall recess we built. Dimensions are 36x24x18. I purchased the fluval 307, 150w fluval heater, lid, light, and 75 gal power head separately. Wanted a sump set up but they couldn’t get us the right tank in that wasn’t tempered glass. But what we have works beautifully.
also have a small QT tank in my kitchen.

In regards to the lights you suggest, what do they offer exactly? is it the amount of UV ray or spectrum of light? Really was having a hard time figuring out what people say when “the right light”.

The Kessil lighting products appear to do a nice job providing the spectrum of light most beneficial to coral growth.

The A360X throws light at 130 degrees, so you can get complete coverage of the tank footprint with one light centered over the tank at the right height. And if this isn't enough, you can always add a second light.

Also, the penetration of light to the tank bottom is very good.

I'm thrilled to hear that you use QT!

Sumps do add great flexibility. And it is unfortunate that you can't drill your tank (tempered glass). I recently put together a 40 gallon long with a 33 gallon long as a sump. I didn't want to drill, so I used the hang on back Eshopps PF-1200 overflow which flows down into the sump. Just something to consider.

This is the light: https://kessil.com/aquarium/saltwater_A360X.php

Have a look.

Dom

 

[gfeb]

The Kessil lighting products appear to do a nice job providing the spectrum of light most beneficial to coral growth.

The A360X throws light at 130 degrees, so you can get complete coverage of the tank footprint with one light centered over the tank at the right height. And if this isn't enough, you can always add a second light.

Also, the penetration of light to the tank bottom is very good.

I'm thrilled to hear that you use QT!

Sumps do add great flexibility. And it is unfortunate that you can't drill your tank (tempered glass). I recently put together a 40 gallon long with a 33 gallon long as a sump. I didn't want to drill, so I used the hang on back Eshopps PF-1200 overflow which flows down into the sump. Just something to consider.

This is the light: https://kessil.com/aquarium/saltwater_A360X.php

Have a look.

Dom

Really good stuff thank you. I'll look into the lighting. Doing more research looks like the UV radiation penetration really varies among corals (50-200 par). That seems like quite the difference? But I guess coral placement is what will make the difference.

 

[gfeb]

Warning with the cannister filter, try to replace filter media or clean it at least 1x a week or nutrients will start to get higher. For corals I would suggest getting good test kits like salifert, red sea or hanna checkers for nitrate, alkalinity, phosphate, calcium, and magnesium.
Also which light exactly are you using? Full spectrum led doesnt really relate to par output, color rendition, etc

Yeah when I got the light I was looking for a low Wattage light that are good for saltwater-fish only tanks to start with. It does the trick. Now doing some research on the one I bought, there's not much in regards to PAR spectrum out there, so I will assume it is not up to spec and get a different one.

I will have to invest in the Hanna checkers. I've been looking into it and it seems like the most convenient way. I dont want to go down the road of over burdening myself with so much maintenance that I do not enjoy it anymore. So I am willing to pay extra for convenience. Any insights on the best/easiest kit out there?

Thank you for the tip with the media. Currently I clean it out about every 2-4 weeks and change the carbon monthly. I do 10% weekly water changes because it works better with my schedule and available buckets. I am sure it would not be an issue check on the filter during that time as well.

 

[Dom]

Really good stuff thank you. I'll look into the lighting. Doing more research looks like the UV radiation penetration really varies among corals (50-200 par). That seems like quite the difference? But I guess coral placement is what will make the difference.

Yes, placement is key.

People often run out and upgrade their lighting when their coral growth isn' what they expect, when a simple rearrangement of corals to areas of better light and flow are all they need.

I read that you have a "full spectrum LED". Can you be more specific? Who is the manufacturer? Do you have a link to the light?

 

[gfeb]

Sorry this is like weeks late.
I honestly do not know the brand. I did not buy it online. But I have since purchased a new light that I know works for corals. And I have added a few to my tank. The corals are very happy and thriving!
The first one I added was a frogsspawn. I love it it looks so cool and glows an awesome green color under the blue light. I have also added a polyp. corals sure are addicting.