What do I do with my new corals?

[FishyFishFish]

How do you go about arranging new corals in your tank? How do you decide what to put where?

The tank is a 13 gal Fluval Evo and I have one big rock structure that I made from Marco nano shelf rock. If I put my GSP/zoas on there they could quickly take over the whole tank, so I plan to put those types of corals on to their own little rocks on the sand bed. How do I 'transfer' the zoas/gsp from the frag plugs to the rocks (the frag plugs don't look great in the tank)?

What would you put on the big rock structure that would look good and grow, but in a controllable manner? The tank is newly set up so can't have anything too demanding. I have a couple of Ricordeas and a Candy Cane that could potentially go on the big rock and presumably they would be ok there? What else?

I want it to look fairly natural rather than just a big rock with things stuck on it!!

 

[Pistondog]

How do you go about arranging new corals in your tank? How do you decide what to put where?

The tank is a 13 gal Fluval Evo and I have one big rock structure that I made from Marco nano shelf rock. If I put my GSP/zoas on there they could quickly take over the whole tank, so I plan to put those types of corals on to their own little rocks on the sand bed. How do I 'transfer' the zoas/gsp from the frag plugs to the rocks (the frag plugs don't look great in the tank)?

What would you put on the big rock structure that would look good and grow, but in a controllable manner? The tank is newly set up so can't have anything too demanding. I have a couple of Ricordeas and a Candy Cane that could potentially go on the big rock and presumably they would be ok there? What else?

I want it to look fairly natural rather than just a big rock with things stuck on it!!

The rics should be on its own rock, as they can grow like weeds if conditions are right. The candy cane can be mid to high with some flow.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Ricordeas - best at lower third of tank
Candy Cane - Best also at lower third of tank but not directly in the sand bed

For both - Moderate light and water flow
salinity 1.025
Temp 77-79
ph 8.1-8.3
nitrate , .4
Phos < .04
mag 1300
alk 8-9

 

[Twoddler]

GSP glue to the sump wall (black bit)

 

[FishyFishFish]

The rics should be on its own rock, as they can grow like weeds if conditions are right. The candy cane can be mid to high with some flow.

So pretty much everything I have needs its own rock!! I'm going to need a bigger tank!!

And presumably I can't get the Ricordeas off the frag plugs and onto a rock?

 

[Pistondog]

So pretty much everything I have needs its own rock!! I'm going to need a bigger tank!!

And presumably I can't get the Ricordeas off the frag plugs and onto a rock?

Ricordea will move off frag plugs in time if mounted to rock. You can coax with credit card, but risk foot damage and reattachment is not always simple.
Remove the plug in 3 months after they've grown out

 

[Zoa_Fanatic]

So pretty much everything I have needs its own rock!! I'm going to need a bigger tank!!

And presumably I can't get the Ricordeas off the frag plugs and onto a rock?

Candy canes don’t need their own rock. They aren’t invasive.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

I like to take bone cutters and cut the bottoms of the plugs. Leave a flat surface disc type plug. I glue those down.
D

 

[FishyFishFish]

Thanks, I might get one more Candy Cane at some point, otherwise my big rock will be pretty bare.

I have another little (5 gal) tank coming and I'll probably use that to frag the zoas and put some polyps on a rock instead of the plug (I might try to grow some nice combo rocks). I might also try to encourage the Rics to move onto a rock.

So much for having a little nano tank to keep me occupied. What with the fish QT and the frag QT/holding tank, this hobby has rapidly taken over my apartment!

 

[Leo_ian]

Get a toadstool for movement. Easy coral and real pretty if done right. I also reccomend elegance corals and Duncans but they may be slightly harder especially the elegance

 

[Mike from TN]

Thanks, I might get one more Candy Cane at some point, otherwise my big rock will be pretty bare.

I have another little (5 gal) tank coming and I'll probably use that to frag the zoas and put some polyps on a rock instead of the plug (I might try to grow some nice combo rocks). I might also try to encourage the Rics to move onto a rock.

So much for having a little nano tank to keep me occupied. What with the fish QT and the frag QT/holding tank, this hobby has rapidly taken over my apartment!

You mentioned fragging Zoa’s!
Be super careful when doing this. They can release palytoxin if you upset them. It CAN be very dangerous. Wear gloves, eye protection and some kind of mask over your nose and mouth. Also, avoid handling them with open or fresh wounds on your hands.
99% of the time nothing bad will happen but there is always that 1% to be aware of.

 

[FishyFishFish]

Get a toadstool for movement. Easy coral and real pretty if done right. I also reccomend elegance corals and Duncans but they may be slightly harder especially the elegance

I was originally looking at a toadstool but I like Euphyllia and understand that they can engage in chemical warfare if they're both in the same tank (particularly as mine is only a nano). However, I have also seen people keeping them both together successfully so that might not be an issue. I might look into trying a Duncan though.

 

[Zoa_Fanatic]

I was originally looking at a toadstool but I like Euphyllia and understand that they can engage in chemical warfare if they're both in the same tank (particularly as mine is only a nano). However, I have also seen people keeping them both together successfully so that might not be an issue. I might look into trying a Duncan though.

I have both in my biocube. No issues. Put the toadstool “downstream” of everything else. The only real problem they present is when they shed mucous to clean themselves. Mine is right next to the filter intake so it just goes into my skimmer anyway.

 

[davidcalgary29]

I love LPS in my nano, and most softies, but forget about Kenya Trees. I speak from experience! And if you must add some pulsing xenia, put it on a rock on the substrate. I put one frag on my one big (and only) rock, and it established two daughter colonies in two months. I'm watching them closely, and if they misbehave, they're gone.

I run chemi pure blue in mine: I find it really helps with stability. My Pink Fuzzy Devil's Hand Leather stopped opening, and I realized it that I needed to change my bag out for a new one. Sure enough, the tank went back to normal after I put in a new container of the stuff.

 

[Ardeus]