First Coral(s) - help!

[Playdope]

OK, this is a big step for me, because I've had SW tanks, but never the corals. I've had LR in the tank since late July, and... the tank has pretty good water parameters. I'm wondering... a few things.....

-At what rate should I add corals? I know slower the better, but should I not add more than a certain ammount at once?

-Do you recommend mail ordering or getting corals locally? Do corals ship OK? If so, which online site is known to have the most top notch shipping/selection?

-Should I be adding anything to the tank to feed all corals? If so, what is most commonly used for all corals?

-Whats the best stuff to get the corals to stick in place where I want them on the rock?

-Anything I should be aware of when I add a coral(s)?

Many thanks for all input.

 

[Fatal Morgana]

-At what rate should I add corals? I know slower the better, but should I not add more than a certain ammount at once?

No hard-set number, but if you are not comfortable with coral, you may want to add one or two easy/hardy coral, instead of adding a dozen or more of difficult/demanding ones that will surely discourage you and hurt you wallet.

-Do you recommend mail ordering or getting corals locally? Do corals ship OK? If so, which online site is known to have the most top notch shipping/selection?

I like to get coral locally, FWIW, but there are a few reputable MO stores (check out RDO's sponsors) that know how to ship coral (it's their business, afterall).

-Should I be adding anything to the tank to feed all corals? If so, what is most commonly used for all corals?

Depends on why type of coral you got, some need nothing but good water and light parameter. For starter, you should not get any non-photosynethsis coral that need feeding regularly. For photosyn. coral, feeding is not very important, but they do appreciate it occusionaly as long as it does not ruin the water.

-Whats the best stuff to get the corals to stick in place where I want them on the rock?

Epoxy (aquarium safe) for hard coral, and Krazy Glue for softies and some small hard coral. Some may not need to be mounted at all.

-Anything I should be aware of when I add a coral(s)?

Make sure you get it from someone who is reputable, research on the price so that you don't pay $5 plus shipping for a large Aptasia. Find out about the requirement of the coral by doing search on forums or ask questions....

 

[gabemerrill]

Mushrooms, zoanthids (zoos), and possibly anthelia are a good place to start IMHO. I'd get them locally; especially the first few so that what you see is what you get, and you know how long they have been in bags.

Corals usually come on rocks initially, so you really shouldn't need to worry about glue. I don't like aquarium epoxy it isn't very sticky and is ugly for quite a while. Gel Superglue works well, especially when propagating soft corals, but that’s some time down the road.

What kind of lighting are you running? and how deep is the tank? You should be able to keep the three I mentioned with any decent setup. Mushrooms will do well even with normal output fluorescents.

Quarantine is also a good idea, some do some don't, once you've got a sizeable investment and loose it all you'll never skip QT again though.

I've got some pictures of zoos, mushrooms, and anthelia on this website:

http://community.webshots.com/user/gabemerrill

 

[Playdope]

Hi guys,

I'm planning on a mixed reef. Some of the specimens I see in a coral book I have are:

Green Star Polyps
Pulsing Xenia
Alveopora
Elegance
Florecent Green Bubble (P. sinuosa)
Open Brain Coral (Trachyphyllia geoffroyi)
Open Brain Coral (Symphyllia radians + valenciennesii)
Boulder Brain Coral (Colpophyllia natans)
Trumpet/Bullseye Coral (Caulastrea curvata + Caulastrea furcata)
Flower Coral (Lobophyllia hempruchii)
Sarcophyton elegans
Ricordia
A few different color Acros if I can.

I have never kept corals, so I'm gonna start slow, but I went through Sprung's book on Corals, and picked out the ones I really thought looked nice, and seemed like they would have similar requirements (if they didn't i figured I could put those that demanded more/less in different parts of the tank.

My t5 system has a total of 432 watts (8 - 4ft. 54watt bulbs) Do you think I should do half 11000k and half actinic 03. Right now I'm running 4 6500k + 4 actinic 03 and it looks pretty good, but I want what the corals will do best and look best under (the corals I want to keep)
Thanks for any advice.

 

[Ben1]

There is a few corals on your list that made my eyes pop out. You should not even attemp any Alveopora/gonipora yet. Elegance have had a very bad track record and should be avoided for awhile. Sarcophyton elegans need higher currents and inst as easy to keep as the standard leather corasl. Start off with some of the less demanding sarcophytons. Acros would need very stable water parameter and alot of CA/ALK monitering. If the tank had excellent coralline growth and was VERY stable you may be able to get away with one like the green slimer. I wouldnt even touch acros for awhile though.

Other then that you look ok, but be patient and go slow. Research each coral before you buy it. Bornemans Aquarium Corals is a great book, if you dont have it pick it up!

HTH

 

[Playdope]

I've been reading stuff out of Julian Sprung's corals book. Reason I put Alveopora on the list instead of Gonipora is because they got a hardiness rating of a 7/10... unlike many of the Gonipora that have a measly 2-3/10. There is however a Branched Gonipora from Indonesia that got an 8/10 and looks really nice in the picture (polyps have a deep red ring on the outside and green in the center - pg. 37 at the bottom if you have the book.

Another thing that suprised me is the Elengence - he said they are 8/10 on the hardiness factor. Maybe there are some species that do better than others?

If I wanted to keep the Sarcophyton elegans down the road couldn't I just put it inline with a powerhead towards the top of the tank so it gets a lot of light?

I won't be attempting a lot of the corals on that list (like the ones you mentioned ) for a while. They're just things I would like to see in there eventually.

Thanks

 

[Playdope]

Anyone have recommendations for beginner corals other than the xenia + star polyps?

I keep hearing about "Zoo's". Are they a "weed" as well? Do they come in many color varieties?

Thanks!

 

[Ben1]

If you want zoos alot of people with thermo send some to you usps for pretty cheap. There is actually a big following for certian colors of zooanthids like reds and blues. They spread pretty fast and are easy to care for.

I've been reading stuff out of Julian Sprung's corals book. Reason I put Alveopora on the list instead of Gonipora is because they got a hardiness rating of a 7/10...

His ratings in that book are very loose IMO. These are not easy corals to keep and any gonipora, despite its color is also difficult.

 

[Ben1]

Here's a picture of my zooanthids.

 

[Playdope]

Nice coral!

Is it hard to find the varieties? Where should I start looking? lfs?
i always viewed lfs as somewhat limiting, in their selection compared to online.. but then again maybe i haven't been to a really good one.

red and blue zoos sound sweet!

 

[Ben1]

I would start by emailing some of the people that seem to have them already, and do thermos trading.

Check out this thread for instance.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthrea ... did=434082