Guide to proper keeping of Corals

Eretmodus · 08/27/2006, 06:37 AM

Hello All, Thanks to you my system is up and running. My two 40 breeder tanks are now ready to start cycling. I have some Live Sand coming today along with my lighting. I still have some questions though. I will be using 36" Coralife light with 2 96 watt PC's and Lunar lights. The bulbs are an Actinic and a 10 K bulb per unit with 3 LED Lunar Lights. My question is what kind of Corals will I be able to house temporarily for sale in these tanks. Hopefully I won't have to keep them for long periods of time but if I do I want them to remain healthy.
Is there a place on the web that gives an I.D and lighting requirement for individual Corals. I plan on starting with Softies but would like to know what will do best under these lights. I will probably buy MH's eventually but for now I have to live with the PC units. Any guidance will be greatly appreciated. Thanks and God Bless, Peter

Eretmodus · 08/27/2006, 07:05 AM

Bump

kzoo · 08/27/2006, 07:06 AM

That is a good amount of light, but it also matters how deep the tank is and how far from the light you keep your corals. If it is a shallow breeder tank you should have no problem with softies.

Eretmodus · 08/27/2006, 07:15 AM

the tanks are around 15" deep and I plan on building up rock to within a few inches of the top. Any ideas on the link for proper lighting on the corals ?? Thanks for your input.

kzoo · 08/27/2006, 07:22 AM

I am not sure of any exact sites for lighting coral but the rule is 3 to 5 watts per gall. and more for annomenes and SPS. I think that lighting is important but, water keeping is the key to healthy corals. What kind of filter system are you going to use? sump, canister, fudge? Useing RO water?

Eretmodus · 08/27/2006, 07:29 AM

I have a single 1" overflow on each 40 gal. running to a 36 gallon sump with a Iwaki return through 1" pvc . I am adding the live sand bed in the tanks today and will be adding live rock to the tanks and sump. I have a berlin XL skimmer rated for 150 to 400 gallons running off sump. Any suggestions as to the amount of live rock ?? These tanks will be used for the sale of corals out of my small store. There will be some inverts in tank but no fish so I don't think Bioload will be excessive. Thanks again for your help. Peter

Eretmodus · 08/27/2006, 07:30 AM

I am using RO water also.

kzoo · 08/27/2006, 07:38 AM

The only thing with small bio load tanks is food for the corals, fish poop and fish food help with growth but your water quality should be great. You can always add what they need. With a small bio you dont need to over do it on the live rock 50lbs would be fine in my opinion. But it sounds like a nice set-up, take some pics love to see.

Eretmodus · 08/27/2006, 08:51 AM

Believe me it not that impressive LOL. I am new to this and these tanks are setup for selling corals not so much as a show tank. I will take some pics as I get things together. Thanks for the help. Anyone have a link to a site for lighting requirements for Corals ??

sarduci · 08/27/2006, 09:59 AM

Watts per gallon is a bad way to choose lights. The PAR levels available at the bottom of the tank with 250w of metal halide lights is much greater than 250w of PC light.

PAR is what it's all about, not watts. 1200 watts of light with a poor PAR layout will be much worse off than 300 watts of bulbs with high PAR levels.

Good reflectors on T5/VHO or metal halide will outclass any amount of PC or NO lights. Many people keep SPS's under T5 lights in Europe, and there are a lot of people here in the USA who are doing it with 75g+ tanks. If I had the chance to do it over, I'd be using T5's instead of MH lights for my tank.

MCary · 08/27/2006, 10:10 AM

When you posted before I didn't remember to suggest you put in a small clean up crew and basically setup the system as a propagation tank would be setup.

With those lights, You would be primarily limited to LPS and Soft corals. Short tentacle plates, frogspawn, hammers, and bubbles are all good sellers if you want to try LPS. Just please do not sell flower pot corals, Goniopora.

Your can keep SPS corals under that light for quite awhile and the will live. However, they will all turn brown and no one will want them.

If I were setting up coral tanks for sale, I would have used 20,000 kelvin metal halide pendants. I don't recommend them for a home tank, i recommend 10k for that, but for a sale tank, they give good light for all types of corals and make the colors pop.

Mike

Eretmodus · 08/27/2006, 10:56 AM

The reason I am getting the PC's is I got a great deal from a friend. I understand if I do decide to start selling SPS I will need to upgrade to MH or T 5's.

Thanks MCary, that is what I wanted to know. I think if anyone is looking for SPS Corals I will let them know what is available to me and get them for the people by order until I get a tank setup properly for their keeping. Might I ask what the Flowerpot Coral is and why I shouldn't sell them ??

What do you suggest for a cleanup crew. I figured on some snails and shrimp but suggestions would be nice.

Not that I intend to do it but how long would the SPS last if they were placed at the top of the tank as close to light as possible ?? I am wondering if I could house them temporarily for customers that order them. Thanks ALOT for your help. Take Care and God Bless, Peter

MCary · 08/27/2006, 03:31 PM

Goniopora is a coral I see often in pet stores. They have a dismal survival rate in a home aquarium and I think its irresponsible to sell them.

As far as a cleanup, you'll want a few diatom grazers like astrea or turbo snails. Nothing too fancy.

I would suspect that SPS can live a long time over less that perfect lighting conditions. At least a few months. But the vibrant colors will be lost in a couple weeks.

Mike

bertoni · 08/27/2006, 04:11 PM

This book is a valuable resource, in my opinion:

[ericsbook]

Soft corals are tolerant of low light and are a good place to start.

lvpd186 · 08/27/2006, 05:03 PM

If I was you I wouldn't put any live rock in the tanks if they are holding stuff you plan on selling right away. You could always put live rock in the sump. If you are worried about keeping some of the corals closer to the light source you could always build a step system with pvc pipe and egg crate. That way you can display all of your corals and make sure that the light demanding ones get a spot closer to the surface. Plus you will get better flow through the tank with out the rock.

Eretmodus · 08/27/2006, 05:48 PM

Hey Bertoni, do you have this book ? What I would like to find is a "basics" book, telling me what Corals need for lighting as I assume there isn't a website that does so. Any added info on a good book would be appreciated, I currently have borrowed The Reef Aquarium and Marine Invertebrates. They are good books but to me seem to be more for advanced Reefers. I am a beginner and would like a few books that cater to the beginner atleast till I get a better understanding of some things.

LVPD, I appreciate the advice. How would my bio be taken care of if I don't add LR ? I am new to this so forgive me but would just having LR in my sump be enough to keep my water at peak quality?

Any other advice or help is welcome and appreciated. Take Care and God Bless, Peter

bertoni · 08/27/2006, 05:50 PM

Yes, I have that book, and use it a lot. It covers the basics, although it's also got a lot of advanced information. I think of it as an encyclopedia of species.

Eretmodus · 08/27/2006, 06:01 PM

Sounds like what I am looking for. I will go to Amazon and order it now. Thanks again

lvpd186 · 08/27/2006, 09:20 PM

Well, since this tank is only for corals that you are going to keep for a short time to sell the tank shouldn't have much of a bio-load at all. I would still run a good skimmer to keep the water quality as high as possible but I wouldn't think you would need more LR then what you could put in the sump, plus you do have a sand bed in the tank. You could always add a refug. to help with biological filtration if need be.

crpeck · 08/27/2006, 11:42 PM

Hi Eretmodus,
I second Bertoni's recommendation of Eric Borneman's book. I have the book also and it has been very helpful.

It's not just about lighting, but corals have preference of water flow, feeding requirements, and compatibility with other corals placed nearby. All need to be considered for success.

Even kept temporarily, you will want to keep them healty as possible to make sure they're at optimum strength before they move on.

Good Luck!

08/27/2006, 06:37 AM	#1
Eretmodus Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NE Pennsylvania Posts: 75	Guide to proper keeping of Corals Hello All, Thanks to you my system is up and running. My two 40 breeder tanks are now ready to start cycling. I have some Live Sand coming today along with my lighting. I still have some questions though. I will be using 36" Coralife light with 2 96 watt PC's and Lunar lights. The bulbs are an Actinic and a 10 K bulb per unit with 3 LED Lunar Lights. My question is what kind of Corals will I be able to house temporarily for sale in these tanks. Hopefully I won't have to keep them for long periods of time but if I do I want them to remain healthy. Is there a place on the web that gives an I.D and lighting requirement for individual Corals. I plan on starting with Softies but would like to know what will do best under these lights. I will probably buy MH's eventually but for now I have to live with the PC units. Any guidance will be greatly appreciated. Thanks and God Bless, Peter

08/27/2006, 07:05 AM	#2
Eretmodus Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NE Pennsylvania Posts: 75	Bump __________________ Learning more every day !!!

08/27/2006, 07:15 AM	#4
Eretmodus Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NE Pennsylvania Posts: 75	the tanks are around 15" deep and I plan on building up rock to within a few inches of the top. Any ideas on the link for proper lighting on the corals ?? Thanks for your input. __________________ Learning more every day !!!

08/27/2006, 07:29 AM	#6
Eretmodus Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NE Pennsylvania Posts: 75	I have a single 1" overflow on each 40 gal. running to a 36 gallon sump with a Iwaki return through 1" pvc . I am adding the live sand bed in the tanks today and will be adding live rock to the tanks and sump. I have a berlin XL skimmer rated for 150 to 400 gallons running off sump. Any suggestions as to the amount of live rock ?? These tanks will be used for the sale of corals out of my small store. There will be some inverts in tank but no fish so I don't think Bioload will be excessive. Thanks again for your help. Peter __________________ Learning more every day !!!

08/27/2006, 07:30 AM	#7
Eretmodus Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NE Pennsylvania Posts: 75	I am using RO water also. __________________ Learning more every day !!!

08/27/2006, 07:06 AM	#3
kzoo Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 589	That is a good amount of light, but it also matters how deep the tank is and how far from the light you keep your corals. If it is a shallow breeder tank you should have no problem with softies.

08/27/2006, 07:22 AM	#5
kzoo Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 589	I am not sure of any exact sites for lighting coral but the rule is 3 to 5 watts per gall. and more for annomenes and SPS. I think that lighting is important but, water keeping is the key to healthy corals. What kind of filter system are you going to use? sump, canister, fudge? Useing RO water?

08/27/2006, 07:38 AM	#8
kzoo Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 589	The only thing with small bio load tanks is food for the corals, fish poop and fish food help with growth but your water quality should be great. You can always add what they need. With a small bio you dont need to over do it on the live rock 50lbs would be fine in my opinion. But it sounds like a nice set-up, take some pics love to see.

08/27/2006, 08:51 AM	#9
Eretmodus Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NE Pennsylvania Posts: 75	Believe me it not that impressive LOL. I am new to this and these tanks are setup for selling corals not so much as a show tank. I will take some pics as I get things together. Thanks for the help. Anyone have a link to a site for lighting requirements for Corals ?? __________________ Learning more every day !!!

08/27/2006, 09:59 AM	#10
sarduci Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Wausau, Wisconsin Posts: 1,278	Watts per gallon is a bad way to choose lights. The PAR levels available at the bottom of the tank with 250w of metal halide lights is much greater than 250w of PC light. PAR is what it's all about, not watts. 1200 watts of light with a poor PAR layout will be much worse off than 300 watts of bulbs with high PAR levels. Good reflectors on T5/VHO or metal halide will outclass any amount of PC or NO lights. Many people keep SPS's under T5 lights in Europe, and there are a lot of people here in the USA who are doing it with 75g+ tanks. If I had the chance to do it over, I'd be using T5's instead of MH lights for my tank.

08/27/2006, 10:10 AM	#11
MCary Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Hardin, Montana Posts: 3,142	When you posted before I didn't remember to suggest you put in a small clean up crew and basically setup the system as a propagation tank would be setup. With those lights, You would be primarily limited to LPS and Soft corals. Short tentacle plates, frogspawn, hammers, and bubbles are all good sellers if you want to try LPS. Just please do not sell flower pot corals, Goniopora. Your can keep SPS corals under that light for quite awhile and the will live. However, they will all turn brown and no one will want them. If I were setting up coral tanks for sale, I would have used 20,000 kelvin metal halide pendants. I don't recommend them for a home tank, i recommend 10k for that, but for a sale tank, they give good light for all types of corals and make the colors pop. Mike

08/27/2006, 10:56 AM	#12
Eretmodus Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NE Pennsylvania Posts: 75	The reason I am getting the PC's is I got a great deal from a friend. I understand if I do decide to start selling SPS I will need to upgrade to MH or T 5's. Thanks MCary, that is what I wanted to know. I think if anyone is looking for SPS Corals I will let them know what is available to me and get them for the people by order until I get a tank setup properly for their keeping. Might I ask what the Flowerpot Coral is and why I shouldn't sell them ?? What do you suggest for a cleanup crew. I figured on some snails and shrimp but suggestions would be nice. Not that I intend to do it but how long would the SPS last if they were placed at the top of the tank as close to light as possible ?? I am wondering if I could house them temporarily for customers that order them. Thanks ALOT for your help. Take Care and God Bless, Peter __________________ Learning more every day !!!

08/27/2006, 03:31 PM	#13
MCary Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Hardin, Montana Posts: 3,142	Goniopora is a coral I see often in pet stores. They have a dismal survival rate in a home aquarium and I think its irresponsible to sell them. As far as a cleanup, you'll want a few diatom grazers like astrea or turbo snails. Nothing too fancy. I would suspect that SPS can live a long time over less that perfect lighting conditions. At least a few months. But the vibrant colors will be lost in a couple weeks. Mike

08/27/2006, 04:11 PM	#14
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	This book is a valuable resource, in my opinion: [ericsbook] Soft corals are tolerant of low light and are a good place to start. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

08/27/2006, 05:03 PM	#15
lvpd186 Reefing in NE Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Papillion, NE Posts: 1,485	If I was you I wouldn't put any live rock in the tanks if they are holding stuff you plan on selling right away. You could always put live rock in the sump. If you are worried about keeping some of the corals closer to the light source you could always build a step system with pvc pipe and egg crate. That way you can display all of your corals and make sure that the light demanding ones get a spot closer to the surface. Plus you will get better flow through the tank with out the rock. __________________ "A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice." Bill Cosby

08/27/2006, 05:48 PM	#16
Eretmodus Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NE Pennsylvania Posts: 75	Hey Bertoni, do you have this book ? What I would like to find is a "basics" book, telling me what Corals need for lighting as I assume there isn't a website that does so. Any added info on a good book would be appreciated, I currently have borrowed The Reef Aquarium and Marine Invertebrates. They are good books but to me seem to be more for advanced Reefers. I am a beginner and would like a few books that cater to the beginner atleast till I get a better understanding of some things. LVPD, I appreciate the advice. How would my bio be taken care of if I don't add LR ? I am new to this so forgive me but would just having LR in my sump be enough to keep my water at peak quality? Any other advice or help is welcome and appreciated. Take Care and God Bless, Peter __________________ Learning more every day !!!

08/27/2006, 05:50 PM	#17
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Yes, I have that book, and use it a lot. It covers the basics, although it's also got a lot of advanced information. I think of it as an encyclopedia of species. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

08/27/2006, 06:01 PM	#18
Eretmodus Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NE Pennsylvania Posts: 75	Sounds like what I am looking for. I will go to Amazon and order it now. Thanks again __________________ Learning more every day !!!

08/27/2006, 09:20 PM	#19
lvpd186 Reefing in NE Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Papillion, NE Posts: 1,485	Well, since this tank is only for corals that you are going to keep for a short time to sell the tank shouldn't have much of a bio-load at all. I would still run a good skimmer to keep the water quality as high as possible but I wouldn't think you would need more LR then what you could put in the sump, plus you do have a sand bed in the tank. You could always add a refug. to help with biological filtration if need be. __________________ "A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice." Bill Cosby

08/27/2006, 11:42 PM	#20
crpeck Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Clovis, CA Posts: 1,729	Hi Eretmodus, I second Bertoni's recommendation of Eric Borneman's book. I have the book also and it has been very helpful. It's not just about lighting, but corals have preference of water flow, feeding requirements, and compatibility with other corals placed nearby. All need to be considered for success. Even kept temporarily, you will want to keep them healty as possible to make sure they're at optimum strength before they move on. Good Luck! __________________ Cathy Current Tank Info: IM Fusion 40/AI Hydra 26