Coral selection help for a newbie

[DeweyHawk]

I just got a great looking JBJ 28 gallon Nano which was upgraded to use Maxi-Jet 900s for the return pumps (upgraded flow+less power usage) and has a Koralia Mini for some additional in-tank flow. Not to mention that the middle back section in the return was customized to hold a Coralife mini Aqualight (2x9w CF 6700k bulbs) to grow cheato! The lighting on the tank is the base 105 watt Compact Fluorescents and 4 Nite-Vu LED lights. I have a phosban reactor on the tank now but not a skimmer. I’m probably leaning towards not having a skimmer because I’m pretty diligent about waters changes.

On Friday, I broke down my other tank and took the live sand and live rock for my new 28 gallon Nano. The Nano now has about a 3-4 inch sand bed and 40-50lbs of live rock. I put my Fire Blood Shrimp, Sally-lightfoot, and 6 hermits in there on Sunday and everyone seems fine. Next up, I’m going to put my two clowns and fairy wrasse in the tank – probably tonight. My next step is to add some corals. I’ve not had any corals yet, so I have some very basic questions I’m hoping you all can help me with. As you can tell, I’m juiced!

1. What coral reading / websites would you recommend?
2. What are some corals that I should consider using with this set up? Any to avoid?
3. How do you keep the corals healthy and are there any special parameters / feeding needed for them?
4. When you buy a coral or trade for one, what should you look for?
5. How do you acclimate a coral to your tank?
6. How do you determine where to place the coral in your tank and what epoxy/glue do you use?

I may add another fish, perhaps a yellow watchman goby or a blennie of some type down the road. But first, I want to get some coral in the tank. It is hard to be patient, but I know it will take some time. Thanks in advance for any and all feedback!

[GhostCon1]

1. RC
2. I think you would have to avoid some of the higher light craving corals. Unless you upgrade your lights
3. Depends on the coral you get. Some require really bright lighting and other moderate (you can alter the light a coral receives based on where you place it in the tank. Top, mid, bottom). SPS require lots of flow, most corals require some type of zooplankton or phytoplankton (food for filterfeeders, this is tiny plant/animals)
4. Make sure it generally looks healthy, good color all around, no red bugs. Look for the polyps on the coral.
5. Acclimate by placing bag in tank for 15-20 minutes to adjust for temp. change. You can also drip acclimate by taking an air hose and tying a knot at the end and siphoning tank water into a small amount of the water from where you got the coral. You want there to be a small drip (think it's about 2-3 drips a minute or so, it's a personal preference thing). You do this so that there is no shock from the differences of your pH, salinity, SG, etc. from where the coral came from.
6. Go to the dollar store, buy the Super Glue Gel (Has "GEL" written in green) made from the Super Glue Corporation and contains only cyanoacrylate. This costs $1.00!

Hope this helps! People will drop in to make adjustments to what I said I am sure, and to give you their advice

The coral forms on RC as well as the Nano reef forum will be a great help to you

Forgot to add, GET RID OF THE SALLY LIGHT FOOT! Or just seperate it, those things are like ticking time bombs.

[DeweyHawk]

Thanks for the tips Ghost. I didn't know the Sallly Light foot would be an issue, I'll have to read up on them. It is a crazy eater when it is feeding time but I didn't think they'd eat coral.

[GhostCon1]

They are fine when smaller, but as they get older they become very predatory, I'm not sure about the coral eating. They may eat some polyps but will hunt your fish.

Also, I forgot to add when you drip acclimate, make sure the two temps stay the same, don't let the water get too cold while it drips or it can shock/kill the coral from getting too cold.

From everything I've seen, you want to add just enough water from the bag you have your livestock in and then drip acclimate for anywhere from 1-3 hours. Some go so far as to make sure the pH and everything stays the same while they acclimate (I admit I would too if I ever got a $200+ coral ).

[phenom5]

Originally Posted by DeweyHawk

1. What coral reading / websites would you recommend?

Reefcentral of course. Aquarium Corals by Eric Borneman is a must have for any reefkeeper IMO.

Originally Posted by DeweyHawk

2. What are some corals that I should consider using with this set up? Any to avoid?

I would avoid SPS with your current setup. Zoanthids, mushrooms, softies are a good starting point. LPS can require a little more care, but most are pretty forgiving. Be careful of mushrooms, xenia, and green star polyps, they grow like weeds, and you may regret adding them down the road.

Originally Posted by DeweyHawk

3. How do you keep the corals healthy and are there any special parameters / feeding needed for them?

As far as parameters go, depends, but generally speaking corals need lower nutrient levels than fish. Keep you nitrates low, phosphates really low, and keep your Ca & Alk in a good range, and you'll be good.

As far as food goes, light, fish poop are good. Some corals like bigger, meaty foods, some prefer smaller stuff. Just depends. There are plenty of foods out there, unfortunately some are better than others.

Originally Posted by DeweyHawk

4. When you buy a coral or trade for one, what should you look for?

Depends on the coral. Obviously a good, healthy frag/ colony is what you want. Figure out what corals you want to add, and research what a healthy piece should look like BEFORE you buy.

Originally Posted by DeweyHawk

5. How do you acclimate a coral to your tank?

Depends on the coral. For zoanthids I've always done a 5 min freshwater/ lugol's dip, then straight into the tanks. For SPS I always float the bag for 15 minutes, do a Revive dip, rinse, then a not too long drip. With LPS I usually float the bag, then do ~1 hour drip.

I also start all corals on the sandbed, and slowly move them up to the final placement over the course of a few weeks.

Originally Posted by DeweyHawk

6. How do you determine where to place the coral in your tank and what epoxy/glue do you use?

Placement depends on where they can get the conditions they like, and where I want them.

I use Aquamend (reef safe 2 part epoxy available at Home Depot) and super glue gel. If I can take out the rock that I'm attaching the coral to, I just use super glue gel. For underwater stuff I like to use a super glue/ epoxy/ super glue sandwich. Takes some practice to get the technique down.

[DeweyHawk]

Thanks Phenom for the feedback. There is a local guy that has some purple death zoa's 30+ polyps for $30. They look cool when I see the pics. I wonder if they might make a good starter for me.

[phenom5]

That's a good price, I'd say go for it. Maybe wait a week or so, and keep an eye on your water parameters, but paly's are as good of starting point as any coral I suppose.

FWIW, I was just window shopping on vivid, their purple death paly's are going for 10 bucks/ polyp.

[DeweyHawk]

In addition to the purple death zoa's, the same guy has same local guy has some other stuff too, but I'm too new at this to know if it will work with my tank and whether or not the pricing is reasonable. Should I grab one of these too? Here's his list:

1.Green Pocillopora-------$10 each
2. Green Spognodes------$10-$15 each depending on size
3. Blue Chalice-----$10-$15 each depending on size
4. Various Monti caps Red, Green, Purple---$10-$15 depending on size
5. Orange Digitata-----$15
6. Brown Digitata------$10
7. Neon green birdsnest---$10
8. Neon pink birdsnest---$15
9. Superman Monti (the real deal)------$25 each
10. Pink Millipora-----$15
11. Various acros ----$10 -$20 depending on size (Some are small colonies)

[phenom5]

All of those are SPS with the exception of the chalice (LPS).

[njudson]

Check out Ricordea. I added a small piece to my young tank and it seems to be doing well. They are cool mushrooms!

[DeweyHawk]

Thanks Phenom. Looks like I need a crash course on what is an SPS! Since those aren't viable options for me, I need to know what to avoid.

I googled Ricordea and there are some pretty ones. Now I just need to find someone local that has one.

[Reef 101]

nothing easier then Mushroom Coral's/Mushroom Polyp. The next few beginner corals come from what is called "Soft Corals/Leather Corals", Toadstool Leather, Fiji Leather, Sinularia and Zoanthids dealing with these corals, they do not have any special needs. They do not require bright lights to be maintained, however Zoanthids need brighter lights to flourish. They all have symbiotic algae zooxanthellae hosted within their body which provides the majority of its nutritional needs from the light driven process of photosynthesis which means low maintenance.

1. Mushroom Corals. These corals display a wide variety of colors, textures, and patterns. Some are solid colors, whereas, others are striped or spotted. They are hardy and require very little care, will multiply and spread very rapidly. In general, they need a medium light level and a low to medium water flow within the aquarium, although different species may have different requirements.

2. Toadstool Leather. They are generally referred to as Sarcophyton Coral, Mushroom, Leather, or Trough Corals. They are found in various shades of brown, tan or green, with white or gold polyps.As they grow older, they develop a folded appearance. Some have been seen in the wild over two feet around but usually only get to around 10-15 inches in the home aquarium. They are relatively peaceful, but adequate space should be provided between them and other corals in the aquarium. Some produce toxins which are harmful to other coral types. They require medium lighting combined with medium to strong water movement.

3. Fiji Leather Coral. They may be referred to as the Sarcophyton elegans Coral. It can be found in shades of yellow, and unlike other Sarcophyton corals, it does not grow an extended stalk. Instead, these corals grow close to the rockwork, and will develop beautiful ruffles around the edges. They are relatively peaceful, but adequate space should be provided between them and other corals in the aquarium. Some produce toxins which are harmful to other coral types. They require medium lighting combined with medium to strong water movement.

4. Sinularia Corals. They are commonly referred to as Flexible Leather Coral, Soft Finger Coral, or Thin Finger Coral. It can be recognized from other members of the genus by its long, thin, flexible fingers that are often available in stunning iridescent shades of yellow, gold, green or tan. It may be slimy to the touch. They require medium lighting combined with medium to strong water movement. They are relatively peaceful, but adequate space should be provided between them and other corals in the aquarium. Some produce toxins which are harmful to other coral types.

5. Zoanthids. Colony Polyp Corals are also referred to as Sea Mats, or Button Polyps. Their most common colors are green, brown, red and yellow but are also found in other bright colors, such as orange. A lot of time, you may purchase a wild collected colony which appears to be one of the common colors but once established in your aquarium, it can morph into other colors and multiple colors on each polyp.
They are colonial animals with multiple individual polyps attached to a piece of live rock or substrate. They are easy to maintain, making them a good choice for beginner aquarists. They will reproduce easily in the reef aquarium by budding (splitting off a portion of their base or mouth), which will increase the size of their colony. They are relatively peaceful, but adequate space should be provided between them and other corals in the aquarium. Some produce toxins which are harmful to other coral types.

I would recommend any of these to a any one who is just starting out in the hobby. They are low maintenance, and generally super easy to care for. I would also recommend supplementing with iodine and other trace elements to the water to insure proper growth.

[DeweyHawk]

Thanks Reef! Looks like I'm going to start with a leather and a zoa colony.