Coral Rundown

greenmonkey51 · 04/03/2007, 09:03 PM

Can someone give a quick rundown of the different types of corals, as far as lighting needs and sensitivity.

omni2226 · 04/03/2007, 09:27 PM

Ha. Best joke I have heard in a long time.

....You are kidding right?

Joe LoPresti · 04/03/2007, 09:36 PM

Quick rundown, is that possible??

Check out a book called Aquarium Corals by Eric Borneman...
Check out the book section at ReefCentral...

Good luck!!!

greenmonkey51 · 04/03/2007, 09:38 PM

I'm talking about the general categories like LPS, SPS, Softies.

PatrickJ · 04/03/2007, 09:53 PM

Get a tank, get some sand, rock, saltwater, put a Deltec MCE 600, run some rowaphos in it, put some powerheads in it, let it setup for 2 weeks, do a waterchange on it, put one 175 watt MH pendent on it, put some of those corals in it, do weekly water changes of 10%.

You dont need to know much more than that. Really simple.

If you want anything specific, Google.

omni2226 · 04/03/2007, 09:53 PM

It would take pages and pages to give that kind of info.

Look in the sub forums...SPS..LPS..SOFTY..

The best way is to decide what you want to keep then ask what it takes to keep that type ofcoral.

Hormigaquatica · 04/03/2007, 09:54 PM

Well...
Very very very general,
softies tolerate the lowest light, then LPS, then SPS.
But there are so many exceptions to those rules that they become almost useless. I strongly suggest you check out the Borneman book; it will do you much more good to become familiar with the needs of a particular species (or at least genus) than to generalize across unrelated fields.

common exception examples-

Sarcophyton elegans is a very common soft coral, but it requires high light and high flow; the types generally thought of as 'sps' conditions.

Blastomussa is a common LPS that can look a lot like many Favias when fully expanded, many Favia prefer moderate light, and can take strong light. Put a Blastomussa merletti under halides without protection though, and youll have one very unhappy critter.

Pectina, Leptoseris, Echinophyllia, Mycedium- are they LPS or SPS? Which conditions do they prefer?

Yours is an honest beginners question, but one with an answer thats Way more complicated that youre probably expecting- sorry.

IslandCrow · 04/03/2007, 09:58 PM

What everyone's saying is that you simply can't put coral requirements into tidy categories like softy, LPS and SPS. First of all, LPS and SPS aren't technically even different categories from a taxonomic standpoint. In general, softies require the least light and SPS require the most, but there are so many exceptions to that very general rule, it would take far too long to list them all. Follow Joe L.'s advice and get a good book on corals or just scout out some corals you like at your local LFS. From there, do research on the requirements of those specific corals. Just do your absolute best to avoid any impulse buys. Even PatrickJ's method won't satisfy the needs of all corals.

04/03/2007, 09:03 PM	#1
greenmonkey51 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 1,092	Coral Rundown Can someone give a quick rundown of the different types of corals, as far as lighting needs and sensitivity.

04/03/2007, 09:27 PM	#2
omni2226 Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Middle Florida Posts: 774	Ha. Best joke I have heard in a long time. ....You are kidding right? __________________ I know enough to know I know nothing. Current Tank Info: 55 Marine. 29 Freshwater planted.

04/03/2007, 09:36 PM	#3
Joe LoPresti Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: san diego Posts: 240	Quick rundown, is that possible?? Check out a book called Aquarium Corals by Eric Borneman... Check out the book section at ReefCentral... Good luck!!! __________________ Deep Thoughts, by Jack Handey- "Better not take a dog on the Space Shuttle, because if he sticks his head out when you're coming home his face might burn up." Current Tank Info: 82 gallon custom-built reef tank, 29 gallon softie cube, 29 gallon anemone cube and a 40 gallon Tanganyikan cichlid tank!!!

04/03/2007, 09:53 PM	#5
PatrickJ Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Luling, La Posts: 587	Get a tank, get some sand, rock, saltwater, put a Deltec MCE 600, run some rowaphos in it, put some powerheads in it, let it setup for 2 weeks, do a waterchange on it, put one 175 watt MH pendent on it, put some of those corals in it, do weekly water changes of 10%. You dont need to know much more than that. Really simple. If you want anything specific, Google. __________________ I skim wet, therefore I am. Current Tank Info: 120 Monster

04/03/2007, 09:53 PM	#6
omni2226 Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Middle Florida Posts: 774	It would take pages and pages to give that kind of info. Look in the sub forums...SPS..LPS..SOFTY.. The best way is to decide what you want to keep then ask what it takes to keep that type ofcoral. __________________ I know enough to know I know nothing. Current Tank Info: 55 Marine. 29 Freshwater planted.

04/03/2007, 09:38 PM	#4
greenmonkey51 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 1,092	I'm talking about the general categories like LPS, SPS, Softies.

04/03/2007, 09:54 PM	#7
Hormigaquatica Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 3,022	Well... Very very very general, softies tolerate the lowest light, then LPS, then SPS. But there are so many exceptions to those rules that they become almost useless. I strongly suggest you check out the Borneman book; it will do you much more good to become familiar with the needs of a particular species (or at least genus) than to generalize across unrelated fields. common exception examples- Sarcophyton elegans is a very common soft coral, but it requires high light and high flow; the types generally thought of as 'sps' conditions. Blastomussa is a common LPS that can look a lot like many Favias when fully expanded, many Favia prefer moderate light, and can take strong light. Put a Blastomussa merletti under halides without protection though, and youll have one very unhappy critter. Pectina, Leptoseris, Echinophyllia, Mycedium- are they LPS or SPS? Which conditions do they prefer? Yours is an honest beginners question, but one with an answer thats Way more complicated that youre probably expecting- sorry. __________________ Reaching up and reaching out and reaching for the random, or whatever will bewilder me. Have Some Personal Accountability Current Tank Info: 240g LPS/Softie Reef

04/03/2007, 09:58 PM	#8
IslandCrow Reef Monkey Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Rockledge, Fl Posts: 5,759	What everyone's saying is that you simply can't put coral requirements into tidy categories like softy, LPS and SPS. First of all, LPS and SPS aren't technically even different categories from a taxonomic standpoint. In general, softies require the least light and SPS require the most, but there are so many exceptions to that very general rule, it would take far too long to list them all. Follow Joe L.'s advice and get a good book on corals or just scout out some corals you like at your local LFS. From there, do research on the requirements of those specific corals. Just do your absolute best to avoid any impulse buys. Even PatrickJ's method won't satisfy the needs of all corals. __________________ All opinions in the above message should be taken with 35 ppt salt. -Mike C. Current Tank Info: I have a reef screen saver on my phone, does that count?