I want to start trying corals

[skibum1681]

What is the best coral to start with? I have a 40g tall tank (36" x 12" x 19") I just upgraded from a single 10,000 K bulb fixture to a nova extreme 2 x 36" T-5 HO fixture. My tank has been up and running for about 2 years now. I've had several fish (none right now). This summer got really hot in my apartment and i couldnt get the temp down. Now with fall approaching i would like to start to bring some life back into my tank.

I know very little about corals - handling, feeding, water parameters, etc. I typically do 20% water changes monthly. I've never dosed anything.

I'm looking for a few tips to add to my reading about the best way to keep some lower light requiring corals. I like Zoa's the best but i am open to suggestions.

Thanks in advance for your tips!

[100%hydrophylic]

did all your fish die?? how long has your tank been fishless? without a source of nutrients the nitrifying bacteria in your system could have died off. (which means you might have small cycles in the near future). you should probably bump up your water changes because corals dont like nitrates and nitrates can build up pretty fast without water changes. zoas are good first time corals. they can live in slightly dirtier water, usually dont need too much light, and from my experiences they are pretty over all hardy.

[Frogmanx82]

You need to know 3 things.

There are soft corals that have no carbonate skeleton. For the most part they are easy and do well in less than perfect water. Zoas and mushrooms are hard to kill. Xenia and kenya tree can spread quickly. Definitely start with these.

Long Polyp Stoney corals (LPS) are trickier. You need good light and good water movement but there are some fairly hardy varieties. Your tank would need to be in pretty good control though. Did I mention good lighting, you really need a good light. A well designed High Output T5 or metal halide.

Small Polyp Stoney corals. (SPS) Need pristine conditions. You won't be able to keep these without a major system upgrade.

[rhdoug]

1. You should be using RO water if you are going to introduce corals to the tank.
2. The only thing you will need to dose is calcium and alkalinity, you can buy those as a 2-part unit from most shops or online. ESV B-Ionic is popular and easily avaiable. Don't add anything else, despite what the shops or ads will tell you.
3. With your lighting zoas and most soft corals should do fine. However, you should address your temp control problem before investing in more livestock, as I assume high temps killed off all your livestock this summer. Is your tank open topped or covered by a hood or glass? Sometimes just a fan blowing across the top of the tank will cool it off.

[skibum1681]

Thanks for the help. The tank is definitely still alive. i turned the lights back on last night after they were out for about an hour and there were thousands of little "bug" crawling around as well as my snails and a scarlet hermit who i have had since day one. I will no doubt have small cycles as i start adding live stock back to the tank.

The fish have slowly died over the past year and a half and i havent replaced them as they did. My tank is not drilled and i do not have a sump or a skimmer so its tough to keep the water clean. This summer the tank really got away from me and with the higher water temperatures i think my last few fish just couldnt hold up to it.

I have a 75g drilled tank ready to set up but i plan on moving in within a couple months so i will not be setting that system up till i move.

Any ways, i'm rambling.

Feeding requirements with Zoa's, do they get their nutrients ont of the water coulmn or is spot feeding required?

What tests should i add to my testing regime? I test for ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, PH, and ALK now. - I presume Ca & Mg and maybe phosphates?

[skibum1681]

Open top. I've been using RO/DI water for about 1.5 years now. What is optimum Ca and Alk for these Zoa's?

[rhdoug]

Bugs are a good sign. Zoa's will get their food from the water, you don't have to spot feed. Go on the reef chemistry forum and read an article or two on calcium/alk. it is not hard to dose these.
To each his own on the testing. All I test for is Calcium/alk and occasionally Mg, which I rarely dose. I find the salt adds enough on its own.

Good job on the RO water, you should be good to go on adding some coral.

[Frogmanx82]

Calcium isn't such a big deal for soft corals. They aren't building calcium carbonate skeletons.