Starting to Plan Corals for 75g

[Itchy Trigger]

So I'm not quite ready for corals in my 75g, but getting close. I've added the first fish, and my plan was to add fish and corals together over time. I've done some reading, and looking around and found many corals that I like. I imagine it's best to start with softies, but I'd also like to try LPS and some of the easier SPS (Montipora sp, for instance).

The tank is 75g, the lighting is two Aqua Illumination Hydras and for water movement I have a Vortech MP10 and two Koralias.

Here are some softies I like, based on pics I've seen. I know some of these are easy to find, and others, I have no idea whether they're readily available or not. Which (if any) of these would be a good "first" coral to add to this tank?

Blue Ridge Coral (Heliopora coerulea)
Devil's Hand Leather Coral (Lobophytum sp.)
Colt Coral (Klyxum sp.)
Blue Xenia (Cespitularia sp.)
Red Dead Man’s Fingers (Alcyonium palmatum)
Neon Pineapple Tree Coral (Capnella sp.)
Red Tip Tree Coral (Stereonephthya sp.)
Carnation Tree Coral (Dendronephthya sp.)
Nephthea

If none of these are good starters, I'm certainly open to suggestions. Thanks!

[Ryan2013]

I would just start with some zoanthids honestly. If you're planning to,eventually do hard corals, you'll likely outgrow the softies you mentioned and wind up fighting to get rid of them. (Xenia especially). Just pick some zoas or palys with a color form you like from another reefer and set them up on a rock away from the rest of your aqua scape. It keeps them from overrunning your tank. Just make sure to turn down your LEDs when you add any coral that didnt come from another tank with LEDs so as to not bleach them out. Good luck with your new tank!

[Ryan2013]

Also, stay away from the dendro especially if you're just getting into coral. Non-photosynthetic corals require more attention than you may be willing to devote to them. They prefer lower lighting and target feedings of plankton in order to thrive.

[Itchy Trigger]

Thanks Ryan. Zoanthids sounds good. I've read about Xenia and how it can take over. Wouldn't using the method you describe for the zoas (putting on a rock separate from the rest of the reef) be a way to control it too?

[Ryan2013]

It could work similarly but what's nice about zoas is you can usually just peel them off the rock if you get under the encrusting portion with a razor blade. Xenia are a little harder to deal with. If you like the Xenia then I say go for it. It's all about personal preference really. I just suggest keeping tabs on their growth to make sure it doesn't become a problem. I do agree that they are pretty when contained.

[Itchy Trigger]

Cool. So perhaps I'll start w zoas, then do one of the softies from the list, also on a separate rock and then see how it goes.

[Ryan2013]

Yeah from the list you have I'd say that the leather, xenia or colt corals are your best bet. They're all pretty bulletproof and they look pretty cool. The heliopora is usually just a brown color when its healthy, and the others require low light and feeding to survive.

[Itchy Trigger]

Just stopped by my favorite local shop - very cool store (Fauna on NYC's upper west side), and picked up a few corals. Took your advice and went with a polyp colony - got a nice rock covered with green star polyps. Also they had some nice little Sinularia leathers, so I got one of those as well. Glued him to a rock and put him in his own spot - like his own little island.

I have my lights dimmed to about 35% of their "normal" settings. I'm assuming I should leave the lights like that for at least a week?

[Ryan2013]

Yeah that's a good idea. Then you can slowly increase intensity over a month or so. Good luck with the new corals

[Itchy Trigger]

Thanks - will do!

[Reef Frog]

Zoas good. Some of the softies on the list can become pests if you later shift to a hard coral tank, which many people do as they gain experience in the hobby. Carnation Tree Cora are expert only.