At what rate/speed do i stock corals?

[Reef_at_Sea]

Hello,

I have a 20g nano reef wich i now stocked with a bunch of snails, a cleaning shrimp & a couple of clownfish over the course of 3 weeks.
in the same course of 3 weeks i added 5 soft/leather corals, corals are all healthy!
(note, this is after the cycling proces)

is there some kind of smart tactic on how to proceed with adding more corals? i would like to keep easy LPS too

Thanks in advance!

 

[AydenLincoln]

No…but time and patience are important. Nothing good happens fast in the hobby but for everyone the timeline looks different. Go based off what your parameters are and how the current corals are doing in the tank.

 

[ryanjohn1]

A few at a time. Keep an eye on test numbers

 

[Reef_at_Sea]

Allright thanks,

I Think i'm gonna let the current soft corals get a decent foothold for a couple of weeks & after that if my values are fine, i will add my first easy piece of LPS as a test.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

they don't present much bioload so you can add as much as you want as fast as you want.

The main issue is the money, you take a chance every time you buy corals, so only spend as much as you can afford to lose. There is nothing more discouraging than spending money on corals just to watch them die in a couple of days. For this reason I just buy a couple of corals every month.

 

[Reef_at_Sea]

they don't present much bioload so you can add as much as you want as fast as you want.

The main issue is the money, you take a chance every time you buy corals, so only spend as much as you can afford to lose. There is nothing more discouraging than spending money on corals just to watch them die in a couple of days. For this reason I just buy a couple of corals every month.

LPS feels tricky as a newbie tho, i read alot of storys that fresh tanks don't do well on LPS/SPS?
Even tho the values might say otherwise?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

LPS feels tricky as a newbie tho, i read alot of storys that fresh tanks don't do well on LPS/SPS?
Even tho the values might say otherwise?

We can only test for about 5-6 different parameters, but there is so much more going on in the water that we can't test for. Look at how many parameters are offered by ICP test for example. But bacterial stability is also very important to help fight off algae and harmful bacteria's and viruses, which is something that we can't test for.

Try if you are confident, nothing wrong with trying, thats why I suggest not to spend too much money at one time, its better to lose $20 than to lose $100. And there will be a lot of livestock losses, the cost can really add up.

 

[Reef_at_Sea]

We can only test for about 5-6 different parameters, but there is so much more going on in the water that we can't test for. Look at how many parameters are offered by ICP test for example. But bacterial stability is also very important to help fight off algae and harmful bacteria's and viruses, which is something that we can't test for.

Try if you are confident, nothing wrong with trying, thats why I suggest not to spend too much money at one time, its better to lose $20 than to lose $100. And there will be a lot of livestock losses, the cost can really add up.

I understand, i will have to prepare for losing livestock sooner or later? i guess that's just the hobby?
I allready lost a goby for a mysterious reason (i blamed the clownfish but this forum said otherwise in another thread), it didn't look sick & ate the day before it died.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I understand, i will have to prepare for losing livestock sooner or later? i guess that's just the hobby?
I allready lost a goby for a mysterious reason (i blamed the clownfish but this forum said otherwise in another thread), it didn't look sick & ate the day before it died.

No its not part of the hobby, sorry to confuse. You have to read about the coral you want, learn about what it needs to survive, then prepare the tank to give it the best chance of survival possible, then you add the coral. Coral dies because people buy corals without knowing what they are or how to care for them. You should be like an expert on an animal before you buy it.

When people ask if they can add corals and how many corals and which type of corals, it tells me they haven't done their homework and so the coral has a low chance of survival. Research is really the key in this hobby.

 

[Reef_at_Sea]

No its not part of the hobby, sorry to confuse. You have to read about the coral you want, learn about what it needs to survive, then prepare the tank to give it the best chance of survival possible, then you add the coral. Coral dies because people buy corals without knowing what they are or how to care for them. You should be like an expert on an animal before you buy it.

When people ask if they can add corals and how many corals and which type of corals, it tells me they haven't done their homework and so the coral has a low chance of survival. Research is really the key in this hobby.

Ohhhh ok, yeah good point.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Learn what corals would work best for your tank, see which ones you like, the cost and how hard they are to keep. I wouldn’t start throwing a bunch of coral in your tank at once or start just buying a ton because they “look cool”. Adding a bunch of new coral (or fish) all at once can cause your parameters to get out of whack which can upset your already established coral. Take your time, and remember to have fun!

 

[Ben's Pico Reefing]

Lps are great beginner coral. I added an elegance to a bare bottom tank and no live rock followed by a frogspawn. Weekly 100 percent changes. This of course was in a 7 gallon where this is easy. As long as parameters are within range, you can add corals day one. Very little bioload but brings in bacteria and other life. Los is great as they have an exposed skeleton on branching or walls. But any coral can be added and will have it on plugs or rock attached to.

 

[Reef_at_Sea]

Learn what corals would work best for your tank, see which ones you like, the cost and how hard they are to keep. I wouldn’t start throwing a bunch of coral in your tank at once or start just buying a ton because they “look cool”. Adding a bunch of new coral (or fish) all at once can cause your parameters to get out of whack which can upset your already established coral. Take your time, and remember to have fun!

i am trying to do it deliberately, thats why i started this thread, to hear from more experienced people
Since i don't have lots of space either i have to make my decisions very well.

 

[Reef_at_Sea]

Lps are great beginner coral. I added an elegance to a bare bottom tank and no live rock followed by a frogspawn. Weekly 100 percent changes. This of course was in a 7 gallon where this is easy. As long as parameters are within range, you can add corals day one. Very little bioload but brings in bacteria and other life. Los is great as they have an exposed skeleton on branching or walls. But any coral can be added and will have it on plugs or rock attached to.

I do a weekly water change of 10% & planning to keep it that way, i hope i can keep my values high enough this way without the need of dosing.

 

[OrchidMiss]

Lps are great beginner coral. I added an elegance to a bare bottom tank and no live rock followed by a frogspawn. Weekly 100 percent changes. This of course was in a 7 gallon where this is easy. As long as parameters are within range, you can add corals day one. Very little bioload but brings in bacteria and other life. Los is great as they have an exposed skeleton on branching or walls. But any coral can be added and will have it on plugs or rock attached to.

I have so many questions about this...
LPS need nitrates and phosphates to survive. With minimal bioload and weekly 100% WC, are you feeding you tank like crazy to keep your nutrients up? Without proper nutrients, the coral will starve.

I do a weekly water change of 10% & planning to keep it that way, i hope i can keep my values high enough this way without the need of dosing.

This is likely a much better ratio to change on a weekly basis.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I do a weekly water change of 10% & planning to keep it that way, i hope i can keep my values high enough this way without the need of dosing.

I had to dose alk/cal when I added corals to my tank. It was nerve racking at first cause I thought I was going to kill my tank off haha. Dosing isn’t that bad though, once you get in a routine of it and do it a couple of times you’ll be golden

 

[Reef_at_Sea]

I had to dose alk/cal when I added corals to my tank. It was nerve racking at first cause I thought I was going to kill my tank off haha. Dosing isn’t that bad though, once you get in a routine of it and do it a couple of times you’ll be golden

I’m not scared of it, but it would be a financial relief tho

 

[Ben's Pico Reefing]

I have so many questions about this...
LPS need nitrates and phosphates to survive. With minimal bioload and weekly 100% WC, are you feeding you tank like crazy to keep your nutrients up? Without proper nutrients, the coral will starve.


This is likely a much better ratio to change on a weekly basis.

Corals have actually don't need as much as we think. I have very little rock work. Only added to anchor or elevate the frogspawn so it doesn't touch elegance and other corals. I do feed Benepets which doesn't do a large nutrient spike like reef roods or others. Some will feed and do water changes after, I feed after to keep some nutrients. I also only have filter sock and that's to keep pump safe. So no other export happens. I also have some macroalgae growing in tank. I feed a fraction of a pinch but it goes everywhere. I was feeding up until a bout a month ago or so twice weekly. Now I have a flaming prawn goby so I feed about every other day to ensure it eats. Shrimp been in there for about 2 months now no issues.

I have done this for years now no issues. Before move, tank I had I did this for over a year. Had some questionable liver stock at times though. Also learned why lids were important for fish lol.

 

[OrchidMiss]

Corals have actually don't need as much as we think. I have very little rock work. Only added to anchor or elevate the frogspawn so it doesn't touch elegance and other corals. I do feed Benepets which doesn't do a large nutrient spike like reef roods or others. Some will feed and do water changes after, I feed after to keep some nutrients. I also only have filter sock and that's to keep pump safe. So no other export happens. I also have some macroalgae growing in tank. I feed a fraction of a pinch but it goes everywhere. I was feeding up until a bout a month ago or so twice weekly. Now I have a flaming prawn goby so I feed about every other day to ensure it eats. Shrimp been in there for about 2 months now no issues.

I have done this for years now no issues. Before move, tank I had I did this for over a year. Had some questionable liver stock at times though. Also learned why lids were important for fish lol.

I'd love to see a photo!

 

[apb03]

Corals really struggle in an immature tank, but adding corals will slowly add to the bio diversity you need. I think advise to add coral slowly is a good idea. Stick with hardy low cost pieces until you are at around the 8 month mark.

Don't be discouraged if you lose some Corals, a good number of them won't make it at first.