Coral recommendations based on what I have

[shollis2814]

OK, tank is 18 months old. Almost everything is doing really well. I know I still have a lot to learn. I thought I could list what is doing well and get some suggestions of some corals to try. I briefly had some SPS (Hydonophora and Montipora) and they did not do well. However, that was with some CFL lights and I have upgraded to LEDs, so I don't want to sentence them to a slow demise, but may be ready for them now? Everything I have started from frags, as I didn't want to spend a lot on a full sized colony until I knew what I was doing and had a little more confidence.

36 gallon bowfront, 18 months old. 4-5 gallon sump.
Lighting: Current Orbit Marine LED and 2 24" Ecoxotic white LED Stunner Strips.

Fish: neon goby, percula clown, royal gramma, lantern bass
Inverts: Tuxedo urchin, banded serpent star, CuC

Parameters: I struggle with keeping Ca above 400 without spiking Magnesium, even when I just dose Calcium. I have a lot of coralline algae, and I think that may be my Ca sponge. I dose, but I hover around the 390 range with Magnesium around 1350-1400. kH stays around 9-10. salinity 1.025

Corals I think are doing well (spreading, good color, etc.)

• Hollywood Stunner Echinopora
• Blastomusa
• GSP
• Meteor Shower Cyphastrea
• Pavona
• Two cup corals. I think they are Turnbinaria

Corals that are doing "OK" (not spreading/growing/as colorful as when I got them, but otherwise seem healthy)

• Duncans (never fully out, but two new heads in the last year)
• Frogspawn (I think it's a flow issue that keeps it about 3/4 extended)
• Xoas tend to lose some color and not spread (2 separate colonies)
  
• Discoma/Rhodactis (can't get a consensus on ID) on LR

Corals not doing OK/I have lost (before lighting change)

• Green Mushrooms -separate thread, trying to reduce flow/target feed. They act fine, but are much smaller than when I got them.
  
• Montipora
• Hydonophora

Here's a FTS if anyone sees placement/flow issues. I know I am still learning a ton, but I'd like to plan on expanding a bit and our local swap is coming up in April.

 

[Tru REEF]

2 things. One i will add more flow maybe one jeboa wp10 will do fine. And 2 your lights are cool but if you want to see faster growth and better colors you're going to need a more intense lighting. Other than that bi- weekly water changes with decent salt mix and you'll be amazed at the rate your corals grow. I to am attending this year frag swap should be awesome.

 

[kmog]

OK, tank is 18 months old. Almost everything is doing really well. I know I still have a lot to learn. I thought I could list what is doing well and get some suggestions of some corals to try. I briefly had some SPS (Hydonophora and Montipora) and they did not do well. However, that was with some CFL lights and I have upgraded to LEDs, so I don't want to sentence them to a slow demise, but may be ready for them now? Everything I have started from frags, as I didn't want to spend a lot on a full sized colony until I knew what I was doing and had a little more confidence.

36 gallon bowfront, 18 months old. 4-5 gallon sump.
Lighting: Current Orbit Marine LED and 2 24" Ecoxotic white LED Stunner Strips.

Fish: neon goby, percula clown, royal gramma, lantern bass
Inverts: Tuxedo urchin, banded serpent star, CuC

Parameters: I struggle with keeping Ca above 400 without spiking Magnesium, even when I just dose Calcium. I have a lot of coralline algae, and I think that may be my Ca sponge. I dose, but I hover around the 390 range with Magnesium around 1350-1400. kH stays around 9-10. salinity 1.025

Corals I think are doing well (spreading, good color, etc.)

• Hollywood Stunner Echinopora
• Blastomusa
• GSP
• Meteor Shower Cyphastrea
• Pavona
• Two cup corals. I think they are Turnbinaria

Corals that are doing "OK" (not spreading/growing/as colorful as when I got them, but otherwise seem healthy)

• Duncans (never fully out, but two new heads in the last year)
• Frogspawn (I think it's a flow issue that keeps it about 3/4 extended)
• Xoas tend to lose some color and not spread (2 separate colonies)
  
• Discoma/Rhodactis (can't get a consensus on ID) on LR

Corals not doing OK/I have lost (before lighting change)

• Green Mushrooms -separate thread, trying to reduce flow/target feed. They act fine, but are much smaller than when I got them.
  
• Montipora
• Hydonophora

Here's a FTS if anyone sees placement/flow issues. I know I am still learning a ton, but I'd like to plan on expanding a bit and our local swap is coming up in April.

Get your frogspawn and Duncans into the bottom corners of the tank.

i don't know if you can see it in that one but the Duncan is on the far left corner at the bottom(it has a good amount of flow) and my frogspawn is on the opposite side in almost no flow at all.

 

[shollis2814]

Get your frogspawn and Duncans into the bottom corners of the tank. i don't know if you can see it in that one but the Duncan is on the far left corner at the bottom(it has a good amount of flow) and my frogspawn is on the opposite side in almost no flow at all.

Thanks for that tip. I'll try to put them in lower flow.

2 things. One i will add more flow maybe one jeboa wp10 will do fine. And 2 your lights are cool but if you want to see faster growth and better colors you're going to need a more intense lighting. Other than that bi- weekly water changes with decent salt mix and you'll be amazed at the rate your corals grow. I to am attending this year frag swap should be awesome.

I actually do have a 4th powerhead/pump hidden in the photo behind the one on the left. And I know I could stand a bump up in lighting, but budget-wise, it's what I have for now.

 

[McMullen]

Something to think about, I skimped out on equipment when I started. Thought I was better off just getting by. I paid for it in the form of hundreds if not more in livestock death. Then still had to upgrade equipment. It's difficult because we want tank of the month systems in 2 years, the reality is most of those systems are extremely well thought out or even designed, with equipment a priority. You don't have to have best of the best, but don't skimp either.

 

[shollis2814]

I didn't know I was skimping. I was told by a couple of different sources that my lighting would be fine for soft corals and LPS, but I would have trouble with SPS. Tried to get the best light I could for my price range when the CFL bulbs doubled in price. I know SPS require a lot more lighting and such, so I was just going with what I had.

 

[Tru REEF]

Your light is cool for all the corals i see in the tank, you initially spoke about color and growth. I actually started with a led edge and it did good but i found my corals couldn't color up, grow as fast or bounce back after fragging like they will under a high intensity light.

 

[MikeyAl]

I also started with ecoxotic led and found my zoas didn't grow fast and color was ok. I upgraded to T5 HO and they do much better. You can also get some cool mushrooms and bubble corals are awesome and fairly easy as well as colt corals for some movement in the tank. Here is a good guide:
http://m.liveaquaria.com/product/aquarium-fish-supplies.cfm?c=597