Coral tips anyone???

[SplishsplashME]

I have been looking at getting a few corals, but I am not sure where to start or what the pros and cons are to some. I have read about the different types but am still at a loss. Sps Lps ect... I have a 28g nano cube with pro LED two mocha clowns a firegoby and a sebae nem. Have had the tank going for 4 months and do weekly water changes (5 gallons) have chemi pure elite and purgien, no skimmer. Salinity around 1.023-1.025. Any suggestions on what to get or what to not get. I don't want go get something that isn't compatible.

 

[SplishsplashME]

Also have snails and hermits.

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

What type of corals are you interested in keeping? My first corals were zoas, mushrooms, and frogspawn.

 

[NanaReefer]

I'd personally go with LPS. Most are pretty forgiving, easy care, fun to feed and in my case grow like crazy and I get credit at our LFS for the frags...which means more new frags
Candy Cane
Hammer
Favia
Duncan


Sent from my iPhone 4s using Tapatalk

 

[Bjohn]

Generally it goes soft coral=easiest, lps=medium, sps=hardest. If you want something to grow super fast, you could start with gsp or Kenya tree, just to help you get comfortable. However, these have been known to overtake everything else in the tank. As suggested zoas and mushrooms make for excellent first corals as well. If you feel like your params are stable enough, you could start with some lps too. I would start with a few softies tho as they are generally forgiving corals, and also are easy on the wallet. (Zoanthids are amazing too, and my favourite corals)

 

[Bjohn]

Also you will need to start testing more parameters. Calcium, nitrates and alkalinity are what I check most often. Magnesium, pH, and even phosphates should be checked at times too.

 

[SplishsplashME]

Thanks for the info, any place you recommend getting them from my LFS never has anything worth purchasing. eBay looked like a semi good place.

 

[cdness]

Thanks for the info, any place you recommend getting them from my LFS never has anything worth purchasing. eBay looked like a semi good place.

Check out the Reef2Reef sponsors. Many have guarantees on the shipping and can assist you in picking the right corals for your system.

 

[Bjohn]

Just make sure you don't spend too much haha. Check around the various sponsors and look for reviews before purchasing! Sometimes the selling section of this forum has some really nice zoanthids. Just make sure to do your research!

 

[Bjohn]

Also even if the lfs doesnt have something spectacular, if it's cheap enough, you may want to get something sub par just for the first coral. You don't want to spend a bunch of money from a sponsor before you are fully confident you can completely take proper care of the coral.

 

[Mrfresh]

Start out with some mushrooms and zoas.

 

[mcarroll]

What type of corals are you interested in keeping?

+1

This is the best advice so far. (If you can take a question as advice.)

You have lots of options that are easy to start with in all the major coral groups, including stony corals. Go slow and it's actually pretty tough to go wrong.

Starting with zoanthids and/or mushrooms is terrible advice unless that's what you really want.

Figure out what kind of corals you really like and start from there. Take your time too. If there are any gotchas with a particular coral you can be sure we'll speak up, so definitely ask questions!

I would save online purchases for later and buy your first coral(s) where you can see them 1st hand. Find out when your local stores get their coral shipments so you can show up when the stock list is fresh. Also talk to the stores about your preferences if you don't see them carrying what you want - they might be able to take care of you.

 

[ntime60]

What type of corals are you interested in keeping? My first corals were zoas, mushrooms, and frogspawn.

+1
My answer is "All of them!"

 

[SplishsplashME]

Do I have to stay in one group ie Lps sps ect.

 

[Bjohn]

Not at all! I have all types in my tank! If you prefer one type, you could have a tank filled entirely with that. However, for the time being, I strongly suggest you do not add any sps yet.

 

[mcarroll]

Again, going with what you want is more important than most other considerations - there are very easy corals to start with in any group you'd want to consider. Even SPS - don't be fooled into thinking otherwise.

Mixing groups can be done, but it can also complicate things when there is no good reason for doing so. At least at the beginning I would select one group to start with and get used to. (Why rush it?)

Some things to consider: Once you put a soft coral (including a mushroom or zoanthid) in a tank, you will likely never get it out unless you remove the rock or take other dramatic action to do it. Several of them are notorious for encroaching on other corals to the encroachee's demise. All these complications and more are better left to later after you already know what you are doing on the testing and dosing routine and you've seen how your favorite corals (which hopefully you started with) are growing without interference.

-Matt