Easy LPS and Soft Corals?

[Kasey Grohowski]

Going to be transitioning my 220 FOWLR into a reef. Only soft and LPS corals. Just wondering what people's opinions are on easy corals to start with. Tank is 4 months old also. Flow is 25x turnover and the lights are LED. Also the corals must be peaceful, can't sting etc. Thank you.

 

[LetItReef]

Neon Green Nepthea and Shrooms.

 

[Hitman]

By saying peacefully you just about eliminated most LPS unfortunately, as for softies depending on how powerful your lights are you can do pretty much and leather coral like a devils hand, toadstool, umbrella coral, etc.

 

[Kasey Grohowski]

By saying peacefully you just about eliminated most LPS unfortunately, as for softies depending on how powerful your lights are you can do pretty much and leather coral like a devils hand, toadstool, umbrella coral, etc.

Well the reason they need to be peaceful is because I have a marbled and coral catshark that can not be stung, they get stressed very easily leading to sickness etc.

 

[Hermie]

I'm kind of interested in this topic, from the point of view of "what does peaceful/aggressive really mean?"
I understand some corals extend sweeper tentacles
Some corals have toxins released in the water
Some corals can eat fish (anemones)

I am also aiming for an LPS dominant tank, but I have barely a clue about coral aggression and I feel like I'm going to be losing corals to "warfare" by being unaware of the placement issues...

I know people say, "Do your research before you buy a coral" but there's only so much you can find on youtube/message boards before it becomes redundant and only experience really helps...

FTR I have Favia, an oxypora, a candy cane (caulastrea) and in my QT I have a plate coral, and a mycedium... but I have never seen the mycedium extend any tentacles or anything.

 

[Kasey Grohowski]

I'm kind of interested in this topic, from the point of view of "what does peaceful/aggressive really mean?"
I understand some corals extend sweeper tentacles
Some corals have toxins released in the water
Some corals can eat fish (anemones)

I am also aiming for an LPS dominant tank, but I have barely a clue about coral aggression and I feel like I'm going to be losing corals to "warfare" by being unaware of the placement issues...

I know people say, "Do your research before you buy a coral" but there's only so much you can find on youtube/message boards before it becomes redundant and only experience really helps...

FTR I have Favia, an oxypora, a candy cane (caulastrea) and in my QT I have a plate coral, and a mycedium... but I have never seen the mycedium extend any tentacles or anything.

I agree about the redundancy part. I've spent days reading web pages and watching videos, but the most I've learned has been from people who actually cared for the specimens I have.

 

[reeftice]

Xenia, Green Star Polyp, Gorgonians (Plexuarella and similar) and Toadstool leathers are peaceful, don't sting, and are hardy.
Zoanthids also don't really sting as far as I know, so those are definitely also an option.

Avoid: Galaxea, Euphyllia, Goniopora. Those are real stingers.

 

[Kasey Grohowski]

Anyone know if I'd need a dosing pump for lps and soft corals?

 

[Jon M.]

Anyone know if I'd need a dosing pump for lps and soft corals?

Depends on your coral load. But unless you are a water changing maniac...yes, eventually you will.

 

[Hitman]

Anyone know if I'd need a dosing pump for lps and soft corals?

If you stick with softies or leather corals like toadstools, devils hand, Xenia, GSP, Zoa’s, etc then no as typical water changes are more then enough. Most lps use very little alk and ca and should be fine with water changes as well. I would avoid lps with sharks personally.

 

[Kasey Grohowski]

If you stick with softies or leather corals like toadstools, devils hand, Xenia, GSP, Zoa’s, etc then no as typical water changes are more then enough. Most lps use very little alk and ca and should be fine with water changes as well. I would avoid lps with sharks personally.

For what reason?

 

[norfolkgarden]

No personal experience with sharks. Too cool that you have them and they are doing well!

Neon green Kenya tree (doesn't spread everywhere after 2 years)
Neon green cabbage leather
Koji Wadi pink nepthea
Ruby red xenia
Bali xenia
Vargas cespitularia (sp?) (can spread everywhere like some xenia)

Maybe acans for LPS? Our flame angelfish say they are great.
I don't khow any experience with stingers but they are beautiful!
Needs decent lighting.
Maybe a spotlight in just 1 part of the huge tank?

Frogspawn are supposed to have stingers but we haven't had a problem with the few we have.
You would need to place them up high anyway with lower level of lighting.

Do you have any idea of your PAR in the tank?

Don't sharks like subdued lighting?

Pics? Always wanted a small shark but it's not even close to realistic giving one a good home.

 

[Kasey Grohowski]

No personal experience with sharks. Too cool that you have them and they are doing well!

Neon green Kenya tree (doesn't spread everywhere after 2 years)
Neon green cabbage leather
Koji Wadi pink nepthea
Ruby red xenia
Bali xenia
Vargas cespitularia (sp?) (can spread everywhere like some xenia)

Maybe acans for LPS? Our flame angelfish say they are great.
I don't khow any experience with stingers but they are beautiful!
Needs decent lighting.
Maybe a spotlight in just 1 part of the huge tank?

Frogspawn are supposed to have stingers but we haven't had a problem with the few we have.
You would need to place them up high anyway with lower level of lighting.

Do you have any idea of your PAR in the tank?

Don't sharks like subdued lighting?

Pics? Always wanted a small shark but it's not even close to realistic giving one a good home.

Yes sharks like subdued lighting, they will hide in a cave during the day and hunt when the lights go off (exactly the same as they do in the wild). Also they aren't much of an active swimmer, like I said the most movement you get is at night. It is more important for the light cycle to be consistent. I will have to get back to you with the par.

 

[Dkeller_nc]

Going to be transitioning my 220 FOWLR into a reef. Only soft and LPS corals. Just wondering what people's opinions are on easy corals to start with. Tank is 4 months old also. Flow is 25x turnover and the lights are LED. Also the corals must be peaceful, can't sting etc. Thank you.

Given that you want to keep the lighting subdued, I'd go with mushrooms of various sorts. There's lots of colors and forms available, and the only kind I'd be hesitant about would be large Rhodactis species because of their stinging potential.

You've not said whether your motivation is to add interest to this specific tank, or this is your only tank and you're looking to get into coral keeping. If it's the latter, I'd consider the idea of setting up a smaller tank as a full-blown reef. One reason is that it can be somewhat difficult to control nutrients in a tank with really large fish that have a lot of associated waste. Another reason is that you may find that you're going to need a larger tank at some point to house the sharks since they can get quite large and the recommended minimum tank runs in the 300 gallon range, with an ideal tank capacity in the 500 gallon range.

If you keep the shark tank as a FOWLR, re-homing the sharks into a bigger tank will be pretty easy - just move the rock and the sharks. But if the rock is covered with corals of various sorts, the move becomes a bit more complicated.

One off-the-wall idea if you're simply looking to add interest to the shark tank would be turning it into a FOWLR with various forms of macro algae. Many of the macros are quite beautiful, and controlling nutrients is far less of a concern than a tank with corals.

 

[CrissyCoralsGirl]

I really like zoanthids. They are usually easy to care for and come in an assortment of colors

 

[norfolkgarden]

So in a 220 you could settle for a kessle spotlight over the top of one rock tower (lol, look up decent SPS/LPS lighting pricing).
Then plan out your corals accordingly.

That would be cheaper, and if it aggravated the sharks too much it wouldn't be too expensive a mistake.
Keeping a short light cycle and plenty of darker places in the tank should work?

 

[Hitman]

For what reason?

They use very very little Alk and Ca compared to sps or branching lps. Also branching lps will sting your shark and the branches themself can hurt your shark as they can be sharp.

 

[Kasey Grohowski]

They use very very little Alk and Ca compared to sps or branching lps. Also branching lps will sting your shark and the branches themself can hurt your shark as they can be sharp.

There are some species of lps that are peaceful though right?

 

[Kasey Grohowski]

Duncan corals should be good right?

 

[Kasey Grohowski]

So in a 220 you could settle for a kessle spotlight over the top of one rock tower (lol, look up decent SPS/LPS lighting pricing).
Then plan out your corals accordingly.

That would be cheaper, and if it aggravated the sharks too much it wouldn't be too expensive a mistake.
Keeping a short light cycle and plenty of darker places in the tank should work?

Lights that ramp up and down won't agitate the sharks.