Feeling overwhelmed with coral care.

[Dr.Drew]

I'm new to reefing and have been working on cycling my 13.5 nano tank. The time to add corals draws near. I've started to see some coralline algae developing and so I've entered the phase of really planning and getting into the specifics of what corals I want and what sort of care and environment they require. It seems the more I learn about it and look into it though the more overwhelmed I get with myriads of products and testing kits and dosing set-ups, etc. etc. So I figured I'd come here to get some more straight forward advice.

To start off with, I plan to make a little Zoa island, then move to a Euphyllia torch, maybe then some Xenia, and so on. My big question is the frequency/necessity of testing and dosing traces and other nutrients. I have the cheap API reef master and saltwater test kits so I can check alkalinity, calcium, phos, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. So here are some of the questions I have:
1. How frequently should I realistically keep an eye on these things?
2. And which levels are the ones I'd want to be paying the most attention to as opposed to others?
3. Would it be worth it to invest in a Hanna Instruments/electronic meter for the more important and frequently checked levels? If so which ones?
4. What is the most practical way to go about dosing your coral's nutrition?
5. Any specific product recommendations or multi-source products?

Any insight or just general advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Jekyl]

Pump the brakes. You're concerned because you're already thinking step 15 while you're on step 5. Give the tank a few months and get accustomed to everything first.

If I ever start over I won't even add coral until after any ugly phase is over. Which if using dry rock, that's about 6-10 months.

 

[Mattiejay6]

I'm new to reefing and have been working on cycling my 13.5 nano tank. The time to add corals draws near. I've started to see some coralline algae developing and so I've entered the phase of really planning and getting into the specifics of what corals I want and what sort of care and environment they require. It seems the more I learn about it and look into it though the more overwhelmed I get with myriads of products and testing kits and dosing set-ups, etc. etc. So I figured I'd come here to get some more straight forward advice.

To start off with, I plan to make a little Zoa island, then move to a Euphyllia torch, maybe then some Xenia, and so on. My big question is the frequency/necessity of testing and dosing traces and other nutrients. I have the cheap API reef master and saltwater test kits so I can check alkalinity, calcium, phos, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. So here are some of the questions I have:
1. How frequently should I realistically keep an eye on these things?
2. And which levels are the ones I'd want to be paying the most attention to as opposed to others?
3. Would it be worth it to invest in a Hanna Instruments/electronic meter for the more important and frequently checked levels? If so which ones?
4. What is the most practical way to go about dosing your coral's nutrition?
5. Any specific product recommendations or multi-source products?

Any insight or just general advice would be greatly appreciated!

To be honest with zoas and Xenia… I wouldnt stress accurate testing and just perform a weekly water change. Just give them good light and you can feed them some phyto plankton but I wouldn’t worry about much else.

Euphylia you are creeping into the next step level of being more mindful of your tank. Given your tank size, keeping up with water changes will handle all of your problems and not sure I would waste the money on expensive test kits.

Happy reefing!

 

[ronsonb]

My tank is 17months old and I feel like only in the last 2-3months have things started to balance out. By that I mean when I test things they are within range. For me it Took forever for me to get my nutrients under control, either too high or 0 phosphate for the longest time then needing to dose it. Granted I was a brand new reefer when I started and started with dry rock not knowing what I was getting into, but it took a long time.

In time you’ll get a system for things and they will go quicker and be easier. It’s definitely a journey. I can’t even say my tank is full of awesome corals but things are growing now and that wasn’t always the case.

 

[Cichlid Dad]

A tank that size my only need water changes to handle the coral needs with the coral you have listed.

 

[Sump Crab]

I don't test at all, don't dose at all, and have (what I would consider) a successful reef tank. The truth is people tend to make thus hobby much more complicated than it actually is. Good luck!

 

[Dr.Drew]

I don't test at all, don't dose at all, and have (what I would consider) a successful reef tank. The truth is people tend to make thus hobby much more complicated than it actually is. Good luck!

This is reassuring. I guess I'll give the tank more time to stabilize before adding corals, but then just go step by step.

 

[Sump Crab]

This is reassuring. I guess I'll give the tank more time to stabilize before adding corals, but then just go step by step.

Soft corals and LPS are very low maintenance. As long as you don't NEED sps in your tank you can definitely do well without dosing and testing.