First corals added!!

[Reefing_addiction]

@sp1187 can also show you what gsp looks like when it starts growing past the rock

My gsp has taken its sweet time growing. But I also glued it to the back glass

 

[Cantusaurus]

Nice! Adding your first corals! GSP is super hardy, and it won't spread unless it is touching another rock. I have it growing on the back of my all in one tank. It is doing great and looks beautiful! GSP does fine in a variety of lighting and flow. But make sure it gets a bit of flow so detritus doesn't settle on it. I would use a pipette once in a while to blow any debris off. Kenya trees and toadstools are really easy. Zoas too (some are finnicky for some reason, but 90% of the time beginners have good luck).
Mushrooms are also very easy. I'd recommend Discosomas or Rhodactis/Hairy Mushrooms. Hairy Mushrooms are really underrated! They grow large, sometimes fast, have extended tentacles, and sometimes host clownfish especially if they form a small colony.
As far as LPS corals I would recommend Frogspawn, Duncans, and Blastomussas. Blastos are super underrated, and hardy. Don't get ripped off though since some places charge ridiculous amounts for them. I would wait till adding LPS. I jumped ahead a bit with some corals without making sure some of the parameters were all good. But they really are not challenging if things are looking good.
Rock Flower Anemones are also pretty easy. Very hardy, and cool.
I would wait a little while until venturing into LPS and rock flowers though. It's better to be safe and wait a bit then pull the trigger quickly. Sometimes corals look great, but there may be a problem that makes the coral slowly get worse over time. Sometimes it is minor like it will be ticked off and won't open or loose color due to a small issue that can be easily solved. BUT sometimes it causes much larger issues and the coral is in bad shape.

Just make sure phosphates are at least below 0.15. Preferably below 0.1. And Alkalinity is relatively stable (which is a bigger deal when getting into stony corals).
ALSO DO NOT FEED CORALS FOR A WHILE. It is so unnecessary, and will put a lot of excess nutrients in the tank.
But if you love soft corals do not let anyone pressure you into LPS, and SPS. Full softy tanks often look great!
I personally have a mixed reef, and only have a couple easy to keep SPS, and I just happen to like them a lot.
Sorry I typed a lot. Hope all goes well. Message me or reply to this if you have any questions at all
I started my first ever aquarium for the first time last year (jumped straight into a reef tank).

 

[JReef3]

The tank looks good, I like the aquascape. Congrats on your first corals! As for suggestions on the next ones, that’s totally up to you. Everyone has different preferences and that’s what makes all of our glass boxes so unique. Find something you really like that‘s easy to care for and and you’re golden. Good luck!

 

[Cantusaurus]

@sp1187 can also show you what gsp looks like when it starts growing past the rock

My gsp has taken its sweet time growing. But I also glued it to the back glass

Same for me. It took a while, but once it grew a bit all of the sudden the growth exploded! It took a while, but when I got my phosphates under control and kept things relatively stable they just went off! Most of the time they grow in spurts, and often take time to acclimate/establish themselves on the back wall and firmly attach.

 

[Reefing_addiction]

Same for me. It took a while, but once it grew a bit all of the sudden the growth exploded! It took a while, but when I got my phosphates under control and kept things relatively stable they just went off! Most of the time they grow in spurts, and often take time to acclimate/establish themselves on the back wall and firmly attach.

I’ve had it forever but I did upgrade twice lol I’m not sad it didn’t take off right away.

 

[James_O]

Im trying to see the algae your talking about
I see what looks like diatoms

Diatoms are algae?

 

[James_O]

The point of CUC is to do the work so you don’t have to. That’s why people also stock tanks with fish that do work (I.e. algae eating fish, wrasses to clean up certain pest). The more CUC the less work unless you let things get out of hand then you have to do some work to get it back under control so the CUC can do their job right.

I agree with this, but you shouldn’t rely 100% on your CUC. You have to actively get that algae out.

I did say that your CUC was there to help you, and not do all the work for you.

 

[Goaway]

Keep up the work! I love the overall look and will love to see many more corals in there! Love the clowns. But I just love clownfish.

 

[Goaway]

I agree with this, but you shouldn’t rely 100% on your CUC. You have to actively get that algae out.

I did say that your CUC was there to help you, and not do all the work for you.

This is 100% true. The human is the main cleaner. You are your best friend.

 

[BanZI29]

CUC is a must for sure. snails and crabs my first corals were a duncan, acans, and frogspawns. they all look great and are pretty hardy.

 

[sp1187]

started out with four plugs.
attachment area is 8" in diameter.
this is a long polyp variety from @CherryCorals .
along with keeping it on an island you can also control it with lack of light, meaning it doesn't grow as well through shaded areas.
as stated by others already, it will start branching out after it has covered an area.

 

[Goaway]

My personal cuc for a 112g aquarium. Uncountable amount of collonista snails. I have a lot. I think these guys do most of the work. 5 banded trocus snails, 1 tuxedo urchin, 1 turbo snail. 3 nerite snails. 4 cerith snails. I never see them though, 4 blue legged hermits, 1 scarlet hermit, and 1 eunice worm who needs to go. Saw him a couple of days ago.

No more unwanted algae to prune. After 6 months of dealing with ugly.

 

[James_O]

My personal cuc for a 112g aquarium. Uncountable amount of collonista snails. I have a lot. I think these guys do most of the work. 5 banded trocus snails, 1 tuxedo urchin, 1 turbo snail. 3 nerite snails. 4 cerith snails. I never see them though, 4 blue legged hermits, 1 scarlet hermit, and 1 eunice worm who needs to go. Saw him a couple of days ago.

No more unwanted algae to prune. After 6 months of dealing with ugly.

I actually have 4 blue legged hermit crabs and 1 scarlet as well! They are beasts when it comes to cleaning frag plugs.

My turbo snail is quite large, and can easily destroy algae on rocks or glass.

 

[Goaway]

I actually have 4 blue legged hermit crabs and 1 scarlet as well! They are beasts when it comes to cleaning frag plugs.

My turbo snail is quite large, and can easily destroy algae on rocks or glass.

Yup, be careful of the crabs. They like to eat super glue as well.

 

[Reefing_addiction]

I agree with this, but you shouldn’t rely 100% on your CUC. You have to actively get that algae out.

I did say that your CUC was there to help you, and not do all the work for you.

You have to control nutrients (nitrates/phosphates) to keep algae to a minimum and the CUC does the rest of the work. Sticking your hands in the tank shouldn’t be a I necessity if the tank is running the way it should

 

[Reefing_addiction]

Diatoms are algae?

Yup

 

[attiland]

Put gap on the sand on either on a peace rock / a shell or old dead coral. You can achieve quite impressive formations. Below mine

 

[Goaway]

You have to control nutrients (nitrates/phosphates) to keep algae to a minimum and the CUC does the rest of the work. Sticking your hands in the tank shouldn’t be a I necessity if the tank is running the way it should

New tanks have ugly phases. We have to battle them. Sometimes we have to do rip cleans.

 

[James_O]

You have to control nutrients (nitrates/phosphates) to keep algae to a minimum and the CUC does the rest of the work. Sticking your hands in the tank shouldn’t be a I necessity if the tank is running the way it should

But if it’s a very new tank, it can’t possibly be running as it should. It’s still going through the ugly stage, which is unpredictable.

Yup

But you just said that, “I’m trying to see the algae you’re talking about, I see what looks like diatoms”.

But diatoms are algae, so I don’t understand your statement…

 

[dnott3]

Im trying to see the algae your talking about
I see what looks like diatoms



nice tank! Congrats on the corals. Don’t be like me and go so crazy you need a bigger tank inn6 months lol
Add several nassarius snails to help turn the sand bed a bit.

Ps. You can reuse sand but ya got to clean the heck out of it and I’m to lazy for that.

Thank you! I'm pretty sure the wife would kill me if I got a bigger tank right now. Something about using the money for bills (whatever those are). I think mine was more of a laziness issue as well.

Nice! Adding your first corals! GSP is super hardy, and it won't spread unless it is touching another rock. I have it growing on the back of my all in one tank.

Definetly not going to rush into filling the whole tank up with corals. I haven't decided if I'm going to stick with just soft corals, but I do like the looks of a lot of the LPS so it will probably end up a softy/LPS tank. I like the movement that some of the LPS has versus SPS that don't really move.