Well if you started with actual live ocean rock then you may have better success. Fungia was one of my first 3 corals in my tank at 4 months. I kept my numbers good but it did not last long. They are moderately difficult to maintain and have been know to just die off for unexplained reasons after about 4 months or so.
It’s your tank do what you want all we are trying to explain to you is a tank that immature that young and age is not going to be stable enough for corals that need a more stable environment if you want to get things like a Kenya tree or some easy zoo and Ted’s or a leather Coral I’m sure they’ll be fine but then you have more sensitive things like plate Corals which will most likely not make it in your tank
My tank is about 8 to 10 years old and I still cannot keep them for whatever reason lol
Stability means that you established a thriving artificial ecosystem covered in coralline algae when the coralline starts to grow rapidly and covers everything you can be sure your tank has matured and your corals will be a lot happier. It’s went through all the ugly stages and other stages that happen in the first year or so including diatoms, green hair algae, cyanobacteria, etc. and may be less dependent on water changes and less prone to major swings in parameters. This takes anywhere from 6 months on the shorter side to a year plus due to a variety of factors. In a nano tank especially it’s prone to swings because you simply don’t have a lot of space to cover. This could because you overdosed something, you don’t do enough water changes, or you feed too much etc.
Ok so Alkalinity is the measure of stability?
Loaded question, and serious debate in plenty of forums. A well-established bacterial population which by the way will happen when you start to add Corals.
Every tank is different a lot of this has to do with size and how it’s set up and what it’s set up with as I seen someone already states if you started your tank with all live rock out of the ocean things would be completely different I’m guessing you used dry rock
Basic Corals are often easy to take care of in an early tank. Green star polyps, clove polyps, Zoas, lots of mushrooms and some leathers.
No but it depends on the corals. Soft corals will do best in immature tanks and in general. Corals like green star polyps, duncans, and zoanthids. Just don’t go putting expert level and corals with lots of demand in a new tank.
OK you want more specifics on stability especially for Coral’s you are going to need nitrates and phosphates alkalinity and pH along with temp in salinity to be dead balls on stable
Well this is a good start but not a guarantee I hope you understand what I mean by that
Fungia are not a beginner coral. New tanks are generally too unstable still for these, along with most euphyllia/ fimbriaphyllia
Depending on the types of coralss you’re gonna keep is what determines the numbers you’re looking for soft corals in LPS require dirtier water SPS require cleaner water kind of curious what is your phosphates and nitrates because most soft corals in a new tank will not do well unless you have 15-20 nitrates and at least .1 phosphates I’d say
I have read this entire thread before replying to your OP. You will not ever be successful with SPS with the stock lighting of the Biocube. LPS will take a good bit of time to be confident in adding (3 or more months). I think you will be ok with some softies at this point. I am not sure why you are adverse to Petco ( I am too), but you have little choice. Start with one, get it from Petco and dip and inspect it. After a week or two, get another. Slow and steady.
Coral does not add to the bioload!! lol!
