How to start reef

[JFT267]

I have had a fish only tank for a while now and it’s gotten quite boring. I’ve always wanted to do corals and I have all the equipment already just don’t know how to make the leap so to speak. Right now I have a tomato clown and a flame angel. Planning to get rid of both & start over. Tank is rimless so nothing that jumps and nothin that just hides all day. Thanks.

 

[JFT267]

It's 30 gallons, sumpless. Running AQ 30 & 50. Eshopss HOB skimmer-75. Tunze ATO. I have had it with fish for over 1 year. AI Prime light, mp 10 and hydor nano 425. Any info would be appreciated.

 

[NY_Caveman]

Welcome to R2R! If you want to move to corals I would suggest looking at similar sized tanks for ideas. Soft corals are a great way to learn as they are most forgiving. Mushrooms, Zoas, Leathers, etc. (Mushrooms are actually anemones, but get grouped into soft corals). Just be careful as some like Xenia and GSP can take over a tank they grow so fast.

 

[JFT267]

How long / strong would I leave my lights on in the beginning. Would I have to dose anything special or buy any specialer salt mix because I only have instant ocean which I hear is not that good.

 

[NY_Caveman]

Tons of people use Instant Ocean. Never heard that it was not good, but several reefers have their own preferences. Did you mean how to acclimate the corals to your lighting? I believe those lights have an acclimation setting but I have not used them before.

 

[JFT267]

Wasn’t saying the brand was bad but I don’t have the reef crystal one. Would I need to have it ?
As for lights, how long do you keep them on normally as a “regular day “

 

[NY_Caveman]

Wasn’t saying the brand was bad but I don’t have the reef crystal one. Would I need to have it ?
As for lights, how long do you keep them on normally as a “regular day “

One does not need anything other than regular IO salt. People tend to mostly pick a salt based on the Alkalinity level they want to achieve in their reef in my experience. I use LiveAquaria salt only because I want to have my Alkalinity around 8.5 dKH and find this is consistent. Not recommending this, just explaining my reasoning with an example.

For lights, my LEDs go like this for my specific system
06:00-19:00 Moonlights (3x 420nm diodes)
07:00-18:00 Blue
08:00-17:00 White

My peak light level runs for about 3 hours. My tank is only a 45 gallon AIO (about a 30 gallon display) so I am not looking for mega growth. I have an unusual work schedule, so the time of day I run them is related to that. I have a mixed reef with LPS, SPS and a Bubble Tip Anemone.

If you want to see more detail on my light setup, and those of others, check out my post here in the PAR Database:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/r2r-par-database.538894/#post-5750528

 

[JFT267]

Seems interesting,
Another one of my concerns is that my tank is 2 ft in height . Would that be enough for mushrooms and less demanding corals at the bottom ?

 

[NY_Caveman]

Hard to say. I have not used that light or had a tank that high. Maybe this will help see some of the data on that light
http://www.aquaillumination.com/science/par.html

 

[JFT267]

On a somewhat related note, I was trying to think of what fish would be good. Right now I have a tomato clown who is just a bully and a flame angel. Im not sure if the tomato clown has been fighting with the ángel because some of his fins are tattered even though the ángel is bigger. I was planning on giving back the tomato to LFS, because he is too aggressive for other tank mates. Was wondering if I would have luck with flame ángel and corals or if I should just give it back too. Also, I was trying to think of fish with bright colors that have slot of personality which would be good for the tank. I have done some research but any input appreciated. It’s rimless too so no firefish, already had one in past that found it way on the floor