How to start with coral?

[jaws222]

im restocking an old tank and would like to give coral a try. ive not done it before and am not sure where to start. any advice much appreciated. thanks

 

[paul01609]

Check parameters are they all ok ?

 

[Propane]

BRS 52 weeks of reefing.

 

[jaws222]

Check parameters are they all ok ?

lost my old kit so picking a new one up today and will update wit the results. once parameters are all good to go, whats my next step?

 

[tzabor10]

are you dosing calcium and alkalinity? If not, then soft corals will be a safe bet. Mushrooms, plays and Zoas can be a great option. Most are safe and forgiving. What is your lighting setup? What are you using for flow?

 

[Mikeltee]

Slowly and you don't need to dose anything. Once your tank is half full add a kalk stirrer. After a couple of years and you want to scratch the high-end SPS itch, get a kalk reactor. Just do yourself a favor and don't dose anything! 5% water change twice a month is all your corals need. A light meter helps if you have LED. If you just do water changes and you are killing coral your lights that are too bright. The Bluetooth Apogee is your cheapest option. If it's not an Apogee it's a toy. Your LFS may rent them for $40 a day. The Bluetooth version is the same cost as 1 high end frag and it will last you a lifetime.

 

[jaws222]

are you dosing calcium and alkalinity? If not, then soft corals will be a safe bet. Mushrooms, plays and Zoas can be a great option. Most are safe and forgiving. What is your lighting setup? What are you using for flow?

lighting wise i have (from what i can tell form the box) a prism cc but im replacing that with one from redsea once i can fix my printer to build the attachment i need for it. flow wise not got much atm

Slowly and you don't need to dose anything. Once your tank is half full add a kalk stirrer. After a couple of years and you want to scratch the high-end SPS itch, get a kalk reactor. Just do yourself a favor and don't dose anything! 5% water change twice a month is all your corals need. A light meter helps if you have LED. If you just do water changes and you are killing coral your lights that are too bright. The Bluetooth Apogee is your cheapest option. If it's not an Apogee it's a toy. Your LFS may rent them for $40 a day. The Bluetooth version is the same cost as 1 high end frag and it will last you a lifetime.

in what sense do you mean half full?

 

[tzabor10]

Vortech makes great pumps. That will help keep detritus from getting on them. The red sea is great. Just be careful not to over expose new corals too quickly.

 

[jaws222]

Vortech makes great pumps. That will help keep detritus from getting on them. The red sea is great. Just be careful not to over expose new corals too quickly.

cool will see if my local places have it. how high/slow should the flow ideally be?

 

[tzabor10]

LFS is a great place to start. Vortech has a reef crest mode. It is easy because it generates random flow. They also have good backup power sources

 

[jaws222]

LFS is a great place to start. Vortech has a reef crest mode. It is easy because it generates random flow. They also have good backup power sources

oh ok cool. will definitely try my best to find that

 

[kevgib67]

Softies are your best bet to start and learn. Leather corals, mushrooms, zoas and gsp. Once you get a handle on those move up to lps and beginner sps. You’ll want to put the zoas and gsp on rock islands to prevent them from taking over your rock scape.

 

[jaws222]

sorry for taking so long to get back to this, i got pretty ill this past week and am only just feeling well enough to put those aquired tests to use. ammonia is <0.25, nitrites at ~0 and nitrates at ~30

 

[ckuhny3]

im restocking an old tank and would like to give coral a try. ive not done it before and am not sure where to start. any advice much appreciated. thanks

Buy an APEX /trident . My advice

 

[7of9]

im restocking an old tank and would like to give coral a try. ive not done it before and am not sure where to start. any advice much appreciated. thanks

After your tank is cycled, toss in a cheaper zoanthid and see how it does. Lighting is important for corals, so make sure your running a good quality light for 6-8 hours a day.

Good luck! As long as your water parameters aren’t too unstable or out of whack and you have good lighting, there are quite a few “beginner corals” that are easy to grow. Many coral sellers even have a section just for beginners or packs.

 

[7of9]

sorry for taking so long to get back to this, i got pretty ill this past week and am only just feeling well enough to put those aquired tests to use. ammonia is <0.25, nitrites at ~0 and nitrates at ~30

What kind of tests are you using? API will often give you a false reading on ammonia and say you have some when you really don’t.

 

[jaws222]

What kind of tests are you using? API will often give you a false reading on ammonia and say you have some when you really don’t.

salifert. it was just barley discoloured tho, still a fair bit away from the 0.25 on the chart