Is Going from 0 to 20 Corals too Much?

DrumsIguanasAndNowReefs · Mar 7, 2018

So I am about to get my first corals and after being dismayed at the price/selection of my lfs I found a good deal on saltwaterfish.com. I can get 20 corals for $150 with a coupon I have and can pick beginner corals to start with. However, I am concerned how this might dramatically increase my bioload. Any tips?

Jimbo662 · Mar 7, 2018

What's your water volume and what kind of corals are you getting?

DrumsIguanasAndNowReefs · Mar 7, 2018

The tank is 60g and this is the description of the frag pack. There are positive reviews from people who were happy with their packs.
"Picked just for you! We will choose from zoanthids, mushrooms, star polyp, favia brain, favites brain, chalice and others. Assorted: we will choose based on our current availability."

Fourstars · Mar 7, 2018

Is the tank cycled? If so, sounds like a good way to start. Might also want to add a few fish.

Flatlandreefer · Mar 7, 2018

If your parameters are in check it shouldn't be a big deal. I would get a single coral from your LFS and see how it does before placing an order for 20 corals.

DrumsIguanasAndNowReefs · Mar 7, 2018

The tank is cycled fully, took about 20 days, and the CBS I added to test the water is doing great and molted over the weekend. I am getting two ocellaris clowns as well from the same supplier. I wanted to get some feedback first though so I wouldn't have to go through the pain of watching half the corals melt away. I think it will also make my tank look 10x nicer over night with the addition of so much coral. Any tips on acclimation for the corals? My current understanding is I should start them in the sand for about a week?

careefer · Mar 7, 2018

I doesn't seem like it would be too big of an issue for the tank to handle, but you might want to think about how much time you have. Getting them all settled into the right parts of the tank and acclimated is going to take some work and you will have 20 balls in the air to watch all at once. If just one or two aren't doing well no big deal, but if you have 15 corals that all need attention it could be a bit overwhelming. I agree with Flatlandreefer, I would get one or two to start and see how that goes, then if you feel like 20 at once go for it.

Fourstars · Mar 7, 2018

Yes, Start them down low so they can acclimate to the lights. Takes about a week. I put my new corals in a tub and drip acclimate them for a good twenty minute. I also use iodine in the water and lightly blast them with a turkey baster before I move to my main tank. It's a new tank, so don't be disappointed if you have a algae battle for the next few months. I waited for six months before I made any new additions.

DrumsIguanasAndNowReefs · Mar 7, 2018

Careefer, definitely not the answer I hoped for and a bit disappointed but you make some good points. I will get a torch today at the lfs and wait as long as I can before my coupon expires. It's hard to keep waiting but would be less painful than watching them die. How much time do you think it would be realistically? Is there more to it then moving them around every few days (after a week on the sand) to see where they look happiest? Also is coral "happiness" determined by color and how open they are? I have read alot leading up to this but actually doing something is always different then studying it...

DrumsIguanasAndNowReefs · Mar 7, 2018

I am also loving the number of Texas reefers, do you have a favorite lfs careefer since we are basically neighbors?

careefer · Mar 7, 2018

You will always hear people say 'only bad things happen fast in a reef tank' and its kind of annoying, but its also very true! We all want our tanks to look like our vision of the dream tank and preferably sooner than later but for me a lot of the fun of the hobby is in the journey and not so much the destination. When i buy something living I take it as my responsibility to keep it that way and I try to give myself the best chance of achieving that.
In answer to your other question yes, you can look at all those factors. You can usually tell when they aren't happy but that is the easy part, trying to figure out where to move them to make them happy is the tricky part! Do they just need a bit longer to acclimate? Do they need a bit more light? a bit more flow? Should you move them now or give them a couple more days to see what happens? and if you have 20 different new corals do you have a system in place so you can remember what you have tried with each one so far and what has/hasn't worked?
In reality if they are beginner corals you will probably have pretty good luck with a range of placement within the tank and all of this might be overly cautious, but that's just how I choose to approach my tank, you should do what feels right for your tank.

careefer · Mar 7, 2018

Sadly its the California version not the Texas one and yes we have some good LFS!

DrumsIguanasAndNowReefs · Mar 7, 2018

I am sure you do, I have noticed how many reefers come from coastal areas but that isn't a surprise. I am defiantly in it for the journey but after a month of only careing for my CBS I am ready to try something harder. My shrimp did molt recently though and it was the highlight of my day knowing that he is happy and healthy in his new home! He is also venturing out more from the cave he claimed and is also very willing to come up to me for food.

DrumsIguanasAndNowReefs · Mar 7, 2018

I may end up pulling the trigger on the frag pack only because the coupon expires in six days and a $45 torch won't give me much time to practice. We will see though depending on if the torch looks happy in a weeks time.

Fourstars · Mar 7, 2018

What are you afraid of? You have it cycled, I assume the salinity is dialed in. Stock the Tank! You need life in the tank to start using the nutrients your rocks are leaching. The Mail Order shops likeWWC, Tital gardens, AcanLords are the only shops I would Ever use. Most LFS are not at the same level.

careefer · Mar 7, 2018

Let us know how it goes and post some photos!

DrumsIguanasAndNowReefs · Mar 7, 2018

I certainly will once I have something worth taking a picture of!

DrumsIguanasAndNowReefs · Mar 7, 2018

Is there any chance of this kind of bioload crashing my tank?

tablesalt · Mar 7, 2018

I put a large collection of 25 small Zoanthid frags into my tank all at once as my first corals. 24/25 are all well and happy, with one MIA. However, I had done the dead shrimp method, and started the tank off with a pair of clowns for a few weeks first. I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to put in 20 small frags in a tank that size, but you may want to put in your first fish additions to allow ensure the tank is stable first.

mta_morrow · Mar 7, 2018

FWIW, a friend has been holding my coral while I moved and set up a new tank. (See my build thread).

Tomorrow he is driving down with over 40 corals, including a bubble tip and a mini maxi nem. I have had 13 fish in the tank for about 2 weeks. I’m not worried about adding all that at once. In fact, he added all to his tank when we took them out of mine!