Learning as we go

[moon&back_reef]

Hi! We’re totally new to keeping a saltwater tank. This has been a labor of love and months in the making but we’re finally getting our feet wet. We have a 1.5 year old son who is absolutely infatuated with fish and my husband has always wanted a tank so we took the plunge. What an involved hobby, we are busy bodies so we do enjoy it. We have a 47 gallon AIO tank that we’ve stocked with a couple of clownfish, a few damsels and crabs/shrimp/snails. We’re most excited for coral, and think we’re at a point where we can begin to add a few. Any recommendations for first time coral keepers? Photos of our humble tank for tax.

 

[00W]

Welcome Welcome to R2R!

 

[vetteguy53081]

 

[MoshJosh]

Looks awesome! Scape is super cool!

I will say the damsels concern me. . . speaking from experience. . . and from the wisdom of the internet. . . they can be very aggressive. That being said it could turn out alright, I would just watch them.

There are a ton of beginner corals to choose from, just be carful to avoid anything that could get out of control. Xenia, anthilia, and green star polyps can be really cool at first but can take over your entire scape. Zoas and mushrooms can take over to an extent, but usually less so and usually they look better haha.

I recommend:

Softies- Zoa and mushroom
LPS- duncan and candy cane
SPS- monti cap or stylo

 

[CO2TLEY]

 

[moon&back_reef]

Looks awesome! Scape is super cool!

I will say the damsels concern me. . . speaking from experience. . . and from the wisdom of the internet. . . they can be very aggressive. That being said it could turn out alright, I would just watch them.

There are a ton of beginner corals to choose from, just be carful to avoid anything that could get out of control. Xenia, anthilia, and green star polyps can be really cool at first but can take over your entire scape. Zoas and mushrooms can take over to an extent, but usually less so and usually they look better haha.

I recommend:

Softies- Zoa and mushroom
LPS- duncan and candy cane
SPS- monti cap or stylo

Thanks so much! These are supposed to be the more docile damsels-we shall see. They’ve kind of kept to themselves once they sorted their pecking order out, so hopefully they continue to behave.

I am a flower gardener so pretty excited to start a little Zoa garden, happy to see that on your recommendation!

 

[officialreefbros]

Welcome to the part!!

 

[OctaviusBrine]

Welcome to the reef!

 

[Waters]

Welcome !!

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

Welcome to reef2reef! We are glad to have you here!

 

[BubblesandSqueak]

Hi! We’re totally new to keeping a saltwater tank. This has been a labor of love and months in the making but we’re finally getting our feet wet. We have a 1.5 year old son who is absolutely infatuated with fish and my husband has always wanted a tank so we took the plunge. What an involved hobby, we are busy bodies so we do enjoy it. We have a 47 gallon AIO tank that we’ve stocked with a couple of clownfish, a few damsels and crabs/shrimp/snails. We’re most excited for coral, and think we’re at a point where we can begin to add a few. Any recommendations for first time coral keepers? Photos of our humble tank for tax.

welcome, great job for a scape.

 

[Evil1]

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

 

[Starbuxxx]

Welcome. It looks like everything is still pretty new and clean. Be sure to be patient, I know its difficult. New tanks make it hard for marine life to flourish. Expect algae and all other ugly stage things to go on.
After that, I would start with the coral that people mentioned, zoas, toadstool leather, there's some really cool mushroom out there. I actually started with blastos that took a lot of abuse and rearranging, they're pretty hardy imo.

 

[Brisk]

Welcome!

 

[shakacuz]

welcome aboard the r2r board. hello from PA!

 

[Ocean_Queenie]

Hello & Welcome

 

[zheka757]

Welcome to R2R!

 

[1112-425XL]

 

[Jimbhoy13]

Welcome to R2R and the salty world. Your tank is looking good , as I’m sure your son can see. Lots of knowledgeable and helpful people here who will support and advise you when needed.