New coral addition

[jandlms]

I recently added the first corals to my new 120 gallon reef. It has been cycled and running for three months now. The frags were a rhodactis and a cyphastrea. After ten day both frags look great. My question pertains to more corals. How soon can I add more corals. Nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia are either zero or minimal. No algae blooms or coral death.
im kind of hoping for a small coral order sometime in the future. Maybe five or six frags. How long?
Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

There is no measurable bio load with corals so you can add as many as you like as fast as you like. The issue is always, if your tank is not ready or you don’t do your research, then the corals die and your money is wasted.

 

[kittenbritches]

There is no measurable bio load with corals so you can add as many as you like as fast as you like. The issue is always, if your tank is not ready or you don’t do your research, then the corals die and your money is wasted.

 

[jandlms]

Thanks. But having the corals I added look good ten days after being added , do you think its safe to add more? Based on their looking good after just ten days?

 

[ZoWhat]

Corals can never be rushed just bc its finished the 1st nitrogen cycle.

It took 9mos for nearly all of us to pop out of the womb, not 30 days....just sayin'

Your ecosystem needs to go thru stages of biochemically dealing with algae blooms and balance itself out from:

• Diatoms
• Dinoflagellates
• Cyano Bacteria

Only waiting for Time to pass using a monthly calendar, not a stopwatch, can achieve this proper biochemical balance.

There are really no tests to test for "corals readiness" other than seeing with your eyes your water quality going through these stages, along with the passage of Time.

7-9mos is a good zone to plan for.... only if you keep up with proper maintenance skills (husbandry)

Rushing corals through those stages of algae balance will just stress and kill off a major of the corals you buy prior to 7-9mos. Better to wait until after those stages work themselves out.

Can't wait the allotted time frame? I'd say it's about an 70-80% failure rate putting corals through those stages; 3, 4 ,5, 6 months in.

 

[kittenbritches]

Thanks. But having the corals I added look good ten days after being added , do you think its safe to add more? Based on their looking good after just ten days?

Check your water parameters, including alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium. Research the nutrient, light, and flow requirements for the next corals you're interested in. Consider where they can fit in your tank. They aren't one size fits all.