New to Coral - can't wait to get going

[saltsavage]

Hey y'all!

So I just got the Current Orbit Marine LED for Christmas (I'm 27 and I still get presents haha I know I know) but I want to get coral going so bad now.

I have a 29g tank with some healthy inhabitants listed below:

Clownfish
Coral Beauty (I know they nip, not worried)
6 line wrasse
Damsel

Blood fire shrimp
Halloween Urchin (might take it out so no bulldozing of coral happens)
Peppermint shrimp
Some hermits
CUC


So what I absolutely love are Frogspawn and hammer corals. Love the loose movement in the current and all that. Just looking for some suggestions or tips on how to make my tank a true reef finally.

I posted some pics as well of the set up for placement tips etc.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[CodyRVA]

Nice! I would still start slow with a soft coral, zoas and palys are great because they add color, most are inexpensive, and while some can be aggressive, they are generally easy to manage by comparison to other soft corals. See how those fair, test your water, don't aim for those magic parameter numbers, but focus on stability. Try more forgiving LPS like duncans and frogspawn, then the ones that are more difficult to keep. There's no universal guide across all LPS based on parameters, some like more light than others, some more flow, do your research before buying anything!

Steer clear of things like kenya trees, xenia, GSP, and others like that. They are popular first corals for testing parameters because they're very hardy, but you'll regret ever buying them down the road.

Good luck!

 

[MaiReef]

If you like Frogspawn, get one, it was one of my first coral and it started slow, but recently it was 25+ heads before I fragged it. I have found it doesn't need perfect parameters and does well so long as it gets light.