Ready for corals?

[frankin09]

Hello, I’ve been wanting to get corals. My tank is about to turn 2 months of running. Could I start to add some? I have 2 clowns, six line wrasse and a coral banded shrimp. Any recommendations for first corals. My tank is a 37 gallon tall.

 

[ZoWhat]

SPS? No way. Not enough time for bacterial processes to develop. You probably haven't even gone through "the uglies" yet where good and bad bacteria are battling and balancing

LPS? No on most things. Possibly some low end zoanthids that are green and plain.

Softies? Yes, your probably ready for any softie corals like toadstools, mushrooms, leathers, gsp, pulsing xenia.

Stay clear of high end corals until the bacteria battle settles out in your tank in 6-9mos. There's really no test to test fir coral readiness but to continue maintenance and wait at least 6mos.

This is not a hobby of quick flashiness

 

[Morphinel]

In my opinion and many probably won’t agree but corals are way hardier than fish. You could add corals after a few weeks IMO just don’t go crazy with SPS. You can add shrooms, zoas, easy corals like that without risk.

 

[frankin09]

In my opinion and many probably won’t agree but corals are way hardier than fish. You could add corals after a few weeks IMO just don’t go crazy with SPS. You can add shrooms, zoas, easy corals like that without risk.

What about hammer head?

 

[mdb_talon]

What about hammer head?

I am going to assume you are referring to hammer coral and not a shark .

Personally i would not start with a hammer coral they are relatively expensive. I would start with a few small cheap corals(small zoa or acan frags for example).

 

[frankin09]

I am going to assume you are referring to hammer coral and not a shark .

Personally i would not start with a hammer coral they are relatively expensive. I would start with a few small cheap corals(small zoa or acan frags for example).

I am interested in Zoas and euphyillas. Would those be good starters?

 

[Morphinel]

Yeah you can do zoas. You can even try a small hammer if it’s cheap. Don’t go crazy just yet.

 

[frankin09]

Yeah you can do zoas. You can even try a small hammer if it’s cheap. Don’t go crazy just yet.

Could I add more then one coral in a day?

 

[mdb_talon]

I am interested in Zoas and euphyillas. Would those be good starters?

Cheaper zoas for sure. Eyphyllia are fine I just suggest waiting because they can often be a bit pricey.

I just suggest starting cheap because the only way you really know if tank is ready for coral is by adding it. New reefers often have some trouble with deaths initially. Better to start slow and cheap with adding coral.

 

[chandavi]

I see no problem adding 3 or 4 zoas etc.
When I first added I put them at different light and flow levels and quickly learned where each grew the fastest and/or most colorfully.

 

[frankin09]

Cheaper zoas for sure. Eyphyllia are fine I just suggest waiting because they can often be a bit pricey.

I just suggest starting cheap because the only way you really know if tank is ready for coral is by adding it. New reefers often have some trouble with deaths initially. Better to start slow and cheap with adding coral.

Sounds good. I’ll add a Zoa and monitor it for 2 months.

 

[Morphinel]

To be clear you don’t need to just get 1 zoa and wait 2 months lol I add all these within just a few months of starting my tank. I don’t recommend this many but you can get 10 frags and be fine

 

[frankin09]

I see no problem adding 3 or 4 zoas etc.
When I first added I put them at different light and flow levels and quickly learned where each grew the fastest and/or most colorfully.

I’ve read that zoas should have a island. This my tank.

 

[MaxTremors]

In my opinion and many probably won’t agree but corals are way hardier than fish. You could add corals after a few weeks IMO just don’t go crazy with SPS. You can add shrooms, zoas, easy corals like that without risk.

I actually agree with you. Well, some corals are easier anyway. Most soft corals are super easy.

 

[BVF]

I started with mushrooms and a candy cane after several weeks. The hairy mushroom is cool, and eats well. This is the candy cane, which has doubled from 3 mouths to 6 in 3 months.