What coral do you add first?

[Peace River]

If you have a ten gallon nano tank, what coral would you add first? Do you use a test coral? Assuming the tank is fully cycled, what is your approach to choosing and adding that first coral?

 

[MoshJosh]

If you have a ten gallon nano tank, what coral would you add first? Do you use a test coral? Assuming the tank is fully cycled, what is your approach to choosing and adding that first coral?

I would probably though in a test piece or 2. . . Last time I did this it was acros haha but preferably it would be something more resilient.

 

[Peace River]

I would probably though in a test piece or 2. . . Last time I did this it was acros haha but preferably it would be something more resilient.

Like zoas or do you have another recommendation?

 

[QuickrdenU]

My birds nest and digi are the best growing corals in my pico. Craziness! Followed by lps and then the zoanthids. I guess I keep it too clean?

 

[ReefStable Verified Sponsor]

Personally I would suggest soft coral such as zoanthid and mushroom coral. The sweepers from most LPS may be too long for that size tank.

Favia and clove polyps would be good options too.

Avoid things that reproduce too quickly or get too large such as Leathers, Kenya trees, GSP, and the like.

SPS may be hard to keep due to maintaining chemicals in the low volume. If you like SPS though, Cats Paw is an easy one. Other stylophora and Pocillopora may be reasonable as well.

Hope this helps!

 

[Stephen8169301]

I’d probably go more on the lines of a cabbage coral

 

[randomfishdude]

I acualy got a 10 gallon for a short period of time! Not going to go into dental about it but it was a old qt tank.

But I added a small kenya tree and a hammer coral. I still have the hammer currently in my 80gal bedroom tank.
Edit: added an image also I forgot I had a small zoacolony thang that had a majono on it.

The zoas are now in a litter container in my window and the kenya tree I forgot about when I set the rock outside so it's dead

 

[MoshJosh]

Like zoas or do you have another recommendation?

Yeah zoas and other softies are great but I would advise new reefers to choose carefully as resilient corals can take over.

Zoas on an isolated rock would be great.

 

[KrisReef]

What ever needed fragging in my main tank, leaning towards the more durable stuff, montipora chips or mushrooms and that sort of stuff.

 

[CoastalTownLayabout]

I have a 10g atm and first coral added was a small green polyp sarcophyton. They don’t need much light so you can moderate initial algae growth with low intensity. I find they’re also more resilient to encroaching algae growth than low light LPS and zoas. They also adapt well to increased light as you move through the maturation stages towards addition of moderate light corals. They don’t really need to be fed either.

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

Lol I put a 1.5" pear berry frag in a 8 week old tank. The tank was started on well cured life rock with microbacter start for 3 weeks and 3 more weeks on TBS live sand with a dose of Dinkin's pods, and rotifers. 2.5 months in I have growth from the pear berry, a digitata, mouths are splitting on a cristata, I also have a piece of staghorn that has just started basing out in the last few days.


I think the test pieces we use are tied directly to our confidence and or ignorance. Where exactly I fall on that spectrum will be shaken out soon I suspect. I hope it's on the right side. Anyone know where I can get some green stars just in case?

 

[MoshJosh]

Lol I put a 1.5" pear berry frag in a 8 week old tank.

Home Wrecker is fine day one if I use bottled bacteria right?

Edit: Hahaha

 

[randomfishdude]

Lol I put a 1.5" pear berry frag in a 8 week old tank.

8 whole weeks? I put corals in at just 2!

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

8 whole weeks?

I just wanted to get through the diatoms and cyano that never materialized. Once those two come and go, and I see wild pods, it's on.

 

[flyfisher2]

be careful of encrusting "test corals" Don't make the mistake of having a potentially undesirable piece eat up valuable real estate which you will need later for the pieces you really want.

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

A cheap one

 

[Azael]

I would add a kenya tree and one or two mushrooms. That is what I did with my first tank and it was a good idea.

 

[Acroconut]

My first LPS were a Lobo, Frogspawn and a couple Acans. Still have the frogspawn and Acans. It really hurt to lose the Rainbow Lobo as it was really pretty.

 

[danielm5]

A cheap one

This is my thinking exactly at this time when I'm considering which should I add first to my newly set tank...