what is a nice corals for starters

Unitylover · Mar 9, 2022

zoas? toadstools? others?

zdrc · Mar 9, 2022

mindme said:
Unlikely. Softies don't have the skeletons, so they don't use up cal or alk. Most of the parameters and things people recommend are based around SPS. If you are just keeping soft coral, your needs are much lighter.

And there are different things people find acceptable. On my 29g tank, I haven't done a test for anything on it basically ever. I check salinity, and I rarely do water changes. Maybe 10g every 4-6 months. All I have in that tank are xenias, some green trash palys and now 3 RBTA, along with 2 clown fish. The only filter I have is a HOB skimmer.

But I do not view algae as the devil(in this tank anyway). So I let the algae grow in the tank, and remove it every now and then. That takes care of my nitrates and phosphates pretty much. About once every month or so I'll go in and pull out a bunch of algae on the rocks. And everything else seems to get what it needs from food.

On the other hand, I also have 180g mixed reef. I have dosing pumps for my cal and alk, I have a refugium to grow macro algae, etc. It's requirements are completely different. I do tests for Nitrate, Phosphates, Alk, Cal and Magnesium. I also send my water in for ICP tests. Thus far I have been using an additive for my trace minerals, but recently just spent about $400 on trace minerals that I will be dosing individually(moonshiners method).

Doing all that I do in my 180g for the 29g wouldn't hurt the 29g. However, it's completely overkill and a waste of money IMO. It would all be for coralline algae, which I don't want. Dealing with it in my 180g is enough.

If you don't want algae and want to control nutrients, buy a nitrate and phosphate kit. Outside that, I wouldn't buy any tests outside salinity unless you see problems.

Interesting, it's so hard to tell when recommendations are just for SPS or not. In my own research for what tests I should get it sounded like salinity, alkalinity, calcium, magnesium, nitrate, and phosphorus were all necessary tests to have in general, and that salinity and alkalinity were the most important and should be tested quite often. I wonder if this was just if you're keeping SPS.

I imagine LPS need you to monitor calcium and magnesium more closely?

TnFishwater98 · Mar 9, 2022

zdrc said:
Interesting, it's so hard to tell when recommendations are just for SPS or not. In my own research for what tests I should get it sounded like salinity, alkalinity, calcium, magnesium, nitrate, and phosphorus were all necessary tests to have in general, and that salinity and alkalinity were the most important and should be tested quite often. I wonder if this was just if you're keeping SPS.

I imagine LPS need you to monitor calcium and magnesium more closely?

Not as much. SPS demands testing until you know your system. Some test weekly and others test when the tank tells them something is off. If you don’t have a lot of corals and you do regular water changes there is no need to test.

TnFishwater98 · Mar 9, 2022

TnFishwater98 said:
Not as much. SPS demands testing until you know your system. Some test weekly and others test when the tank tells them something is off. If you don’t have a lot of corals and you do regular water changes there is no need to test.

*Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphates

EricR · Mar 9, 2022

For testing with only a few soft corals (beginner), I only test:
Nitrate, Phosphate, Alkalinity (dKH)
*salinity I consider a given for everyone

I also test pH every so often but don't ever do anything about it. (Mine's usually fine in the low 8's but dips to 7.8 in summer heat waves with all windows closed for AC for long periods of time)

mindme · Mar 10, 2022

zdrc said:
Interesting, it's so hard to tell when recommendations are just for SPS or not. In my own research for what tests I should get it sounded like salinity, alkalinity, calcium, magnesium, nitrate, and phosphorus were all necessary tests to have in general, and that salinity and alkalinity were the most important and should be tested quite often. I wonder if this was just if you're keeping SPS.

I imagine LPS need you to monitor calcium and magnesium more closely?

Yeah, anything that has a skeleton will consume calcium and alk. So that's why most recommendations revolve around that, it's not that often that people have a true softie tank. And it's not going to hurt to test and worry about those parameters either. So it's good general advice. But if you do have a true softie tank, then it's not needed.

SeaCo Nico · Mar 10, 2022

Any leather for sure

SlugSnorter · Mar 10, 2022

EricR said:
Ricordea is the only kind of shroom I've seen at my LFS that I (and my daughter) like the looks of.

Good to know that you don't feel need to target feed (if that's what you suggested).
Thought I've read people recommend feeding 2-3x per week. (Nice for me if that's not a necessity)

they need no feeding (in nearly all cases), but can grow more with it.