When to add corals

[sturgesz]

I see a lot of people asking about cycling and when it’s safe to add fish, but my questions are when is it safe to add coral?
Secondly is it better to add fish prior to corals?

my tank was cycled with Fitz turbo and algea barns nitrocycle. Been in the empty stage for 4 days now and I’m fine sitting but also a planner and curious to thoughts from successful fellow reefers

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

You can technically add corals as soon as it's cycled, but I'd recommend waiting about 4-6 months. That way, the tank will stabilize before you add corals. In the meantime, I'd keep the lights off if possible to avoid the ugly stage of algae. I hope that this helps!

 

[sturgesz]

You can technically add corals as soon as it's cycled, but I'd recommend waiting about 4-6 months. That way, the tank will stabilize before you add corals. In the meantime, I'd keep the lights off if possible to avoid the ugly stage of algae. I hope that this helps!

Thanks for the reply!

 

[ZoWhat]

I feel like a broken record... I wouldn't add coral until my LR was covered with slime and bacteria.... and I didn't have GHA

To keep coral, read my signature

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

You can add them whenever you want after a cycle, but unless you understand about good water parameters, lighting, flow, stability, and unless you have good test kits (not API), you are taking the risk of the coral dying.

Also, you tank will go through an 'ugly phase', which algae might or might not grow over corals.

My suggestion in the beginning is always buy a cheap frag for $10-$20, and see if it stays alive for a few weeks, then try another.

 

[sturgesz]

I feel like a broken record... I wouldn't add coral until my LR was covered with slime and bacteria.... and I didn't have GHA

To keep coral, read my signature

This hobby is a waste of time unless you know how to control no3/po4 I love it!!
I’ve been reading lots of how tos on this subject. By chance do you mix your own solutions to dose? What are the husbandry skills you employ for stability?

 

[ReefLife_Guy]

My suggestion in the beginning is always buy a cheap frag for $10-$20, and see if it stays alive for a few weeks, then try another.

This is also what my LFS recommended and what I did. If you did a fishless cycle and use a good salt mix, don't let all the fear of dosing and measuring alkalinity, calcium, nitrates, phosphorus, magnesium, trace elements, etc. keep you from getting a beginner coral. If you have the basics of lighting, salinity, temperature, flow, and a good salt mix, you can keep at minimum soft corals with no problem. I definitely wouldn't buy anything super expensive though, most recommend starting with soft corals, then LPS, and then SPS. With regular water changes, most of the elements required for coral growth are not going to be depleted to where you need to dose or even measure regularly unless you fill your tank to the brim with coral. A couple of cheap frags of "beginner" corals are perfect ways to dip your toes in the water so to speak. I learned more about corals after having them, then I did when I first started researching them. It's hard to understand the importance of flow and lighting until you have a coral that retracts its polyps in high flow or starts to bleach in high par lighting. Things like xenia, mushrooms, green star polyps are all great ones to start with IMO.

 

[shakacuz]

honestly, try adding them when you start seeing coralline alae growing. at this point your tank is obviously cycled, mature(to an extent), and your parameters are in line to grow coralline algae. you can certainly add them before this, and after your tank cycles, but could be too soon prior to learning how to keep parameters stable.

 

[blaxsun]

I'm going to add the caveat that it also depends on your lighting. Soft corals are usually very easy to care for and don't need religious monitoring of parameters outside of alkalinity or extravagant lighting. LPS do require higher lighting levels, testing for calcium and magnesium and regular water changes to replenish elements. SPS are much more challenging as they require the highest level of lighting, optimal flow and careful monitoring.

Start out with a soft coral - something cheap that you can replace - and doesn't grow like an absolute weed (xenias - I'm looking at you). Then add another soft coral in a few weeks to a month's time. After 2-3 months, then try moving up to a hardy LPS. SPS should only really be looked at after 4-6 months of stable water parameters, optimized flow and ideal lighting (where the use of a PAR meter may be necessary).

 

[sturgesz]

Thanks for all the replies and advice, I’ve been out of the hobby a while. Starting from dry rock (hoping to keep pests away)
I honestly don’t plan on trying sps, they don’t do much for me. I however love lps, gorgonians and zoas, those are what I’m hoping to show good husbandry to and would like as much input/ knowledge as possible

 

[sturgesz]

I'm going to add the caveat that it also depends on your lighting. Soft corals are usually very easy to care for and don't need religious monitoring of parameters outside of alkalinity or extravagant lighting. LPS do require higher lighting levels, testing for calcium and magnesium and regular water changes to replenish elements. SPS are much more challenging as they require the highest level of lighting, optimal flow and careful monitoring.

Start out with a soft coral - something cheap that you can replace - and doesn't grow like an absolute weed (xenias - I'm looking at you). Then add another soft coral in a few weeks to a month's time. After 2-3 months, then try moving up to a hardy LPS. SPS should only really be looked at after 4-6 months of stable water parameters, optimized flow and ideal lighting (where the use of a PAR meter may be necessary).

I’m using an Radion xr15 over an Ada 60p at 60% hoping it’s enough to support lps

 

[blaxsun]

I’m using an Radion xr15 over an Ada 60p at 60% hoping it’s enough to support lps

Yes, even a G3, G4 or G5 will be more than enough for soft, LPS and possibly SPS (although you may need to increase the overall intensity).

 

[Lavey29]

You can technically add corals as soon as it's cycled, but I'd recommend waiting about 4-6 months. That way, the tank will stabilize before you add corals. In the meantime, I'd keep the lights off if possible to avoid the ugly stage of algae. I hope that this helps!

This is so true

 

[ninjamyst]

Cycling is for fish. You can technically add corals as soon as the tank is wet. But your tank won't have the biodiversity to keep corals happy. It's not a matter of how long you have to wait. It's a matter of how you can instantly add biodiversity to your new tank.

Think about it this way. Vendors start up brand new tank during trade shows and throw thousands of dollars of corals into those brand new frag tanks. How can they do that?! They add in biomedia from established tanks. You can do the same.

 

[blaxsun]

Cycling is for fish. You can technically add corals as soon as the tank is wet. But your tank won't have the biodiversity to keep corals happy. It's not a matter of how long you have to wait. It's a matter of how you can instantly add biodiversity to your new tank.

Think about it this way. Vendors start up brand new tank during trade shows and throw thousands of dollars of corals into those brand new frag tanks. How can they do that?! They add in biomedia from established tanks. You can do the same.

They can do that because they're well-practised at it.

 

[sturgesz]

Cycling is for fish. You can technically add corals as soon as the tank is wet. But your tank won't have the biodiversity to keep corals happy. It's not a matter of how long you have to wait. It's a matter of how you can instantly add biodiversity to your new tank.

Think about it this way. Vendors start up brand new tank during trade shows and throw thousands of dollars of corals into those brand new frag tanks. How can they do that?! They add in biomedia from established tanks. You can do the same.

I have honestly never even considered the fact vendors can do that and cycling being fit fish. I assumed it was for everything.

 

[G Santana]

I see a lot of people asking about cycling and when it’s safe to add fish, but my questions are when is it safe to add coral?
Secondly is it better to add fish prior to corals?

my tank was cycled with Fitz turbo and algea barns nitrocycle. Been in the empty stage for 4 days now and I’m fine sitting but also a planner and curious to thoughts from successful fellow reefers

Patience is everything in this hobby, if it were me, I would wait until your tank goes through the ugly phase, and it will.
If you're really itching, buy a couple of zoas, perhaps a Stylophora, see how they fair and go from there. Those two are very forgiving corals and will allow you to test the waters so to speak.

 

[ninjamyst]

They can do that because they're well-practised at it.

Yea but it's not like they have some magic voodoo power or access to equipments we hobbyists don't have. I have started plenty of tanks with dry rock and added corals right away. Obviously it's usually zoas and gsp and softies. Adding corals is another way to add biodiversity. Leaving a tank sterile for months is not the way to go.

 

[blaxsun]

Yea but it's not like they have some magic voodoo power or access to equipments we hobbyists don't have. I have started plenty of tanks with dry rock and added corals right away. Obviously it's usually zoas and gsp and softies. Adding corals is another way to add biodiversity. Leaving a tank sterile for months is not the way to go.

Their magic voodoo power is they can essentially replace anything for almost no cost if it dies.

 

[HBtank]

Yea but it's not like they have some magic voodoo power or access to equipments we hobbyists don't have. I have started plenty of tanks with dry rock and added corals right away. Obviously it's usually zoas and gsp and softies. Adding corals is another way to add biodiversity. Leaving a tank sterile for months is not the way to go.

You do have a point in that without a prior tank to pull from, adding "easy" corals is a way to add to the biodiversity in a tank, even if its just some microbes on a frag plug.

But per the OP, I would add fish first and get stable parameters for a significant period before adding coral. Doing it in the reverse, and losing stability after adding fish to a tank stocked with coral will likely cause problems.

Of course, some corals can tolerate most everything and are not expensive, so that is a factor.