When to add corals

[rja]

Also do your corals help the tank? Some people say they do but im still doing coral either way

Some types of corals will consume lots of nutrients if they are kept at a large scale. Otherwise, they do not necessarily help the tank. You will have photosynthesis occurring, though, which naturally will raise your pH. Couple that with a refugium that is on only at night, and you have a recipe for a very balanced pH due to photosynthesis occurring constantly.

 

[Ghostyboythedog]

Some types of corals will consume lots of nutrients if they are kept at a large scale. Otherwise, they do not necessarily help the tank. You will have photosynthesis occurring, though, which naturally will raise your pH. Couple that with a refugium that is on only at night, and you have a recipe for a very balanced pH due to photosynthesis occurring constantly.

Dont clownfish help with corals or are those anemones?

 

[Lavey29]

Dont clownfish help with corals or are those anemones?

Clownfish will sometimes make their home inside anemones or some other flowing type coral. It's a symbiotic relationship basically.

 

[Ghostyboythedog]

Okay qustion do you need a wave maker for a 20 gallon long lots of people are saying no just need one more confirmation. To make sure

 

[Ghostyboythedog]

Even just a few pounds of nice, clean, crusty purple live rock sets the tank off to a great path. My new tank is less than a month old and I currently have a duncan garden, many zoas, and some chalice that look good so far. Just keep corals that can sustain unbalanced pH if you do not have a system that constantly monitors it like an apex or hydros. A fuge using some Chaeto from a reputable source can also supplement more than just nutrient control in an early tank. The algae will also be full of microfauna like copepods and amphipods. Algae barn and Reef Nutrition are great sources of these copepods as well. Absolutely essential in a new system to ensure that all levels of the ecosystem are filled.

Bacteria -> Pods -> CUC -> Coral -> fish. Or something like that.

My current system started with 10 lbs of real ocean rock and 65 pounds of dead rock that I bleached cured. The only area where I got any diatoms was the sand. Those went away and were replaced by GHA. The addition of a dozen snails took care of all of that algae. Now the rock is left bare to be encrusted by the coralline from the ocean rock as well as the new corals.

IMO, most marco and manmade rock has phosphates that leach out early on and cause a lot of uglies. This is why most of my rock was dead rock from a tank breakdown on FB marketplace. I think that all the phosphates leached out over the ~2 years that the rocks were in the system. Then dried out, then bleached to create a true inert reef dry rock ready to be colonized.

Okay tank you soo much for all the replies to help thanks

 

[rja]

Okay qustion do you need a wave maker for a 20 gallon long lots of people are saying no just need one more confirmation. To make sure

Depends on what you want to keep in the tank. Some corals like more flow than others. Id you are using a hang-on filter, I would add a small powerhead. Can easily be found at petco, just the smallest size.

Wavemakers do a few things:
1. Provide adequate flow for your corals
2. Keep fish waste and food suspended in the water so excess can be removed by your filter
3. Provide surface agitation so your tank can have healthy gas exchange with the ambient air.

 

[Ghostyboythedog]

Depends on what you want to keep in the tank. Some corals like more flow than others. Id you are using a hang-on filter, I would add a small powerhead. Can easily be found at petco, just the smallest size.

Wavemakers do a few things:
1. Provide adequate flow for your corals
2. Keep fish waste and food suspended in the water so excess can be removed by your filter
3. Provide surface agitation so your tank can have healthy gas exchange with the ambient air.

Okay