When to get corals
- Thread starter Maine Reefer
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rayn
Bluefin Believer
While I have always waited a bit, I have been reading lately that corals actually help your tank after the cycle is done. Saying that, once my current build has cycled I plan to add easier corals straight away.
So your research on the coral types you want and add some of the easier ones. Now if you are wanting a spa dominant, then I would wait a bit. But soft corals or some of the more forgiving lps should work.
So your research on the coral types you want and add some of the easier ones. Now if you are wanting a spa dominant, then I would wait a bit. But soft corals or some of the more forgiving lps should work.
XNavyDiver
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It will depend largely with what type of corals you are wanting. I would say most sps and especially acropora probably won't do well in a newly established tank. There are quite a few softie type corals that are very hardy and would stand a greater chance in a new tank. So I would say do a search for hearty soft corals and lps and go from there with a few "tester" frags. If you're wanting a tank of sps and acros, I would say you will need to wait and be patient until the tank matures and levels out. One good indicator is the growth of coralline algae in the tank. Knowing nothing about your system, you will also want to make sure you have all the equipment such as lighting and flow that will be essential for many types of coral already in place. But I suspect you already knew that, as your question hints that corals are the very reason you started your tank.
Reef Jeff
Active Member
+1 ^. Start with hardy softies. Your tank will still go through some post cycle biochanges and these can include diatoms, cyano, dino's. Softies can tolerate those changes while LPS and SPS corals are more affected by those changes.
grassy_noel
Active Member
What types of corals are you ultimately trying to keep in your tank? If it's a mix of softies and LPS, then I think it's a good idea to start with the softies. However, if you're ultimately headed for an LPS/SPS or SPS-only tank, I would think twice before adding a bunch of softies at this point.
Initially, my LFS had been trying to guide me to start my new nano tank with some mushrooms and xenia, both of which I've seen take over small systems. I told them I ultimately wanted mostly LPS corals, and maybe a few SPS in the future, and I did not want my tank to get overgrown with beginner softies that I would need to sell/trade/give away as the tank matures.
With this in mind, they guided me instead to wait another month just with two clownfish and a small cleanup crew. During that period, I had some diatoms come and go, a bit of hair algae come and go, and I also got my parameters dialed in: nitrates reduced, alkalinity dosing dialed in, and watched my pH really begin to stabilize around 8.1-8.2. Then I added a few relatively hardy LPS frags: candy canes, an open war coral, and a favites. Now, I'm letting the tank mature further as I get Ca/Alk dialed in again around these new occupants. When I can noticeably see growth on these frags, I'll start adding the next set.
This approach definitely takes patience, but with a small tank I will eventually run out of room, so starting slow actually feels like a good thing. Best of all, I won't end up with a bunch of mushrooms and xenia I have to get rid of when they grow huge and I want more SPS. Nevermind the possibility that they take over my tank and I can't get them completely out...
Initially, my LFS had been trying to guide me to start my new nano tank with some mushrooms and xenia, both of which I've seen take over small systems. I told them I ultimately wanted mostly LPS corals, and maybe a few SPS in the future, and I did not want my tank to get overgrown with beginner softies that I would need to sell/trade/give away as the tank matures.
With this in mind, they guided me instead to wait another month just with two clownfish and a small cleanup crew. During that period, I had some diatoms come and go, a bit of hair algae come and go, and I also got my parameters dialed in: nitrates reduced, alkalinity dosing dialed in, and watched my pH really begin to stabilize around 8.1-8.2. Then I added a few relatively hardy LPS frags: candy canes, an open war coral, and a favites. Now, I'm letting the tank mature further as I get Ca/Alk dialed in again around these new occupants. When I can noticeably see growth on these frags, I'll start adding the next set.
This approach definitely takes patience, but with a small tank I will eventually run out of room, so starting slow actually feels like a good thing. Best of all, I won't end up with a bunch of mushrooms and xenia I have to get rid of when they grow huge and I want more SPS. Nevermind the possibility that they take over my tank and I can't get them completely out...
This is a very generic recommendations, assuming you have some live rock, and things (params) are ok , and at least 10-15% water change is in place (1 or 2 weeks cadence)
- 1 month : softies, GSP, some easy to keep zoas, like radio active dragon eyers, several easy to keep palys etc
- 2 month: Almost all beginner softies (grandis), some LPS (candy cane)
- 3-4 months: Almost all softies, except the hard to keep ones (certain zoas and acans). Duncans, frogspwn, most beginner level challice (miami hurricane), most entry level montipora capricornis . Some beginner cyphastrea
- 5-7 months : Some medium to hard to keep lps (hammers) , zoas and beginner sps (pociliopora, ) most leptoseris (jack o lantern) . Elegance,
- 8-12 months: Hard to keep softies and zoas (candy apple, ruby red), some entry level but stylophora (purple stylophora), green slimer,
---- Dosing regiment beigns (at least a month before introduction of entry level acroporas. Light is sorted [i.e. you know your PAR values], flow is sorted ) ---
- 12 -> 18 months:entry level sticks , like tenius, there are way too many to name , by this time you'll know
- 18-24 months : experiment with medium to hard to keep sticks, like red dragons, some milliporas,
- 1 month : softies, GSP, some easy to keep zoas, like radio active dragon eyers, several easy to keep palys etc
- 2 month: Almost all beginner softies (grandis), some LPS (candy cane)
- 3-4 months: Almost all softies, except the hard to keep ones (certain zoas and acans). Duncans, frogspwn, most beginner level challice (miami hurricane), most entry level montipora capricornis . Some beginner cyphastrea
- 5-7 months : Some medium to hard to keep lps (hammers) , zoas and beginner sps (pociliopora, ) most leptoseris (jack o lantern) . Elegance,
- 8-12 months: Hard to keep softies and zoas (candy apple, ruby red), some entry level but stylophora (purple stylophora), green slimer,
---- Dosing regiment beigns (at least a month before introduction of entry level acroporas. Light is sorted [i.e. you know your PAR values], flow is sorted ) ---
- 12 -> 18 months:entry level sticks , like tenius, there are way too many to name , by this time you'll know
- 18-24 months : experiment with medium to hard to keep sticks, like red dragons, some milliporas,
The main idea here is to have a plan. What’s the only thing worse than a dead coral.... one you put in the tank without planning and then dont want anymore. Some corals can be a real pain to get out of your tank or find someone who would want it if you don’t. So think about where you want your tank to look like in 5 years and make a plan. Don’t worry things are going to change but once you have an idea what you want you will be able to get more specific info and that will help you decide to keep going as planned or change.
I know I lost some corals early on because I just didn’t understand the basics of ca/alk/mag. I don’t just mean what they are but what balanced levels you want in your tank for your corals. Nutrients are always an issue whether too high or too low depending on the corals you want to keep. Then tie in the new tank ugly algae issues that will happen at some point. Believe me when you get something like Dino’s covering everything including corals it can freak you out. Knowing what I do now I would have waited at least 6 months and a few algae outbreaks before adding any corals. I regret adding gsp, and Xenia because they weren’t in the long term plan but were “beginner” corals that I could get into the tank right away.
I would probably find some coral frags on the cheaper side that you would like to keep long term. Expected to loose some while your learning how they react to your tanks chemistry. At some point you should be able to look at your corals and know they are happy.
So with all that being said, what do you invision wanting in your tank 2-3 years from now?
I know I lost some corals early on because I just didn’t understand the basics of ca/alk/mag. I don’t just mean what they are but what balanced levels you want in your tank for your corals. Nutrients are always an issue whether too high or too low depending on the corals you want to keep. Then tie in the new tank ugly algae issues that will happen at some point. Believe me when you get something like Dino’s covering everything including corals it can freak you out. Knowing what I do now I would have waited at least 6 months and a few algae outbreaks before adding any corals. I regret adding gsp, and Xenia because they weren’t in the long term plan but were “beginner” corals that I could get into the tank right away.
I would probably find some coral frags on the cheaper side that you would like to keep long term. Expected to loose some while your learning how they react to your tanks chemistry. At some point you should be able to look at your corals and know they are happy.
So with all that being said, what do you invision wanting in your tank 2-3 years from now?
