Am I ready for corals yet?

[fishfreak1242]

So I think that I am finally ready to turn my 55 gal FOWLR into a Reef tank. I just want to make sure that I do this right and don't kill any corals that I will soon get. I just got 2x175w Metal Halides and 2x55w T-5s actinics for my tank, and might I say, that they blow away my old lights which were those stock fluorescents and hood that came with my tank. I also have about 800gph of flow going through my tank so that is about 15x turnover. I was planning on getting some Zoas, because I hear that they are easy to care for. So what do you think? Am I ready for corals yet?

 

[fishygurl]

how long has your tank been set up? what are the fish in your tank? what are the water parameters?
if all these are good you could start off with some easy corals and work your way up to harder ones

 

[fishfreak1242]

My tank has been set up for about 7 months now. I have a clownfish, Pajama cardinal, sixline wrasse, and a firefish.
My parameters are:
Ammon-0
Nitrite-0
Nitrate-0
Salinity-1.025
pH-8.0

 

[payton 350]

yes and with the lighting ...you can have what you want.....just start slow with shrooms and zoos for now an gradually move up and research what you want .....this way you'll know if the coral needs food , light , or both

 

[fishfreak1242]

Originally Posted by Payton 350
http:///forum/post/2663294
yes and with the lighting ...you can have what you want.....just start slow with shrooms and zoos for now an gradually move up and research what you want .....this way you'll know if the coral needs food , light , or both
Yeh I was planning to start out with zoas because I love the way they look. The only thing that I dont know how to do i feed the corals. Is there a special type of food that I have to feed them? Normally what I feed my fish is either spirulina brine, bloodworms, mysis, or a various mix of the 3 and some garlic. Can I feed the corals the same way I feed my fish, or do I have to spot feed them or something?

 

[deltablack22]

Yeah your good for coral. I would have to warn you on "easy corals" though. Some things like GSP, Xenia and mushrooms can really get out of hand under good conditions. I'm not telling you not to buy them, but I would isolate certain corals away from your main rock piles.

 

[deltablack22]

The vast majority of corals dont require spot feedings.

 

[fishfreak1242]

Cool. Thanks for all of the help.

 

[payton 350]

yeah a vast majority of them will just eat the food particles that float in the tank (they don't need to eat but will)........just do normal feedings ....plenty of light and they will be ok....just before you get one ...find out the requirements

 

[ci11337]

You should be good, also i highly recommend LPS corals they are just as easy to care for as zoas but are bigger. Also it's nice to see someone who actually choose fish within the limits of his tank.