brand new to reef setups, got a few questions

[hnf2k]

ive been keeping a fowlr tank for years, but i dont know too much about corals. i have a 65 gallon tank now, with about a 30 gallon sump/fuge(fuge area is only about 12 x 12). i have 100 pounds of live rock and about 150 pounds of live sand. i just orderd a 36" power compact 4 x 96 watt fixture with moonlighting. now my questions are...
i have test kits for only the basic nitrogen cycle, what other test kits do i need?
what is a good beginner coral for me to start out on? mushrooms by any chance?
and what else do i need to know? im assuming this early on in a reef setup i wont need a kalk drip?
also, this isnt gonna be a full blown reef, but i would like to keep a few corals. i plan on having 2 clownfish, 3 green chromis, 1 flame angel, 1 mandarin goby, and 1 firefish. does all this sound ok to go with corals?
thanks, any and all advice is greatly appreciated.
the tank has also only been together for about 2 months or so. is it too early ot add corals?

 

[nm reef]

Originally posted by HNF2K
i have test kits for only the basic nitrogen cycle, what other test kits do i need?
what is a good beginner coral for me to start out on? mushrooms by any chance?
and what else do i need to know? im assuming this early on in a reef setup i wont need a kalk drip?
also, this isnt gonna be a full blown reef, but i would like to keep a few corals. i plan on having 2 clownfish, 3 green chromis, 1 flame angel, 1 mandarin goby, and 1 firefish. does all this sound ok to go with corals?
the tank has also only been together for about 2 months or so. is it too early ot add corals?
I would suggest tests for calcium & alkalinity at least. I also check magnesium.
Dripping kalk is optional but depending on what type of corals you keep you may need to suppliment calcium & alkalinity. Kalk can help maintain established levels of both.
Mushrooms and leathers...maybe some polyps are great starter corals. If the tank is stable ...lighting is adaquate...and circulation/filtration decent you could possibly add corals.

 

[hnf2k]

ok, is there a basic kalk thread you could refer me to? i know 0 about it. do i have to go out and buy a reactor? if so could you recommend me a good name brand one?

 

[bimmerboy1]

Originally posted by HNF2K
ok, is there a basic kalk thread you could refer me to? i know 0 about it. do i have to go out and buy a reactor? if so could you recommend me a good name brand one?
I would like to know about this aswell

 

[schneidts]

Nope, you don't need a reactor. I'll bump up a couple threads for ya.

 

[hnf2k]

ok, so pretty much all i gotta do is keep my calcium and my alkalinity on target? what do i feed these corals, etc?
cummon guys, i know there is a lot more to it than im getting outta this thread, someone please help.

 

[chris17]

Well for corals, depending on what you get.......you really dont feed them. They are photosynthic animals....thats why lighting so very important. I have a few corals in my 10g, I am also new to the reef tank. I have a shroom, some zoos, a couple button polyps and a few yellow polyps an all I add to the tank is phytoplankton for all the critters ( a few hermits a few snails and about a dozen bristle worms ) and all of my corals are doing great. My shroom looks happy an healthy, my shrooms are spreading an little bit, my few buttons look healthy and my yellow polyps are starting to spread, an I have only had these corals for .........not even a month now.....for the most part....nothing has been done to the tank except for water changes every sunday.........HTH

 

[lowrider19]

ok so I will tell you as much as I know I have been doing this for a few years and I have great success. I test at least weekly for calcium, phosphates, nitrates, and ammonia. I started out with a leather and went to mushrooms I would say they are the best to start out with. DO research on the corals or feel free to ask because leathers love to be beat with water flow where mushrooms like very little. I also hve found that colt corals do very well for beginners. They like a moderate flow. I have a 55 reef with two powerheads and the flow of my sump. I also am running 200 watts of light. Feel free to ask me any questions. oh and feeding I feed one a week when I add my chemicals. I feed either micro vert of zooplankton. I prefer to feed direct to them it keeps nitrates down and all. I add my calcium daily but everything else weekly. You can email me at lowrider19@adelphia.net if you need.Check out my site
link violation deleted

 

[msd2]

So far a lot of good suggestions. I do my testing a bit different, I test weekly alk/salin/ph. If any comes back w/any change from the previous week I do a full set of tests. Add nitrate, ites, phospate, silicates.
I will vary on shrums as an easy coral to start with. I cannot keep them alive for the live of me! I can keep other more challenging animals but not those buggers.
One suggestion I have which is just more for general when starting out is don't skimp. Trust me everytime it comes back at you in this hobby and you spend twice as much because u have to redo it again. If you can swing it get the next size up from the biggest you think you could possibly need. Odds are your 55 will be 125 in a year or two

 

[belothsurf]

I agree with msd2...go with the 125G. Anyway, a couple of great beginner corals to go with, is the Colt Coral, and any type of Toadstool leather. Of course I'm backing those 2 types, because I have 2 wonderful examples. If I can grow them, anybody can.............:jumping:

 

[hnf2k]

ok thx...lol what do you mean go with the 125? i think im gonna stay with the 65 for now, but thanks for all the other great coral ideas...as for what yorue saying when not to skimp, i found that out the hardway w/ith my first tank. but what should i be buying that youre telling me not to skimp?