coral keeping

[topfish2]

Hi all, I am adding in my 240 gallon corals, but all I know is that you need great lighting (which I have) and add additives. But what additives do I use? And what else do I kneed to keep my corals healthy and growing. And lastly what are great beginner corals that are nice and hardy? Thanks!

 

[azonic]

I've heard most soft corals are fairly hardy. Leathers and brains as well if memory serves me correctly. As for additives, im not sure so i wont list any.

 

[saltylake]

well top you need great lighting: VHO, PC or Halides if possible. You need goood current. I add so my tank calcium and keep it around 450 ppm, strontium, lugos iodine(mushrooms), coral vite, alkalinity, and liquid pytoplankton. I have been using the same products for about three years and have been very happy. The products I use are made by Kent. I would also reccommend using a phosphate and carbon bag, changing it monthly. I perfrom water changes on a monthly basis of about 10% of the water in my tank. 5 gallons = 55 gallons.I change the pads in my wet dry every two weeks. Buy your self a testing kit and test your water weekly to see the perameters of your tank and to see if you need to ajdust your nutrients in the tank or buff the water.
good luck and enjoy reefing.

 

[topfish2]

thanks guys this is going to be my first plunge into reefkeeping, I have been keeping aggressive, but have decided to go reef.

 

[stupid_naso]

topfish2, I, myself, have just started reef-keeping. I just have soft corals in my tank which are great for beginner. I have button polyps, green star polyps, ricordia mushrooms, and finger leather corals. All are great.
As far as additives go, I add Kent Liquid Calcium every other day, and Kent Microvert to feed my corals, and every week I add Kent Tech-Id which is basically iodine supplement.
However, lighting and additives are not the only ones important. The most important is actually keeping your water stable and perfect. Well near perfect is ok . And make sure you have cleaner crew to eat hair algaes which are not good for corals. Hermits and other crabs are good, but they are not 100% reef safe. So scrubing them yourself might do.
I recommend mushrooms, polyps, and leather corals. Those are considered beginning but nice corals. You can also keep bubble corals. Other than that you might want to ask other more experienced reefer.
I hope that helps...
stupid_naso

 

[topfish2]

After looking and reading up on them so far I have decided Colt Coral, Green Open Brain Coral, and the Grape Coral.I have a brownbanded bamboo in there so I could only get corals which don't sting but in this reef, I'm only putting shrooms, polyps, mushrooms, corals, but no smaller inverts such as crabs for they might get eaten. Can someone tell me if these corals are good ideas, also do I feed them directly, or indirectly. Also, so the only additives I place in the tank is calcium which should be between 450-500 p.p.m., and iodine, but how much iodine?

 

[topfish2]

???

 

[topfish2]

bump to the top.

 

[q]

I don't think that open brains are really a beginner coral. They are easly torn, require feeding, and I have heard that some people find them hard to keep.
I like stupi-naso's list. Nearly bullit proof.

 

[jim672]

Top,
Iodine additive container would indicate how much to use. The Kent product is one capful per 50 gallons weekly but they recommend a slower and safer way is to dose 8 drops per 50 gallons per day.
Jim

 

[richard rendos]

I use a calcium reactor for calcium, alk, magnesium, etc. Only other additive I use is Lugol's solution (iodine). I run carbon 24/7. No other additives. I have used marine snow, and DT's phytoplankton and such in the past but did not see any difference in corals so I discontinued their use. I probably wouldn't use iodine, but it aids in molting process for shrimps.

 

[topfish2]

no triggers in the tank, i know they are one of the worst reef tank members, right now I only have a bamboo shark, damsel, and a clownfish, but I am not adding any shrimp, etc. Just corals, polyps, shrooms, etc.