coral

[oceanist]

Can I put coral into a FOWLR setup , do they need special lighting or setup? or would i need a reef tank for coral.

 

[richie1742]

4-6 watts per gal (for softys)

 

[fishieness]

they do need special lighting, not the normal strip lights that come with a normal hood.
your choices are power compact, t5, very high output florecent, or the best-metal halide.
different corals require different amounts of light, but if you are looking at coral, you are also looking at an expence that is worth making in my opinion. lighting and corals can both be expensive.
but to decide the lighting, first, what size tank do you have? and what types o corals are you looking for? how much money are you willing to spend? and finaly, what fish and inverts do you already have? some will eat corals

 

[oceanist]

right now i have nothing in my tank im just starting it , about to put it through the cycle , im going to be putting clowns in it for sure , and maybe a tang , i dont want to overstock i have a 55 gallon tank

 

[fishieness]

a tang is not a good choice for a 55. they need a lot of swimming room and IMO, will not do well unless there is an upgrade in the near future. Even a yellow tang i think should be in no less than a 75.
wait a few months for corals. make sure that your levels are in order and are constant for a few months. at least 4.

 

[tthemadd1]

I would definately wait on corals until you have a protein skimmer (sorry if you have one not sure) and a little more experience with better lights. IMO I would wait until you have the money for Metal Halides. I wish I waited because I am going that direction next and wont get much for my Power Compact lights. With a 55 gal stick with smaller fish. In that way I mean full adult growth, anything over two inches is not going to get much room to swim around.