dafishdude
Member
Hello! I'm going to turn my tank into a reef within a couple of months. I wanted to make it an sps dominated tank. What would be good choices for it? I was going to add mushrooms, Xenia, or polyps as my first corals. Thx!
Corals for 60 gallon
- Thread starter dafishdude
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flower
Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaFishDude http:///t/397688/corals-for-60-gallon#post_3545691
Hello! I'm going to turn my tank into a reef within a couple of months. I wanted to make it an sps dominated tank. What would be good choices for it? I was going to add mushrooms, Xenia, or polyps as my first corals. Thx!
Hi,
I was told mushroom coral and SPS can't be in the same tank. Xenia needs a little nitrate to be happy, but SPS corals have 0 tolerance for any nitrates at all. So those two alone, make the SPS not compatible to stay in the same tank.
You should decide on what type of corals you want and go for it. Lots of beginners start with SPS corals. There are "easy" corals, so named because they don't require such pristine water quality.
Originally Posted by DaFishDude http:///t/397688/corals-for-60-gallon#post_3545691
Hello! I'm going to turn my tank into a reef within a couple of months. I wanted to make it an sps dominated tank. What would be good choices for it? I was going to add mushrooms, Xenia, or polyps as my first corals. Thx!
Hi,
I was told mushroom coral and SPS can't be in the same tank. Xenia needs a little nitrate to be happy, but SPS corals have 0 tolerance for any nitrates at all. So those two alone, make the SPS not compatible to stay in the same tank.
You should decide on what type of corals you want and go for it. Lots of beginners start with SPS corals. There are "easy" corals, so named because they don't require such pristine water quality.
dafishdude
Member
Really? I was told that SPS corals are much more difficult. Would LPS work with SPS? Would polyps work too?
flower
Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaFishDude http:///t/397688/corals-for-60-gallon#post_3545733
Really? I was told that SPS corals are much more difficult. Would LPS work with SPS? Would polyps work too?
Hi,
The reason SPS corals are considered more difficult is because you need pristine water quality to keep them happy. Most new tanks go through all kinds of ups and downs, so water quality isn't stable. The "beginner" corals are those corals with more tolerance for nitrates and fluctuations in the water parameters.
Folks who like a SPS dominated tank usually invest in GFO reactors, and super strong lighting, it's the most expensive type of reef to maintain. It's necessary to keep the water quality as near perfect as possible to keep them alive. MOST LPS corals have the same needs as SPS for water quality, but many don't need the super strong lights. No matter what, you would have to do your homework to see the corals needs BEFORE you purchase it. Soft corals are more forgiving and actually like the water with a little nitrates such as Xenia.
Lots of things play a role in what corals will be happy in your tank...
People do start right out with SPS corals, they dedicate themselves to keep up on water changes and test regularly trying to keep everything stable...buffers, GFO reactors and Kalk drips...it's a hassle to keep perfect water quality. Most beginners don't have the skills and discipline to keep an SPS tank.
Originally Posted by DaFishDude http:///t/397688/corals-for-60-gallon#post_3545733
Really? I was told that SPS corals are much more difficult. Would LPS work with SPS? Would polyps work too?
Hi,
The reason SPS corals are considered more difficult is because you need pristine water quality to keep them happy. Most new tanks go through all kinds of ups and downs, so water quality isn't stable. The "beginner" corals are those corals with more tolerance for nitrates and fluctuations in the water parameters.
Folks who like a SPS dominated tank usually invest in GFO reactors, and super strong lighting, it's the most expensive type of reef to maintain. It's necessary to keep the water quality as near perfect as possible to keep them alive. MOST LPS corals have the same needs as SPS for water quality, but many don't need the super strong lights. No matter what, you would have to do your homework to see the corals needs BEFORE you purchase it. Soft corals are more forgiving and actually like the water with a little nitrates such as Xenia.
Lots of things play a role in what corals will be happy in your tank...
- Water quality
- Temperature
- Water flow
Fish that may nibble or eat them
Other more aggressive corals
People do start right out with SPS corals, they dedicate themselves to keep up on water changes and test regularly trying to keep everything stable...buffers, GFO reactors and Kalk drips...it's a hassle to keep perfect water quality. Most beginners don't have the skills and discipline to keep an SPS tank.
dafishdude
Member
Hi, sorry it took so long, I was planning on getting corals within 5 months, I still need all my equipment, I was talking to the guy at the lfs he said that I should just go with soft corals and some LPS corals because they are not as hard to take care of. Thx!