CORALS under NO FLOURESCENT LIGHTS

[blitz99]

i read on another site that there are roughly 10 corals that do well under NO lights...
does anyone here use regular hoods to light their tanks with a few corals in them?
i ONLY want to keep a handful of corals.. just to splash with color and i refuse to buy a 150 dollar hood...
i'm not looking for people telling me how it wont work, i'm just checking if anyone out there has had success (to have success or failure you must have done this PERSONALLY)

 

[marvida]

I have personaly killed zoos, mushrooms, and a goni (OK, so it was destined to die regardless) under NO's.
You will burn through $150 in this hobby without even breaking a sweat. I don't want to discourage you, but are you sure this is something you want to get into?

 

[blitz99]

why is it that i am reading on another site about reefs and corals and things under their lighting category.. and several say "low light" and that they can live and do well under NO lights...
i am using 2 light hoods right now, all i have is a mushroom rock in there now with 3 polyps... one light is an actinic the other is an 18000k coral light.

 

[salty cheese]

Is that site trying to sell you something?:thinking:

 

[pontius]

what are the 10 corals that it says works under NO lighting? some corals require more lighting than others, that's true. but what the 10 that require minimal lighting?

 

[eg_hatch]

Some soft corals will live under NO lighting, but you wont get the best growth and color as you would with PC's, vho's or mh.

 

[reefraff]

There are some low light coral that will live under NO fluorescent light. The trouble is you need to know exactly what a website means by "low light". They could mean VHO or Power Compacts or Normal Fluorescents.

 

[blitz99]

a few things to clarify.. it's an "about" website... it has no store... it's simply a website with information on saltwater aquariums...
i'd love to link the site but i think thats a no no. so i will copy and past stuff..
Genus: Actinodiscus
Common Species
True species numbers are unknown (view enlarged photo)
Common Names
Mushrooms
Mushroom Coral
Mushroom Anemones
Disc Anemones
Notes
Does not respond well to bright light or heavy currents
Prefers low lighting (flourescent) and slow currents
Should not be placed near other corals
Genus: Pavona
Common Species:
P. cactus, P. clavus, P.decussata, P. explanulata, P. frondifera, P. praetorta, P. varians and others
Common Names:
Cactus Coral, Lettuce Coral, Star Column Coral, Leaf Coral, Bark Cloth Coral
Notes:
Excellent "Starter SPS" coral.
Prefers strong, random current.
Tolerates medium light, but greatly prefers bright light.
Resistant to most coral diseases.
P. clavus is particularly easy to keep
Genus: Pachyclavularia
Common Species:
C. australis, C. humesi, C. hunisi, C. aphaerophoro (view enlarged photo)
Common Names:
Finger Leather Coral,
Colt Coral
Notes:
Excellent starter coral.
Adaptable to most light & current conditions.
Moderate light & current is usually optimal.
Genus: Sarcophyton
Common Species:
S. ehrenbergi, S. elegans, S. glaucum, S. trocheliophorum (view enlarged photo)
Common Names:
Toadstool Coral, Leather Coral, Mushroom Leather Coral, Trough Coral
Notes:
Good beginner's coral.
Adapts well to most lighting schemes & current levels.
Not tolerant of high currents.]
Excellent for propagation.
Rapid growing.
these are just a few of the top 10 for being easy and lower lights...
mind you, i will never spend a great deal on coral, i prefer the mushrooms just for the simple color they add... i'm not big into the reef stuff unless you can do it very VERY well (lots o' cash)

 

[blitz99]

remember, i am just looking to splash the tank (live rock) with a few living things that add color and design to the tank (since it is in the living room)

 

[reefraff]

You could do some regular shrooms and even certain gargonians and tree sponges. There are a couple of soft corals that don't need light. Chilli cactus comes to mind. I have mine in a cave so it will open up. It is red with white polyps.

 

[blitz99]

i will check that out... like i said, i just want to splash and accent... uh, in the most manly of ways of course...

 

[spline9]

Sun corals (tubestra) dont require light. They are bright orange, too. Only drawback is their feeding demands. You can also look into sponges if you just want color.

 

[blitz99]

cool.. i have two sponges but i cannot find out what kind they are.. i posted a picture here and nobody could tell me either.