Corals?

[logan15]

If i wanted to start out with one coral which is the easiest to take care of and what kind of light is minimum for it?
Please Help,
Logan

 

[attml]

Mushrooms! I had one fall down in between my LR and I didn't see it for a month and a half. Then one day I woke up and there it was twice the size of when I had seen it last and looking very healthy! It is a good lowlight coral!

 

[logan15]

i have a 40 watt power glo would that be enough for the mushroom?and i was going to use another 20 watt blue attinic bulb also for more light

 

[barracuda]

Talking of Hagen fluoriscent bulbs, here what i would do if i were you. 1x40watts Life Glo(6700K) and 1x40watts Marine Glo (7100K actinic) should be enough for some mushrooms, possibly red as they need less illumination. Or you can add nonphotosynthetic corals like Tubastraea sp. (Sun coral) or Dendronephthya sp. These corals don't actually need light and reguire frequent feeding. Tubasraea need to be feed with live brine shrimp or so 2-3 times a week. Every polyp should recieve its dose of food. Second one is too challenging to keep but certainly possible. Nephthya species requires heavy feeding with Phytoplankton. Your filtration system (mostly) skimmer should be ready for that also. Search the web for the names i gave you and see how beauthiful these corals.

 

[barracuda]

Oh, you asked in you question what corals are easiest to take care of and i'm talking about more difficult ones. I tell you the truth how i see that. Sun coral needs to be feed manually and there are some technics you can find searching this site. 2 weeks ago i have bought one of those and yesterday sold it to one guy. I understood that manually feeding is not for me.
I have a red Dentronephthya (Tree coral) wivh is beautiful coral IMO. And what i see it's ease to take care of. Just turn off the skimmer and add Phytoplankton.
Here's the pic of 40% open during the day.
AT the evening it opens times 2 bigger than in this pic.

 

[logan15]

so mushrooms are the easiest right?what about a bubble coral?Also my tank has been set up for about a month and a day could i put i condy anemone in my tank for my percula clownfish?

 

[attml]

I wouldn't add the anenome. They are difficult to keep alive long term and require more light than what you have!

 

[barracuda]

I would wait another half a month to month before adding any coral or anemone. First couple of months a chimistry of water will be changing. You will probably have some phosphate spikes, algae blooms. Fish is more tolerant than inverts. Think about lights upgrade also.

 

[wolfe36]

I just started off and I am testing out some corals without spending the high prices on high output lighting
I have two 48" 40 watt bulbs, one 50/50 and one 10,000k
and 2 15" 15 watt actinic bulbs on a 55 gallon
mushrooms grow O.K. I have some yellow polyps that are growing like made. they are about 4 times there original size. I also have some red button polyps that are growing a little slower but they are growing
and now I'm trying out a saddle carpet anenome. all I do is add my alotted strontium, and calcium, and I run a posphate remover.
but all of the skeletal corals won't make it under my lighting.