Corals

[hokedalredy]

Okay, I have been doing some research on corals and fish. I have read on here that I shouldn't have more then 2 or 3 small fish in my 20g tank. But is there a limit on how much coral I can have? I know I don't want the tank over crowd but I would like to have lots of coral, because it really makes a tank I think. Also, for corals that are semi-aggressive, is it just a problem with them having space or will they hurt fish also? Thanks for all the help.

 

[aggie05]

You hit the nail on the head, dont' overcrowd the tank. But you can fill it up with corals with no problem. You just have to make sure to take into consideration the aggression of each coral. If one has long sweeper tentacles then you don't want it so close to others that it can sting them. Corals are low on your bioload, at least they are less than fish, so as long as you go slow you should be able to fill the tank with no problems.

 

[reef fool]

Take into consideration 2 things.(Maybe more, but I'll post the 2 that popped into my head)
(1)Lighting needs of each coral compared to your lighting
(2)Hardiness of the coral. Water params can change quickly in a 20 gal. system and less hardy corals may be damaged by it.
Good Luck,
Frank

 

[hokedalredy]

Okay, here is a list of the different corals I like....it is rather long....Blue & red mushrooms, Flower/Ricordia Mushroom (this looks really cool, but a site said it was harder to maintain, is that true?), Lebophyllia Brain, Candy Coral Moonstone (green) favia brain, Flower Pot True Red Coral, Plate coral, Open Brain Green, Daisy Flower pot, a finger leather, and a yellow toadstool. Now I know I can't have them all but is there any I should stay away from? I currently only have some cheap light that my neighbor gave me but will buy whatever lighting I need to have it....my friend recommended a 2 light kit that each was 65 watts each..1 actinic and one 10,000 k straight pin. That was before I started making my list of corals I liked. So, would this lighting work or would I need more... Thanks again.

 

[aggie05]

Your next step needs to be researching the lighting needs of those corals. Out of the ones you listed, some need a lot of light and some need hardly any. The more light demanding corals will fare better in your tank with the 2x65 setup but some could even need more than that.
Someone can correct me on this but I think high light needs are in the 9-10 watt/gallon area and low light needs like shrooms are in the 3 watt/gallon range. Of course, watts per gallon isn't the best measurement but it gives you a general idea.

 

[hokedalredy]

Okay, I think I read something here saying that you could put the corals that require more light higher in the tank and the ones that require less in the bottom. Would this help that much? Also, any help or opinions on this: Flower/Ricordia Mushroom (this looks really cool, but a site said it was harder to maintain, is that true?),

 

[aggie05]

Yes the level that they are in the tank makes a big difference and that is why the watt/gallon thing isn't that big of a deal. So you will need to putmore light demanding corals on the top and stuff like ricordea near the bottom. I have heard that ricordea are harder than just regular shrooms but that doesn't say much. Shrooms are about the easiest thing to take care of, and ricordea is a type of shroom so they aren't that difficult and I ahve seen them suggested as a first coral. Just to give you some confidence, my LFS has a 12 gallon eclipse shroom tank that they never care for. Never do water changes, still have the original lighting in it, andthe shrooms grow nicely. So I say go for the rics. I personally will be adding some to my tank in the near future, and am even throwing around the idea of starting a 2.5 ric only tank.

 

[hokedalredy]

Aggie,
I was just looking at your pictures and was curious what is the "moonlight" for? Does it provide some benefit or just a nice show piece? Your tank looks pretty cool so far.

 

[aggie05]

Just for looks really. It does allow a little light in the tank at night so if I feel like watching my peppermint shrimp I can. The fish go into their burrow as soon as the lights go off but my shrimp is nocturnal so he comes out to search for food at night. They look pretty cool, I don't use them that often and I will probably add two more bulbs to the setup to get it a little brighter.
Thanks for the compliment.

 

[pmauro]

Frank
I am running 2 sets of quad 96 PC's an a set of 55's can you give me a list of corals I can stock? I don't plan on MH for a while, so I don't want to put anything in there by mistake that won't make it. My alk is average and my Ca is 600+ so I should be ok there AM=0 Trites=0 Trates=0 Pho4=.01
Ph=8.6 Sal=1.025

 

[reef fool]

Originally posted by pmauro
Frank
I am running 2 sets of quad 96 PC's an a set of 55's can you give me a list of corals I can stock? I don't plan on MH for a while, so I don't want to put anything in there by mistake that won't make it. My alk is average and my Ca is 600+ so I should be ok there AM=0 Trites=0 Trates=0 Pho4=.01
Ph=8.6 Sal=1.025
It's a tough one. Most likely best answered by someone with more experience and knowledge.
I am by far no expert on this. I can only tell you what I know from my experience and what I have learned (mostly from this board). So here goes:
First thing I see is your calcium at 600+ seems high to me. Should be 400-450ppm. and pH is normally recommended between 8.1-8.35 (advice taken from Bang Guy in a recent post)
Second, by your signature, I see you have both an emperor angel and a majestic angel which I don't belive are safe with most corals. Especially ones suitable for your lighting.
with the last two things in mind, I'll go out on a limb and say - If you go by watts per gallon (878 watts in a 450 gal display) you would be limited to shrooms and some low light corals like sun coral and some gorgonians. It would also depend on how close to your light you would be able to get some corals. MH on that large of a tank is your best bet.

 

[pmauro]

The corals I have sofar mostly riccordia are at the top of my tank on top of the rock, the angels have not bothered them at all in two month, but you told me basicly what I wanted to know. I am not sure if I will ever go full blown reef but I would like to get colse . as for my Ca levels I have cheched then and had the lfs check we just have alot of CA in the water here but it should go dn slightly since I have started using Ro water. the PH is probably high due to the Coquina rock and the coral sand I use for the DSB, sounds a little high to me also but it is what i have to play with, Could lower it with chemicals but someone once told me if it's not broken don't fix it. Mushrooms it is