Embarassing questions on Corals

[tervman]

This is such an embarassing series of questions that I should be forced to put a bag over my head (or my hands) as I type them. The answers may be in this forum, but I have yet to be able to locate specific answers to my questions. So, I come, hat in hand, to the informed masses....
A little background. I have just installed a pair of MH pendants over my 55G. They came with 175W 6500K bulbs, which I will be replacing soon with something in the 120000-140000K range.
My questions are:
1. Do corals walk to different locations in the tank, or do they stay where you put them?
2. Can you keep corals, with different light requirements, in the same tank? Where would you place corals with high light requirements vs those with medium light requirements?
3. Once I have the new MH bulbs installed, can I go ahead and get one or two corals, or is there a "waiting" period in a new tank? My tank has been set up for 4 months, and is doing great (thanks to the many helpful people on this forum).
Thanks, and I will remove the bag now....

 

[ross]

LOL u dont have to be embarrased.
1. Corals cant "walk", but some like xenia can spread and attach themselves to rocks around them.
2. Absolutely you can keep different light requirements in the same tank. The higher light corals go at the top closer to the bulbs, the medium corals go midway up the tank, or maybe towards the top just under the centerbrace or something. The lower light corals go at the bottom or in the shadows. Just remember that light isn't everything, you have to take into account the flow around the corals.
3. You shouldn't have to wait once you get the new bulbs. 4 months is plenty long, and as long as your water conditions are stable, you should go ahead and get some easy corals(shrooms, zoos,xenia) In fact you can keep corals w/6500 bulbs, they just wont show there best color, but they will grow.

 

[yellowtail]

anemones can "walk" with the foot thing

 

[rbmount]

You may have to acclimate the new corals to your lighting by starting off an hour or two a day, then gradually increasing the time your halides are on until you get back to normal.

 

[zanemoseley]

I wouldn't consider an anenome a coral but my ricordea yuma's move around very slowly sometime to find a spot they like better. By very slowly I mean over several days.

 

[tahoe ocean]

Mushrooms either move VERY slowly and leave bits of foot behind to grow new mushrooms, or they detach and float to a different spot. Other than shrooms, I don't know any corals that "move". My Kenya Tree coral will occasionally drop a branch and the baby branch grows into a new tree! I have at least 3 new "saplings" growing around the tank.:cheer:

 

[msd2]

hehe always exceptions, my plate coral will puff himself up and move a few inches every once in awhile. So you really need to ask specifics about each coral. While most can't per say move some can sent out sweepers which can sting other corals. There is a wealth of into on this sight for certain and when you figure out some corals ur interested in do a specific search to figure out the parameters for the coral you want.