got my first coral, any advise?

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by wayner http:///forum/thread/383787/got-my-first-coral-any-advise#post_3359686
Yes its a standard freshwater light. I wont get the ricorea if I dont have enough lighting. I did mention what happened to the flounder and fish egg in another post, but ill say it again. I think we all remember when i got my trigger. Anyways I brought the shark egg back to the LFS so it wouldn't get devoured by the trigger. As for the flounder I also brought him back to the LFS because alot of people were saying he wasent good for the sand.

So in the end you did the sensible thing…So much for Making fun, you turned out to be alright. At any rate it sounds like you got bit by the coral bug…welcome to the club. There are lots of corals you can keep with your lights. However to keep them requires lots of care to do water changes and spot feed. Do research on each one. They are not the easier corals, but in my opinion they are the most beautiful and colorful..Happy Reefing!
Here is a list of some:

• 
  Dendrophyllia (really pretty)
• 
  Red Chili coral
• 
  Carnation coral
• 
  Gorgonian
• 
  Regular blue or red mushroom
• 
  Sponges (invert not coral) but adds lots of color
  Sun corals
  Rhizo
  Wire coral
  Orange cup coral
  Sea fans
  Sea pens

 

[wayner]

thanks and thanks for the list, out of that list what ones dont need to be spot fed in order to keep in my tank? Im dont care much for spot feeding because im a bit of a lazy ass and just like to keep my tank clean and feed the fish lol

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by wayner http:///forum/thread/383787/got-my-first-coral-any-advise/20#post_3359869
thanks and thanks for the list, out of that list what ones dont need to be spot fed in order to keep in my tank? Im dont care much for spot feeding because im a bit of a lazy ass and just like to keep my tank clean and feed the fish lol
Here is the problem with non-photosynthetic corals. In the natural ocean they are not spot fed, they feed from the current of the water. In a fish tank that would pollute the tank so bad you would need daily water changes. By “spot” feeding you try and get enough food to them without polluting the tank.
So aside from mushrooms, they don’t need any care…if you are lazy this type of coral is not for you., be it water changes or spot feeding, it takes dedication to keep these coral. …You could do what I did.
Upgrade the lights. They have a new type of T5HO that allows you to link up to three units, making upgrades very affordable. Each unit is around $120.00 maybe a little more for a 48” to fit your tank. One unit has two bulbs, an actinic and a 10K white. You can even remove the actinic and buy another white 10K and double your light power for corals.
One unit would Allow you to keep the recordias, and Kenya trees and two units would allow you to keep pulsing Xenia and other soft corals, the third unit would allow you to keep LPS and SPS coral.
So if you are happy with recordia…don’t upgrade..but if you decide later you want more..upgrading is easy and cheap.
To give you an idea of what I’m saying…When I first started .. The first Power compact lights cost me $300.00, the next upgrade set of power compacts cost me $400.00…Then I got retro fit MH lights $1000.00 which lasted one year. I purchased my Coralife Elite for $600.00 on sale and that is what I still use today. If I had been able to do the three unit thing…total cost for all three is just $360.00
Just like you started with fish only…it wasn’t long before you got your first coral…I’m telling you once bitten by the coral bug…lights are everything.
P.S.
I don't care or frags because it takes too long for the to get big enough to make my tank look nice...I buy a nice piece of coal, all are upwards of $60.00 each. So each unit is just the price of two corals.