Invert/coral suggestions please

[schubert]

I still have yet to build my canopy and have not even received my lighting, which is being shipped right now. Nevertheless, I wanted to go ahead and get a feel for what kinds of inverts/coral I wanted to put in my tank. I don't want to rush into anything, and would prefer to hear some other people's experiences with various kinds.
I have a 40g, I'll be using a 250W MH and 2x65W PC's, and the only fish that I have that is questionably reef safe is my pygmy angel. In your experience, does this angel present problems in a reef tank?
I'm looking for very colorful corals that are also fairly easy to keep and hardy. Is my lighting too much for any kinds of coral/inverts? Is a 40g too small for a clam and are my lights strong enough? I'm doing research myself, but I just wanted some input and brainstorming from other more experienced people. Thanks.

 

[schubert]

bump

 

[teen]

how tall is th tank?i think ull be able to keep most anything with those lights, i would wait for more replys though. not sure about the pygmy angel, but i know my coral beauty used o be fine with polyps and shrooms, but every fish is different, its just trial and error. if i was u iwould start with zoos, polyps, shrooms, maybe frogspawn, nothing thats gonna cost too much just in case something goes wrong. u may also need a chiller with those lights, but then again u might not.

 

[schubert]

The tank is only about 15" tall. What's the max temperature that most corals/inverts can tolerate, because I already have overheating problems right now with my flourescents, but moving the lights up a foot and add some fans.

 

[daytonaree]

the 250 halide is great should be a 6500 k I would guess but you may need a chiller it will get 85 degrees no problem you can raise it a foot above the tank and may want to mount a 12" fan on the wall to push the heat away and your clams will love it. If your only using one halide be sure to put the clam under it you may need to start the clam off to the side of it for a day or so in less it was under that lighting at the lfs and its a short drive home. Hope this helped

 

[a&m aggie 04']

id say no warmer than 84 degrees. Also, with your tank being so shallow some of the soft corals such as mushrooms might need to be placed at the bottom of the tank and in shaded areas.
Why in the previous post someone mentioned the 250 W bulb should be 6500? What kind of bulbs are your PCs? 6500's are great for coral growth but arent the most asthetically pleasing (give a yellow tint to the tank). I'd go with 10k and actinic PC's.

 

[schubert]

Yes - it's a 10K and actinic PC's. What kind of corals would be safe towards the top of the tank? Shoud I use epoxy or some sort of adhesive or wait to make any permanent placements? Clams don't really need any room to move around right, they just sit in one place?
It's about 84 degrees right now with my two flourescents 6" from the surface, do you think this will go down with the new setup and fans or will it stay about the same b/c of higher lighting?

 

[schubert]

bump

 

[a&m aggie 04']

i honestly dont see how the temp will go down after adding MH. You might have to start looking for a chiller.
With that lighting you can keep just about any coral. You'll want your SPS getting the most intense light.
True clams dont move as for attaching corals some use epoxy. I know lots of ppl that use super glue gel (the kind you find at any store).
HTH,
Mark

 

[schubert]

Are chillers expensive, noisy, or complicated? I'm assuming you have to do some sort of inline setup...right?

 

[schubert]

Open green brain, blue mushrooms, pink finger, orange carnation...how do these sound? I've read up on them and so far they seem like a good mix, but who knows I might be missing something.

 

[schubert]

I don't know if I even want to do mushrooms with my lighting...

 

[dmitry]

MHs will definitely increase the temperature, so be careful! I don't have a chiller myself, but run AC in the room whenever it gets too warm outside (like, above 75) and have been running a regular floor-fan (pointed at the tank and the MH pendant) for weeks. It keeps the temperature at about 80.
You can use super glue gel (it's easier to use than epoxy) to attach a coral to a piece of live rock (rubble) or something. A small piece of rock would act as a nicer stabilizer and you can move it around as you wish. Attaching it to a large rock would make moving it complicated.

 

[schubert]

Above 75?! Hahaha...I hope it gets down to anywhere NEAR there during the summertime. Well, I was thinking...since this is my first summer with the tank (in TEXAS), should I wait to put the corals in until the late fall but still keep working on the setup?