Lighting for Corals

[mbuckley]

I currently have a green star polyp and and a sebae anemone in my 35 gallon tank. Both are doing extremely well (almost double in size since I got them). I'm currently running 4 x 25 watt NO flourescent tubes, 2 PowerGlo, 2 Marine Glo (~3 watts per gallon).
I'd like to add some more corals, I was thinking (my wish list):
Flowerpot
Yellow Polyp
Colt Coral
Mushrooms
Candy Cane
Xenias
Do anyone see a problem with my lighting and these corals?
Thanks for your input, Mike
P.S. Are NO lights of lesser "Quality" then PC'S, VHO's, or MH's?

 

[striker]

Stay away from the flowerpot. They are beautiful but extremely difficult to keep alive for more than a couple of months. The mushrooms, yellow polyps and candycane should be allright. Just make sure to re-position them in the tank(lighting) if they don't seem to adjust well. I don't have experience with the xenias or colt. Maybe someone else can help you with those.

 

[blondenaso1]

I have kept a flowerpot for the last 3 months and he is doing fine. I hear that the real test is the 8 month mark. If I make it past that then I will have something to brag about. I think the key with them is lots and lots of light and constant feedings.

 

[bang guy]

Originally posted by mbuckley
P.S. Are NO lights of lesser "Quality" then PC'S, VHO's, or MH's?
No. Just less intense. How tall is the tank? Do you have LR? How much. Live Sand? How much?
I'd also advise against the Flowerpot.
The Xenia is also questionable.
The Candy Cane may not grow under that light but it should be able to live. Keep it as high as you can.

 

[drew_tt]

flowerpot - too many reasons to NOT try this one... its hard to argue with success, but for every one that lives and thrives ^, how many die in inexperienced reefers' care? or even expert reefers who just cant keep up with this species' needs
yellow polyps - should be fine, just try placing them up top closer to the lights at first
colt - should be okay as well... quite picky about placement, and you will have to move it around quite a bit until it finds a spot it likes... it can and will also close up for a few/couple days at a time while it is new; not really anything to worry about
mushrooms - any mushroom you want if you want a hairy mushroom or some sort of ricordia, try placing those higher up... although they will live, you will see better reproduction & colour if the 'normals' are higher as well
candycane - again, it will not "thrive"... but it is a good starter lps...
xenia - always a hit or miss even in the most intense reef tanks... it might it might not live... best bet is try and get a small frag off of someone in your area and try it out in your tank... if it does well, other xenias should be okay as well
other corals that you could have are:
-white star polyps, green star polyps etc...
-sea mats/zoanthids/palyothea
-non-photosynthetic corals such as sun polyps or a gorgonian... it takes patience with these and a lot of time to feed them directly though... the gorg's are more filter feeders, and the amount of food you would have to add to yoru tank woudl probably stress the filter to the max though... should research these specialized-corals for sure before purchasing
-leather corals - pretty much any of these should live (ie toadstool, devils claw, yellow leather.....)
-Im sure there are a ton more but Im sick and tired right now
good luck,
Drew

 

[mbuckley]

Thanks, for all the advise. I really like the Sun Polyps but, I just set up a refugium so my tank needs a couple of months to restabilize I'm sure...
Mike