Low Light Corals?

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xrobbx03

Guest
Im looking to add a coral to my 38 gallon tank. I was wondering what corals require no special lighting and have somewhat easy maintence. Right now all i am running is the stock lighting that came with my tank.
 

whaa...?

Member
hmmm soft corals need 2-3 watts per gallon, hard corals need 6-7 watts per gallon, so ask your seller wat kind of coral it is (soft or hard) and either way you will probably need better lighting.
 

mrdc

Active Member
I am interested also. I bought some Candy cane coral which require light to moderate illumination. I have a 120 gallon using CF lights. I have been putting must corals closer to the light. I would like to add some stuff on the bottom but I am worried that the light intensity will be insufficient.
 

milomlo

Active Member
I was instructed on this site that I would not be able to keep very many corals at all under standard aquarium lighting. I did upgrade a bit - to 130 Watts of PC lighting. This is by no means a great set up, but it will allow me to keep any soft coral or LPS. I was told this on this site. I can not keep and SPS, clams or anemones with this lighting.
Email me if you would like a site I found that has pretty good pricing - miketracyowens@entouch.net
 

37g joe

Member
thats not true you can keep some anemones try condalctids they can do with alot less ligting then you have the love brine shrimp I have mine living on a 17 watt 50/50 in my 37g
 

mrdc

Active Member
My neigbor has an bubble tip anemone in a 46 gallon tank using CF lights. It's doing very nice and has split twice. I plan to try one sometime in the future.
 

milomlo

Active Member
Really. I have a 29 gall so you think I could try an anenome with this set up? Wow that would be cool. What about a clam - my husband saw one the other day and absolutely loved it. I told him we couldn't have one because of our lights.
 

mrdc

Active Member
I would say try the anemone at your own risk. I will be doing the same. I will place it high in my tank. I have been told by several people that the clams won't do well undr CF lights so I will be staying away from them. The clams in my lFS store are in the Halide tank.
 

brrlong

Member
im wanting a new light for my 70-75ish gallon acrylic square shapped tank. I was looking at the Aqualight Dual 96 Watt Power Compact Linear Strip Light Aqualight Dual (1) 96 watt quad power compact. 10000K/Actinic quad lamp has a square pin configuration. 20" long x 2-5/8" tall and 7-1/4" deep. Is this no where close to what i need, if i wanted some coral in the tank?
 

mrdc

Active Member
I think you should be able to add corals, it just a matter of which ones. What I do is look at the corals that I like and then investigate whether my lights will work.
 

grumpygils

Active Member
Mushrooms, and turret corals that do not need light like sun polyps (must be hand fed but are beautiful). Any sea fans, chili coral, trumpet coral. My chili coral only blooms in the dark. I have alot of Xynia in a QT tank that only has ~3 W per gallon and they are thriving. I have read (BUT NOT TRIED) that a lot of open brain type corals can do well in low to medium light
Well that is my quick 2 cents.
gg
 

1journeyman

Active Member
Originally Posted by grumpygils
I have read (BUT NOT TRIED) that a lot of open brain type corals can do well in low to medium light
I'd question that... my Glass Goblet Brain is about halfway up my tank under HQI's.
And I wouldn't try anemones. Some will survive, most will not.
 

grumpygils

Active Member
1J,
As stated, I haven't tried it. I only buy corals that I have seen in others tank over time. I have no experience with low/medium light brains and only read that in a book ("corals quick ref guide" I think). I definetley have found out that just because it is in a book, does not make it right!
gg
 

mimzy

Active Member
get some shroomy shrooms!!! u won't be sorry!! :joy:
they come in every color imagineable and all kinds of frilly shapes and textures!
Xenia are also ok in low light, and as some people before mentioned, sun corals are awesome too. Chili corals, from what I've read, require really mature water and a very very stable environment - I've heard these can be very finicky, so if it were me, I'd wait to try these guys.
 

1journeyman

Active Member
Originally Posted by grumpygils
1J,
As stated, I haven't tried it. I only buy corals that I have seen in others tank over time. I have no experience with low/medium light brains and only read that in a book ("corals quick ref guide" I think). I definetley have found out that just because it is in a book, does not make it right!
gg
Sorry, did I come across wrong? Not questioning you, just what you read.
In a related story, I got the GG brain from this site. I love it.
 
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xrobbx03

Guest
what about yellow polyps and green ricordia mushrooms, can they be kept in low lighting
 

mikeyjer

Active Member
Originally Posted by xrobbx03
what about yellow polyps and green ricordia mushrooms, can they be kept in low lighting
They need good lighting. Some of the soft corals like Leather and Mushrooms would be ok. With good lighting, they'll do just ok, but with better lighting, they'll do even better. I've gotten some corals from this guy who was running T-5's and PC's in his tanks, I think they were 40-50 gallons each. I'm running 2-110w VHO Actinics and 2-175w MH 14k. It does better in my tank then his tank. Everything opened the day I put them in my tank and they're growing bigger in my tank then his in just one week. The Plate Coral opened bigger in my tank under my lights. I keep Candy Cane, Colt Coral, 2-Orange Zoas(One polyp recently fell off on it's own and the flow took it to another rock and it is now established itself, a new colony is building up), Long Tentacle Plate Coral, Green Star Polyps(Already got a frag off of it and it grew twice it's size within a month, the original one grew much bigger too), and we just got Brown & White Pipe Organ, Electric Mint Chocholate Zoas, Pink Center Zoas, Red People Eater, and Blue Millipora. They're all thriving and growing faster then I expected. Under good lighting and good water condition, everything is thriving and growing like crazy. I think I can sell some frags within 3 more months at the growth rate they're going. So if I were you, I rather save up some money and get some good lighting in case you ever want to get into more stuff. :happyfish
 
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xrobbx03

Guest
im looking just to get little corals not too many cause i dont really wanna spend the money on the those expensive lights..do u think that 75watts of lighting in my 38 gallon will be enough for house some of those yellow polyps mushrooms and leathers?
 
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