mushrooms and polyps

[jtdribbles]

hello. Im new to this awesome site. i have a 75 gal. fowlr. i'm really just looking to add some mushrooms and polyps, maybe an anenome or two. i'd like to know what the minimum lighting requirements as well as some of the hardier species you guys might recommend. currently i just have a yellow tang, a few damsels and a pair of percula's. i just got rid of my aggresive setup. im really confused with all the talk of powercompacts and vho's. currently i just have flourescents......please help!

 

[nano_10]

alright polyps and mushrooms are deffinitely a good choice.....anemones lets hold off on these guys for a little longer.....when you understand much of the principles of reefing then is when you start thinking about something like anemones. anemones can be a great asset to your tanks aesthetics but they can be HAZARDOUS to your tank if you dont have the tank just so. my cousin put a sebae anemone in his 35g. tank it literally RUINED his system. it expelled whatever it had in it and just clouded the tank up and he was unable to get the tank back to good for about 3 months when he decided to go in and start over all his fish and corals had been victims of this tragedy. too bad it was a nice tank. good news is he got a bigger tank and he learned anemones are something you could really do w/out. my guess is you'd like to have a home for your clownfish buddies right good as well they should have a home but clowns will take to anything! i've seen them w/ clams, brains, anything w/ tentacles they'll accept w/ arms wide open. do yourself a favor get your self a quality lighting system like metal halides nothing against pc's or vho but i have seen mh in action and they are really nice but i love my pc's for my little peice of the ocean and stear clear of anemones. imo you will be happy you did. feel free to email me if you would like me to explain more.
nano_10

 

[amanda]

I currently have 2 different types of polyps in my tank. Actually, they are the only corals I have because my tank is still less than 6 months old. I have a green star polyp and a clove polyp. Both are doing very well. I have a 65 gallon with two pc. One daylight and one atinic. Next, I was thinking about adding some mushrooms. I was looking at the package offered on this sight. I would recommend polyps because mine have done quite well. Although, daily I add a small dose of iodine to the tank.

 

[cavil]

jtdribbles
Thumbs up on the mushrooms and polyps. These guys are great for beginners and will make the transition (if you plan to do it) to reef a lot more easier. Basically they are a great learning tool and really aid you in finding out if you have the 'stuff' needed for more adventerous things. As the others have said they are tough, forgiving and don't need high intensity lighting.
However .. anenomes are something totally different. I would advise even the most experience reefers against getting these increadible critters. You will find very rare examples of people being sucessful in keeping one for more than a year - I think I read somewhere that only 5% of all anenome sold survive longer than one year after perchase . They require very intense lighting (MH preferably) and have a tendancy to move around the tank causing all sorts of troubles.
Personally I love shrooms and have a variety of colours in my tank. If and when you make the move to higher intensity lighting you will find these guys will really come into their own. Polyps are pretty cool too. There are so many different colours out there and once happy they will try to take over your tank - which maybe a good or bad thing depending on what you want .
Good luck and remember to read read read and then read some more
Sue
[ May 11, 2001: Message edited by: Cavil ]