nikkifro8994
Member
I want to add 2 or 3 small corals to my 12 gallon FOWLR tank. I am just doing research at this point and will likely add the corals when I get back from Christmas break. I don't want to have them die while I'm out of town for a week and a half. I have 15-20 lbs of live rock, a small royal gramma, a black and white percula clownfish, a red hermit crab, and a few turbo snails. There's roughly 10 gallons of water in the tank. For equipment I have an aquaclear 20 HOB filter with a sponge, carbon, and Bio-Max, a modified aquaclear 30 HOB fuge with a sponge and clump of chaeto and an LED light, a 50 watt heater, and 2 25 watt standard light bulbs in the hood. My water parameters are pH 8, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate >10. Specific gravity is 1.024. I also do 2-3 gallon water changes every Sunday.
I know I'll need to replace my current lighting to accommodate corals. I'd like to still be able to use 2 screw in bulbs instead of purchasing an expensive LED panel. I am, after all, a poor college student. What kind of lighting should I look at?
I want to keep 2 or 3 corals no bigger than about 2 inches and preferably very colorful. What types of corals are good for beginners with small tanks? I've seen mentions of mushrooms, LPS, and SPS. What's the difference between these? And which should I lean towards? I know some types require better lighting and most are sensitive to water quality.
I'm going to the LFS tomorrow afternoon. They have a large selection of various corals. I'll talk to the guys there and see what they have to say. Then of course I'll run it by the members on here for verification.
On an unrelated note, does anyone have problems with clownfish burrowing in the sand? Mine has put a trench between the rocks on the bottom of the stack. They are sitting on the tank floor with sand pushed around them so she can't shift the pile and cause a rock slide. But her trench is nearly 2 inches deep and almost to the tank bottom! She's also become a little brat and bites my hand if it comes too close to her trench. She won't chase off the royal gramma when he swims through, probably because he was in the tank before her. Is this normal behavior for clownfish?
I know I'll need to replace my current lighting to accommodate corals. I'd like to still be able to use 2 screw in bulbs instead of purchasing an expensive LED panel. I am, after all, a poor college student. What kind of lighting should I look at?
I want to keep 2 or 3 corals no bigger than about 2 inches and preferably very colorful. What types of corals are good for beginners with small tanks? I've seen mentions of mushrooms, LPS, and SPS. What's the difference between these? And which should I lean towards? I know some types require better lighting and most are sensitive to water quality.
I'm going to the LFS tomorrow afternoon. They have a large selection of various corals. I'll talk to the guys there and see what they have to say. Then of course I'll run it by the members on here for verification.
On an unrelated note, does anyone have problems with clownfish burrowing in the sand? Mine has put a trench between the rocks on the bottom of the stack. They are sitting on the tank floor with sand pushed around them so she can't shift the pile and cause a rock slide. But her trench is nearly 2 inches deep and almost to the tank bottom! She's also become a little brat and bites my hand if it comes too close to her trench. She won't chase off the royal gramma when he swims through, probably because he was in the tank before her. Is this normal behavior for clownfish?
