Never had coral...

mxkris

Member
Hi there! I have had a fish only 29 gallon set-up for a year now. I am wanting to try out a coral, but have NO idea what is the easiest to start with, what kind of stuff needs to go in the water.. and so on. I want the easiest to take care of, and doesn't require all sorts of crazy stuff. I just need to know about like, calcium and all that. Also, I bought a "Coral Sun" light from my LFS, is this enough for any type of coral?
 

lecithin

Member
We would need to know what your coral light is exactly, wattage, light type (T5, PC, etc)
Mushrooms are def. the easiest.
 

mxkris

Member
Alright, thanks! The light is just a coral sun one I bought from Pet Co. I'm not sure about the light type. All I know is it's an 18" 15 watt Zoo Med Coral Sun bulb. What is ideal for coral?
 

ophiura

Active Member
It sounds like it is a normal output fluorescent, which may not be enough. Is it the light that came with the tank, and is it a single bulb?
 

mxkris

Member
It's not the one that came with the tank. I bought it from Pet Co. It's just an 18" Coral Sun single bulb. All my hood has is a single bulb 18". Where can I find better bulbs that small?
 

mxkris

Member
Alright, I am buying a T5 bulb, which, from what I have read, seems like the best for coral? Anyways, in order to get some muchrooms, where do I find out which corals need which supplements?
 
H

h2ocrazy

Guest
First thing I want to ask is, what fish do you have in there? Are they all reef safe? You will need to have a protein skimmer which you might already have. As far as the lights go, I'm not sure I understand what you meant by getting a "T5 bulb" do you mean a setup? (Because a T5 bulb alone will not fit a standard fluorescent bulb fixture). If so, I would recommend you do a 4 bulb T5 HO setup. You will be able to grow almost anything under those lights. If you want better lighting a 150W pendant or clip on MH light would be better.
Now for supplements. I would recommend you find a 2 part supplement such as Oceans Blend. It will make it easier for you to dose. As far as what corals need the supplements..all of them do and your fish will benefit from it also.
 

mxkris

Member
All I have on there is a hood that came with the All Glass Aquarium that I have. By T5 bulbs, I mean this...
http://www.***********.com/ps_ViewItem.aspx?SearchStr=2x&action=view&idProduct=CU01136&idCategory=FILTFIT5T5&category=18_inch_Current_USA_Nova_Extreme_2x20_watt_T5_HO_10K_460nm_<20in_Units&vendor=
As for fish I just have a damsel and 2 clowns. Pretty sure they're reef safe. I also do have a protein skimmer. Thanks for the help with the supplements too. Is there somewhere like a chart or anything that will list what you should have in your water for certain types of coral?
 

spyder78

Member
That would be a little less than 1.5 watts per gallon for your tank. That is still pretty low, but you may be able to keep mushrooms with that lighting.
 

wangotango

Active Member
A single N-O T5 isn't going to do you anything more. The T5 that people use on reefs are High-Output. IMO you're going to want a fixture with at least 4-24" bulbs (I think a 29gal is only 30" long so these will work) and preferable have individual reflectors.
-Justin
 

mxkris

Member
Wow, I din't know what I needed was $300! Holy cow. I doubt the tank is 30" long if i have an 18 inch on there now.. but maybe, I guess I will measure it tomorrow. But now it looks like coral may be out if a light is gunna cost that much! So, feather dusters need anything?!
 

anadliv

Member
no feather dusters dont need light, sun corals are also not dependent on light, u just have to spot feed about every day.
 

ophiura

Active Member
I have kept mushrooms and such with normal output lights, but I still had two of them :( One might be kinda tough.
 

mxkris

Member
Awesome. Thanks for all the advice. So, I had a credit at my locl Pet Co. and got a feather duster for the hell of it. I have read that they will eventually attach to something. Any adivce on this? The end that would attach doesn't really look that great but he was free, so what can I say?
 

tangwhispr

Member
Originally Posted by h2ocrazy
First thing I want to ask is, what fish do you have in there? Are they all reef safe? You will need to have a protein skimmer which you might already have. As far as the lights go, I'm not sure I understand what you meant by getting a "T5 bulb" do you mean a setup? (Because a T5 bulb alone will not fit a standard fluorescent bulb fixture). If so, I would recommend you do a 4 bulb T5 HO setup. You will be able to grow almost anything under those lights. If you want better lighting a 150W pendant or clip on MH light would be better.
Now for supplements. I would recommend you find a 2 part supplement such as Oceans Blend. It will make it easier for you to dose. As far as what corals need the supplements..all of them do and your fish will benefit from it also.
Why would he need a protein skimmer? You don't need one, many people have actually stopped using them, and recommending a 2 part is great for a heavily stocked SPS tank, but normal water changes with a good reef salt takes care of that.
 
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