Newbie needs suggestions on corals! :)

[acmeacres]

While Im not new to the salt water world (or fish for that matter), I am new to corals and reef tanks. I recently purchased a beautiful Red Sea Max and it had a few corals, fish and inverts. We'd like to get to stockin on the corals though but not sure what to add.
Currently it has a Sail Fin Tang, Scopas Tang (both of which will be going into our 100 gallon marine tank), Copper Banded Shrimp, Purple Lobster, Banggai Cardinal, Black and Green Brittle Stars, Bubble Tip Aneome, Small Hammer coral? (pretty sure that's what it is, but Im prob wrong

), Mandarin Goby, Pink Spotted Goby, 2 Clams.. forget the type.. some Zoos and a few mushrooms. THere's other corals/aneomes in there but not sure what type they are.
Anyone mind helping me stock it (and telling me what the others are?)

 

[mr_x]

welcome.
it sounds like that tank is pretty full as it is. what size red sea max is it? a 34 gallon? i don't think that dragonet will survive in such a small tank.
if you have more than 1 anemone(which is what i think you mentioned) you have too many.
meanwhile, shoot some pictures of the system and we'll go from there.

 

[krazykarel]

I like Frogspawns, Hammer, and Torch corals.

 

[rostato]

Originally Posted by Mr_X
http:///forum/post/2667491
welcome.
it sounds like that tank is pretty full as it is. what size red sea max is it? a 34 gallon? i don't think that dragonet will survive in such a small tank.
if you have more than 1 anemone(which is what i think you mentioned) you have too many.
meanwhile, shoot some pictures of the system and we'll go from there.
Why would more than one anemone be too much for a 34 g tank? They don't have a huge impact on bio load.
I have 2 bubble tips in my 12 G nano because the one I had split and the both of the keep growing and growing...

 

[nordy]

Welcome to the boards!
Wow, sounds like a sweet tank! Post some pics please.
How big is the lobster? I have never had one, but used to maintain a tank at work that had one and it just kept growing, and growing, and growing...He's still there 6 years later, bigger than ever. Just something to keep in mind with your future stocking plans-they can and will eat other tank inhabitants.

 

[mr_x]

Originally Posted by rostato
http:///forum/post/2667848
Why would more than one anemone be too much for a 34 g tank? They don't have a huge impact on bio load.
I have 2 bubble tips in my 12 G nano because the one I had split and the both of the keep growing and growing...
if you are feeding them meaty foods, then they do have an impact on the bio load.
and- "growing and growing..." is the reason i say 2 is too many.

 

[acmeacres]

Yes, the tank's a 34 gallon. As far as it getting over grown, that won't be an issue... we'll just add yet another tank.... what's one more when you've got 5 already!
Ok photos from the "good side" and the front. Still need to figure out what all we've got in there.

 

[rostato]

Originally Posted by Mr_X
http:///forum/post/2667984
if you are feeding them meaty foods, then they do have an impact on the bio load.
and- "growing and growing..." is the reason i say 2 is too many.

Understandable, I feed them both a big chunk of food each day, but I do a 50% water change every 2 weeks. That probebly keeps things alive...

 

[mr_x]

is that white anemone in the middle of the tank the bubble tip? it's not doing well i'm afraid. what kind of lighting does that red sea max come with?

 

[acmeacres]

The middle of the tank is a condy. the two on the left are rock. And we're at just over 3.75 watts per gallon (it's at a watt per liter) with PCs.

 

[kellenr]

Well its very hard to ID corals etc. from basic pics from far away. So much stuff looks so similar and guessing off these photos will be a real task. I'll give a stab at it but you'll need close-up photos of the ones you're unsure of in order to get an accurate ID.
Some of the stuff at the top of the photo looks like it may be dying or undergoing coral bleaching. They just look either too dark or bleached white. It might just be the photo though.
Well here goes nothin':
-Side Picture:
Acropora? (lower left), Favia Coral or Smooth Flower Coral (upper left), Open Brain Coral (upper middle), Rock Anemones (dead center), Hammer Coral? (low center).
Front Picture:
Squamosa Clam? (lower left), Condylactus Anemone (right center), Tube Anemone (back right), Candy Coral? (top right), Small Frogspawn (left center).
There's plenty of stuff you 'could' add. I'd check to be sure that everything is healthy and your water conditions are good before adding anything else though. Also be sure you have proper lighting for whatever you plan on adding.
These are always options:
-Xenias
-Ricordeas or other shrooms
-Zoanthids, various types
-Leathers

 

[acmeacres]

Got photos of everything close up Just didn't want to overload the thread with them but will be glad to upload when I get home. Ok..editing to change some things here.... Water parameters are excellent. Forget what the calcium level was but the basics are all just wonderful. Of course there is a protein skimmer on the tank and we're at 1 watt per liter of light from the 50/50 compacts (3.785 watts per gallon). The big piece of rock that's visable from the front that's white got moved around when we got it set up based on the condy. Think we should re-set it in the tank with that side more down?
I know the hammer coral's right, we bought it the other day. Now... my questions are these... from the suggestions of what we can add, which are the easiest to maintain and how close can I get corals to each other w/out worry of stinging? Thanks again for the suggestions. Im really looking forward to our moving in a few years up to the cold climate and getting a HUGE reef going then
Originally Posted by KellenR
http:///forum/post/2668425
Well its very hard to ID corals etc. from basic pics from far away. So much stuff looks so similar and guessing off these photos will be a real task. I'll give a stab at it but you'll need close-up photos of the ones you're unsure of in order to get an accurate ID.
Some of the stuff at the top of the photo looks like it may be dying or undergoing coral bleaching. They just look either too dark or bleached white. It might just be the photo though.
Well here goes nothin':
-Side Picture:
Acropora? (lower left), Favia Coral or Smooth Flower Coral (upper left), Open Brain Coral (upper middle), Rock Anemones (dead center), Hammer Coral? (low center).
Front Picture:
Squamosa Clam? (lower left), Condylactus Anemone (right center), Tube Anemone (back right), Candy Coral? (top right), Small Frogspawn (left center).
There's plenty of stuff you 'could' add. I'd check to be sure that everything is healthy and your water conditions are good before adding anything else though. Also be sure you have proper lighting for whatever you plan on adding.
These are always options:
-Xenias
-Ricordeas or other shrooms
-Zoanthids, various types
-Leathers

 

[kellenr]

Originally Posted by Acmeacres
http:///forum/post/2668621
I know the hammer coral's right, we bought it the other day. Now... my questions are these... from the suggestions of what we can add, which are the easiest to maintain and how close can I get corals to each other w/out worry of stinging?
Pretty much any of the corals I mentioned are good for a beginner to intermediate hobbyist. The Xenias are probably a little more difficult than all the others. They require excellent water conditions and proper levels of calcium. Any zoanthids, all kinds of leathers, any frogspawn or torch coral, mushrooms will do well in just about any water/light, certain LPS corals, candy or trumpet coral is pretty hardy.
The corals can be pretty close together without an issue. Obviously you dont want them to touch each other or get close to doing so in the current flow. I'd just place them a little bit apart for new, they will grow bigger so allow a little space. Or you can always put things closer together once you start running out of room. But you got a little ways to go.

 

[acmeacres]

Perfect. our LFS is having a great sale in July, so we're going to wait until a friend's down from OR to add any more. What about colt coral? Would that work? My husband likes it but wanted to double check. Do you mind figuring out what all our tank came with if I put photos up? That or I could PM them to you.

 

[rebelprettyboy]

If u post up close pics we could name the coral!

 

[acmeacres]

Rebel, I'll do it as soon as I walk in the door when I get home. Love the avatar. What type is that Zoo?

 

[rebelprettyboy]

The best ones aeound lol.
Armeggdons

 

[acmeacres]

That's just awesome. Must put that on my list of gotta haves Need something really green and blue too. Little Seattle Seahawk Zoos

 

[acmeacres]

Ok.. here a few of the "kids".

 

[robdog696]

Just a few thoughts on your tank. So far you have good corals for your low lighting, with the exception of your anemones. The condi anemone is very bleached. Tan color=good. White color=bad. They feed off of zooxanthalae, which is a photosynthetic organism that lives within their tentacles and gives them color. Tube anemones are not as dependant on light, but are nocturnal and extend their tentacles hunting for fish at night. This is not an anemone I would want in my tank. Though many aquariasts have had success with them in reef tanks, they can and will eat your fish. I hate to be the one to be the mandarin police, but please research this fish. They are listed as "expert only" care requirements. The reason is because of their diet. If you're one of the lucky ones yours might eat pellets or flakes. If not, buy some bottled "live copepods" at the very least to add to your tank. As for the recommendation of xenia, be aware that it spreads quickly. I'm not a fan of rapidly multiplying corals. However, your lighting is fine for just about all "soft" corals. Colt coral is a very good softy coral. Also, toadstools are one of my favorites. Mushrooms are also very easy to care for. Of the three, colts are the hardest to keep. Here's a tip your LFS won't tell you. Check your salinity and the salinity of the water your new corals came in before adding them to your tank. Rapid salinity changes will cause soft corals to die in a kind of melting way that is very unpleasant to deal with. It's not a fun lesson to learn the hard way. Also, soft corals don't like to be touched a lot, so handle them as little as possible when placing them in a spot you like in your aquarium. I think you already know your tangs need a bigger tank, so that's good. If I were in your shoes I'd get rid of the tube anemone, stock some copepods for the mandarin, and spend the money you want to buy corals with on a better light for the anemones. But good luck with whatever you do! There are some very good things I see with your tank, and you're asking all the right questions!