Gettin Started With Coral

[Lyle]

as the topic says, i'm new to corals (and to saltwater for that matter). i got the lighting for low to medium light corals, and this guy was sellin his corals for dirt cheap, so i had to take him up on that before i really did any research on corals. i have some calcium suppliments for em but they raise my pH a whole lot. anyway, any quick advice for a beginer would be great, thanks!
-lyle

 

[Mr Miagi]

as the topic says, i'm new to corals (and to saltwater for that matter). i got the lighting for low to medium light corals, and this guy was sellin his corals for dirt cheap, so i had to take him up on that before i really did any research on corals. i have some calcium suppliments for em but they raise my pH a whole lot. anyway, any quick advice for a beginer would be great, thanks!
-lyle

Well you didnt really have to take him up o the offer, especially without knowing a great deal. This hobby will be expensive, so trying to go cheap doesn't always work, and It could turn around and bite you in the ass. So, after that lecture (hehehe, sorry, I had to say it though) what corals do you have? What lighting do you have?

Id advise you to test all your water parameters. This is important for keeping coral. Calcium supplements, and any other for that matter should not be added unless your testing those specific water parameters. A general rule: Dont add what you dont test for.

Good water changes regularly also help replenish anything you might think you "need" to add.

BUT, overall Id say knowing what coral your buying, and what its general requirements are helps more than any water condition, maintenance task, or lighting condition combined.

 

[brittlestar]

If you don't know how to care for them maybe sell them on and start with someone more tolerant of lower light etc, like some mushroom anemones. What corals did he give you? Do you have the right light and water flow for them? How large is your tank?

 

[Lyle]

well i have lighting specifically for lower to medium light corals. i have some candy cane, trumpet, Trachyphyllia brain, bubble, and fingertip leather coral, anthellia polyps and tree coral. its a 55 gallon, and water flow isn't a problem, i don't have a sump tank so all three filters are providin some good water flow. i know my water parameters as far as pH (8.3), ammonia (0ppm), nitrates (5-10ppm), and my nitrites (0ppm). i'm pretty sure all of those will do ok in moderate light or low light. i'll try to post pics of them soon.

i know theres more in the water that i need to test for, but i'm pretty sure i have adequate lighting for them and water flow will not be a problem. the only one that i'm alittle worried about is the anthellia polyps because of my lighting.

 

[rhysiboy]

also what is your flow? the corals you listed seem to be prodomently LPS corals (cept form the leather which is a soft coral) Now that you have calc drainiung corals in your tank youll be adding calcium probably, and that can mess about with oyur stats slightly. Purchase test kits for kh (carbonate hardness), Alkalinity, Calcium and Ph

 

[Lyle]

also what is your flow?

i guess you mean water flow right? well i got a protien skimmer on the far left side, an aquaclear 70 in the middle, and a power head with filter floss on the far right, so the left side of my tank has some flow but not a whole lot coming from the skimmer, and the right side has alot of flow everywhere, mainly from the power head which is directed directly towards the middle of the tank goin from the far right to the left.