Live Corals!

[FishHobbyist1564]

Hi i have decided that i want some live corals (not anemones lol). I have a Skilter (skimmer/filter) working in my tank. i also have another separate filter also working in the tank.

I was just wondering, which kinds of live corals should I look into?

I want some pretty hardy ones, so which ones are hardy, but cool-looking at the same time?

Also, what should i feed live corals and how do i take care of them?

I really like the bubble coral... are they hardy? Also can the bubbles pop?

I see dead coral being sold at stores a lot, and they look like the coral when it was alive. If i buy some live coral, and it dies, will i still be able to keep it? Or will it look disgusting and dead? (For example bubble coral, or any other kinds of corals i dont know about.)

(keep in mind that i dont want a coral that stings!)

 

[idlefingers]

I recommend you do a lot of research before getting anything.. A good book like Aquarium Corals: Selection, Husbandry and Natural History is a good start.

There are a lot of corals out there with some so easy to keep they're like weeds ranging to ones which are nigh-impossible due to lack of nutrients or the lack of the ability to re-create the coral's natural habitat. So before you go any further, you need to look at your tank and decide it's suitability; what kind/strength lighting does it have?, what strength of the water flow around the tank?, the size of the tank?

Also, when keeping any coral, you need to keep on top of water quality.. most corals don't take kindly to sudden changes in parameters and will die or bleach easily if the conditions aren't right or stable enough. With regards to your question about when they die, most corals if left in the tank to die have the ability to make the tank "crash" and kill other livestock. I think those skeletons in shops are mainly SPS corals and it's just their skeleton.. with soft corals, once they die, they'll go foul and there won't be anything left except a big mess.