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Basic Coral Care

Discussion in 'Coral' started by NeighborTomita, Jan 12, 2010.

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NeighborTomita Banned

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..............

Last edited: May 29, 2010

NeighborTomita, Jan 12, 2010

NeighborTomita, Jan 12, 2010

#1

9 people like this.

Newreef15 Horrid Stonefish

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very good article K+

Newreef15, Jan 12, 2010

Newreef15, Jan 12, 2010

#2
Chad Astrea Snail

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Manalapan, NJ
Excellent article, very informative. I am a beginner, and this really cleared things up for me. Since you asked...and only because you asked, I made some corrections on spelling for you.

Hello everybody, I have yet to find any real basic info about corals, parameters, and other info that will be useful for beginners on this site. So I am going to write up a little bit of information in the hopes of helping out the new people and seasoned veterans alike. Please take the time to read this if you are new, some of it may keep you from going insane, or even broke

SPS
SPS stands for Small Polyp Stony. Some sps corals include montipora, acropora, porites, and stylophora. They are often considered the hardest coral to keep, but some species such as montipora's and bridsnest's are arguably easier to keep than others like the tenius and acropora's. Not for the beginner(for the most part), SPS corals come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. They love flow, in fact they need higher flow in order to thrive. They rely on bright lighting such as MH or T5, but some species can live in lower lighting like power compacts. Their polyps are usually small, but serve a very significant purpose. The polyps are the corals lifeline, carrying the protozoa's known as zooxanthellae which allows the coral to photosynthesize, thus collecting it's energy needed to live.

LPS
LPS stands for Large Polyp Stony. These corals are widely recognized for having such large calcium based skeletons, usually with brightly colored flesh. They can come in various shapes and sizes, large and small alike. Some LPS corals include, brains, frogspawns, hammers, caulastrea, and acanthastrea. Said to be easier to care for, they aslo have some basic needs. Most require moderate to lower flow, and moderate to bright lighting, such as MH or T5. But many are successful with keeping these corals under power compacts. Unlike SPS corals, many LPS's can put out sweeper, or "feeding" tentacles that can reach a couple of inches in length. This may not sound like a big deal, but take into consideration this is how coral warfare starts. Their sweepers can harm and kill a neighboring coral, so please take this into consideration when placing these next to other corals.

Softies
Softies are... well, soft, lol. They are said to be the easiest coral to care for. And I couldn't agree more. These are some of the best corals to start out with for any beginner. They can tolerate a wide variety of conditions and lighting, and have some of the highest propagation rates in the home aquarium. Some softies include toadstools, finger leathers, polyps, and mushrooms. Their needs are really quite simple, and for the most part, do not require any real special care. Many of them such as leathers, secrete a protective layer that they can shed every so often. When these corals are in the process of shedding, they can look terrible, almost like they are going to die. But don't worry, as long as it is not falling apart, they should come through looking better than ever.

Lighting
Lighting is the single most important part to a successful reef aquarium. This is one item for your tank you do not want to skimp on. There are four different type's of lighting, PC, or power compacts. MH or Metal Halide, T5's, and LED's. I'm not a huge light expert, but I will try my best . T5's are an excellent choice for your reef. The bulbs last longer, they run cooler, and are overall less expensive than others in the long run. If the tank depth is not too high, T5's are the way to go. For all you die hard MH guys, don't worry. You still have your shimmer effect . MH's are a good choice too. But their bulbs do not last as long, runs a lot hotter(enough to heat up your tank if not properly ventilated) and can be really hard on your electric bill. Power compacts are overall inefficient IMO, and can be really expensive considering how long the bulbs last(not very long).

Parameters
If you do not know what your parameters are, or what I am even talking about, then you need to read up on their importance in a reef tank. A thriving reef will depend on a few things, lighting, flow, and good water parameters. All of the corals you will try to keep depend on calcium, magnesium, and others to build up their skeletal structure and thrive. Here is a fantastic article to get you started -
Reef Aquarium Water Parameters by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

Chemicals
The chemicals we add to our reef tank are vital to coral health and growth. Simply put, if you do not test, do not dose. You will need to buy a good quality test kit(notice I said kit, not strips ) in order to test your water. It is preferred that you test your own water, but many local fish stores can test it for a small fee, or even free. There are so many different types of chemicals for your reef, it can get confusing. Products like calcium, carbonate hardness buffers, ph buffers, and others alike are great to have, and some are need if you do not do water changes. But I would like to say to anyone new, that products like phytoplankton, chromaplext, phytoplex, and others are most likely going to be a waste of money. Anything inside the bottle is going to be dead and will not add any significant changes to your corals. Just keep your water parameters in check and you will do fine. In fact, their are actually few corals that ingest phyto for energy, most of them are just snake oil.

Feeding
Almost all of the corals sold in LFS's utilize photosynthesis to make energy. Most do not need to be fed. But there are a few non photosynthetic corals that a beginner should stay away from. Corals like, goniopora, aelvepora's, sun corals, and gorgonians are not for beginners. They are harder to keep than others, and survival rates are very low for some of them. In fact, we really should just stop buying goni's and aelvepora's, if we leave them in the ocean where they belong, there will be more for future generations to enjoy. If people read up and understood a corals requirements, their would be far less casualties and maybe even less harvesting of them in the wild.

LFS
A local fish store can make or break your hobby experience. We have to realize and understand, a fish store is a business too. But that does not entitle them to be filthy crooks like some of the stories I have read. One simple way to find out if you have a trusted LFS, is to test them. If you say that you want several different types of fish and corals, and add that you just started the tank a week ago. A good, trusted LFS will deny you from getting anything that might perish in a new tank but live rock, they should be able to help you out and explain cycling a tank if they are really their to help.

Research
I cannot stress enough how important researching is for your tank. If you do not know what you are buying, or it's requirements, then please don't buy it. It may be tempting, but chances are it might not be suitable for your tank. More often than not, if you see something in your LFS that you cannot live without, have them hold it for you. Ask them what it is, write it down, go home and do your research. Find out what it takes to keep the animal alive and happy. If you think you might have trouble keeping it, simply pass.
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Last edited: Jan 12, 2010

Chad, Jan 12, 2010

Chad, Jan 12, 2010

#3
slocal Doot!

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K+

I like the lighting section

slocal, Jan 12, 2010

slocal, Jan 12, 2010

#4
Gexx Giant Squid

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very nice K+

Gexx, Jan 12, 2010

Gexx, Jan 12, 2010

#5

surferdude Banned

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Dude!!!! That's good stuff there. I'm gonna print this out and make like a book....and like read the whole thing.

But seriously! Everyone new to this hobby should be required to read this from start to finish before wetting a tank. I M P O.

surferdude, Jan 12, 2010

surferdude, Jan 12, 2010

#6

kcbrad Giant Squid

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Seattle, WA
Wonderful article!! This is exactly what I've been looking for since I'm going to have my first attempt at corals soon. Thank you very much! This will be printed!

kcbrad, Jan 12, 2010

kcbrad, Jan 12, 2010

#7

1 person likes this.
Gexx Giant Squid

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i think that this should be made into a sticky thread.

Gexx, Jan 12, 2010

Gexx, Jan 12, 2010

#8
Puffer Chick Giant Squid

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very nice! K+

Puffer Chick, Jan 12, 2010

Puffer Chick, Jan 12, 2010

#9
stylaster Gigas Clam

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also soft corals release terpins into the water which is used to ward off or slow the growth of other corals nearby. Which is why it is always good to run carbon in your tank to get the things you can't see out of the water

also halides 'should' be changed out once a year

i can't find anything else to pick at, very nice job kudas you da GIRL!

stylaster, Jan 12, 2010

stylaster, Jan 12, 2010

#10

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