Corals under PCs

[wcolwell88]

I have a 30" Coralife light fixture. It has the PCs in it. I have about a month before I will have my live rock so I'm using that time to study and figure out exactly what I want and what I still need. I was originally gonna go with a FOWLR because of the lights, but I would really like some corals or something in there, after all this is what make a saltwater system so interesting to me is the corals and worms, and all the little crabs, shrimp and what not. Currently my tap water I have in there is not that great but since I don't have anything living in thee except a small astrea snail, I'm going to drain the tank and refill it with water from the Culligan machine at Wal-Mart. This is what I have:
-29gal. tank
-fluval 405 cannister filter(will be replacing the white tubes with live rock rubble and replacing carbon with chemi-pure elite)
-AquaC Remora Skimmer w/ Maxi-Jet 1200
-Rena Cal 150W heater
-small in-tank refugium w/ rio 50 powerhead(will have macro algaeand pods in here, place to grow live food and remove some nitrates)
-Coralife 30" Lunar Light Fixture
-Coralife power center dual timer for lights
-Titanium grounding probe
-small digital thermometer
-misc. MJ powerheads
-test kits for Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, pH, Alk, Phosphates, and Copper
-Instant ocean hydrometer
-reef crystals salt

Will possibly be getting:
-1 or 2 Koralia power heads
-Aqua C XP Plus 4" reactor
-T5 Light Fixture(Not for at least a year)
-refractometer
-digital pH meter

What are some easier sessile invertebrates(corals, anemones, fan worms, etc.) that would do ok under these lights and with the equipment I have. Also, please note what kind of care they need and what they eat. Also, how much flow should I have in my tank?

[Coral Keeper]

How many watts are they lights? How deep is the tank?

[wcolwell88]

How many watts are they lights? How deep is the tank?
The light has 1 65W 10K full spectrum bulb, 1 65W actinic, and 2 Lunar LEDs.

[fsn77]

Most zoas and mushrooms should be fine under those lights in a 29g. There's a few exceptions that might not thrive, but the more commonly available varieties shouldn't be a problem with those lights. No special feedings required, although an occassional target feeding of mysis shrimp, cyclopeeze, even brine shrimp can help them reproduce more quickly.

You may also have success with a toadstool leather. There are many different kinds, but again, some of the more commonly available ones should be ok in the upper 1/3 of the tank. For now, avoid a yellow Fiji leather, as it is a more sensitive and light demanding toadstool leather. No special feeding requirements here, either, as they are almost purely photosynthetic.

Feather duster worms are filter feeders / particle catchers. They don't have any specific lighting requirements.

I would highly discourage getting an anemone or a clam with the lighting you currently have. Once you upgrade to T5 HO, then it could be a possibility for you (depending on how many bulbs, whether not there's individual reflectors, and bulb choice).

Flow is a relative and highly debated topic. Some say 10x turnover / hour is good for a tank of soft corals, other say closer to 20x. If you wanted to keep hard corals (SPS), I've seen recommendations of 30x or more. There's a lot of variables that effect how much effort is needed in creating flow (aquascaping and tank dimensions, for example). In our reef tank of soft corals and LPS, there's about 15x. The key is to provide enough flow to prevent detritus from settling in dead spots, while making sure there's an appropriate amount of flow for the corals in the tank. Some corals prefer low flow, others moderate, with others wanting high flow.

[millie3]

I have exactly that light fixture on a 54 gallon corner tank. It is quite deep. I have (as already mentioned) three types of mushrooms, two types of zoas, a star polyp coral nearer to the top, and a hammer coral at the very top. I also have a Kenya tree and a xenia. They are all thriving along with two huge feather duster worm. Good Luck

[antimatter]

I would check with your lfs and maybe buy RO/DI water from them instead of at walmart. mine has it for about 20 cents a gallon. You probably don't have to drain your whole system either. Just do water changes with the RO water.

[wcolwell88]

I would check with your lfs and maybe buy RO/DI water from them instead of at walmart. mine has it for about 20 cents a gallon. You probably don't have to drain your whole system either. Just do water changes with the RO water.


I have two LFSs both about an hour away in opposite directions. The one, Scales N' Tails, told me not to use RO water because I had to add nutrients to it and they don't carry it. The other is a Petco, they sell RO water in 2 gal. containers for about $6 each, so $3/gal. The culligan water is at a Wal-Mart about 15 min. away for $0.33/gal.

[tamableanimal]

Kenya tree, colt coral, cabbage corals, most mushrooms and many of the zoos should do well under those lights. I would recommend getting more flow in the tank, about 400 to 600 gph, for corals. After the tank has been stable for a couple of months any of the feather duster worms,shrimp (do some research as to what you want for them),basically all of the non light required inverts. I would not recommend anemones under pc, although I have seen a tank with a couple of flower anemones that did well. Just do your research to see which will work for you. Happy Reefing.
Rich

[wcolwell88]

Kenya tree, colt coral, cabbage corals, most mushrooms and many of the zoos should do well under those lights. I would recommend getting more flow in the tank, about 400 to 600 gph, for corals. After the tank has been stable for a couple of months any of the feather duster worms,shrimp (do some research as to what you want for them),basically all of the non light required inverts. I would not recommend anemones under pc, although I have seen a tank with a couple of flower anemones that did well. Just do your research to see which will work for you. Happy Reefing.
Rich

Thanks for the opinion. As for the flow, right now I have 3 MJ 900s, 2 MJ600s, 3 MJ 400s, and I have 2 Koralia 1s and 2 Koralia 2s on the way so I have plenty to choose from. I think I will use the 2 Koralia #2's and might add 1 or 2 small powerheads if I have any dead spots or need more flow somewhere. What should the 2 Koralias be pointed at. Most I have seen are at the top of the tank pointed down toward the rock pile. Is this about what I want or should I have them pointed toward each other to create turbulence?