View Full Version : Corals i should stay away from?
Andy16
10-12-2003, 8:56 PM
My question this time is what corals i should steer clear of. My tank is 20g and will have 165 watts or PC lighting from ahsupply. For the current i will have whatever is reccomended. I will also be putting calcium into the tank.
Personally I love soft corals, Mushrooms, Button Polyps, Colts, and things of that nature. I'm not a big fan of the stoney corals. For a tank your size, your limited on how much you can have so if it was me I would go with a theme.
As for what to stay away from... I know Xenia, which I think are real nice looking, can grow and spread really fast. I wouldn't get those.
Guy
mogurnda
10-13-2003, 1:44 PM
I have to disagree with Guy on this one. There are some excellent stonies, like montipora and porites, that would look great in your tank. You have enough light for almost anything, although I would avoid more finicky corals like acropora until you are more experienced. All corals have their disadvantages. Leather corals, like sarcophyton, will get very large (I have one taking over my 20 at this point) and many secrete toxins that inhibit other corals' growth. Xenia, yellow polyps, zoanthids and green star polyps can spread and take over a tank. Large polyp stonies, like Euphyllia species, can send out long, nasty sweeper tentacles. Except for Tubipora, which seems to get along with everything, all species can cause conflicts.
I am always pushing books in my posts, so why should this one be different? Eric Borneman's Aquarium Corals is, in my opinion, a must have. It gives you an idea of what's out there, and who is compatible with whom. As with any tank, pick some species that you really want, and select tankmates that will work with them.
Andy16
10-13-2003, 4:15 PM
Thanks, you two are the only ones that ever reply to my threads lol.
I havent done a lot of research and i wanted to know what stuff i should bother with and what i shouldnt.
Another question i have that i has left me pretty much clueless is how do you frag corals? I wouldnt be comfortable cutting a $30+ coral in half without knowing exactly what i am doing.
ALSO, how are you supposed to handle most corals? It like most harm you somehow if you make contact with them .
I am always pushing books in my posts, so why should this one be different? Eric Borneman's Aquarium Corals is, in my opinion, a must have. It gives you an idea of what's out there, and who is compatible with whom. As with any tank, pick some species that you really want, and select tankmates that will work with them.
I borrowed 4 books from my brother this weekend. I have 3 baensch marine atlases and Dr. Burgesses marine atlas. He told me anything i need to know i cna find in those books. (except they leave out 2 major things, anemones and clownfish.)
mogurnda
10-13-2003, 4:33 PM
I guess I should have a look at those books, but I am dubious about the Burgess book.
Sprung&Delbeek's volume 1 goes into some detail about fragging. From what I have seen, break 'em and glue 'em. I haven't used antibiotics, and just use epoxy (non-metallic) to stick them down to pieces of live rock. Like most things, how it's done depends on the species. Start with cheap ones.
I am going to the "frag workshop" at our local marine club this weekend, which reminds me that there are probably some good local reefers that you can get advice (and maybe frags) from in WI.
Andy16
10-13-2003, 6:16 PM
There is a pretty good fish only store taht is only 2 minutes from me. Its overprived but the guy in there seems to know waht he is talking about since i have agreed with him and found out that all of the things he said are true and not just bluffs. I dont know anybody that will give me frags, but i also have a brother that can give me guidance along the way.
So you glue the corals to the live rock? And dont you have to break them in certain places?
mogurnda
10-14-2003, 9:26 AM
I am willing to pay too much at a store that is worth supporting.
I'm not much of an expert on fragging. What species are you thinking of? Branchy species like acropora or montipora you can just break off a decent-sized branch at a weak point. It's good to handle gently, but my experience with montipora is that you can paw it pretty harshly and it is just fine. Either put a blob of epoxy on some live rock and stick it in, or wedge it into the rockwork. Either way, it will grow into/onto the rock in a few months.
Thanks, you two are the only ones that ever reply to my threads lol. Well, we're a small, but tough, group here on the marine side.
Originally posted by mogurnda
I have to disagree with Guy on this one. There are some excellent stonies, like montipora and porites, that would look great in your tank...
Ya he probably does have more than enough light for most things... but from a size perspective, to me it would seem nicer to have a themed tank with softies for a couple reasons.
First it's just my preference, but also because the tank is smaller keeping stable water chemistry is going to be tough and most softies seem to be more forgiving with higher nitrates and small flux. in pH, Alk, and Calcium. A montipora or other stonies won't do as well in those conditions IMO.
But besides that I think a carribeian or tide pool tank, or a mushroom/softie setup would be dope.
Thanks, you two are the only ones that ever reply to my threads lol.
I wish there was more activity on the salty side. I tried going over to reefcentral.com for a while but there are so many people there that you post a question and by the time you get back to the main page your question is on page 3... to many people there. And because I'm a newcomer there I get the brush off "do some research newbie" whenever I post anything there... But everyone that is here is real cool.
mogurnda
10-14-2003, 10:18 AM
I tried going over to reefcentral.com for a while but there are so many people there that you post a question and by the time you get back to the main page your question is on page 3 Yep. I hang out there as well, but spend more time here. What's the point in posting a reply to a question when there will be 50 others who give an identical answer? Or another 50 who just parrot Ron Shimek. I like this forum, it's more comfortable. We just need a few more bodies for some diversity.
Andy16
10-14-2003, 4:38 PM
What species are you thinking of?
I am going to have a look around to see waht is avalible in my area and then go from there. I really like zooanthids(are those even corals?) and fire coral. I also like mushroom leather coral(its a soft coral too, just for you guy lol) I like some species of gorgonians, mushroom corals, stony corals like monipora, and a lot of others.
Originally posted by Andy16
My question this time is what corals i should steer clear of.
Just wanted to add that one coral that should be at the top of everyone's "do not buy" list is Gonipora (Flowerpot coral). Until we humans can figure out how to keep them alive in captivity, they're best left in the ocean. Same goes for the Moorish Idol fish.
mogurnda
10-14-2003, 5:22 PM
Come to think of it, same goes for alveopora, dendronephthea and non-photosynthetic gorgonians.
Andy16
10-14-2003, 5:55 PM
Too make it easier, i like a lot of the corals this guy has
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=19198
liquafaction
10-14-2003, 8:52 PM
thats because they are no-it-alls............ ha ha
seriously though, these guys have helped me out a ton. You can almost always bet when you come back to read your thread that one of these two have some info for ya.
Originally posted by Andy16
Too make it easier, i like a lot of the corals this guy has
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=19198
most of those corals in that pic are easy to keep.
The purple mushrooms are nice easy softies (anemone corals actually), the feather duster next to it isn't really a coral but easy to keep. the polyps to the right and left look like buttons or sand polyps, fairly easy soft corals. the pink thing in the back is a montipora, easier SPS coral (easier than Acropora I believe). The green one up in front is a Frogspawn, a moderate LPS but it has stinging tenticles and I don't think should be that close to other corals. Anyway the others I'm not sure about.
Guy
BrianH
10-15-2003, 7:28 AM
You should be able to keep all of those corals with your set up. Just remember that you will need to keep a high (400 - 450) calcium level for the montipora and frogspawn.
Brian