What kind of corals can I have?

[caseykell21]

What kinds of corals would be best in my 29 gallon tank. 0 ammonia, 0 nitrates, 0 nitrates and ph is 8.3 sg is 1.024. I have 195 watts of light. any suggestions? Thanks for the help.
Casey

[caseykell21]

is 195 watts enough to grow anything? and how can i get rid of hair algae?
casey

[reefrash]

If your light is balanced (you don't say what kind it is), you should be able to keep zoas, shrooms, softies, even some LPS. For hair algae, do more aggressive skimming/waterchanges, and get a lawnmower blenny or some hermit crabs........ er somthin'

[mogurnda]

I'd say your light will be enough for almost anything, again depending on the type.

Hair algae can be a lot more persistent that other nuisances like cyano or diatoms. I agree that skimming and water changes are important, as well as addition of herbivores. Some hermits will go after it, but few others will touch it when it's long. My experience has been that you have to work to keep your water quality high, and wait for it to burn itself out.

[caseykell21]

Like protein skimmer? I have one. I use distilled water. I bought a lawnmower blenny an dhour ago. My lights are 1 65 watt 50/50 from satellite and 1 130 watt with a 65 watt 10,000k and 1 65 watt actinic 03 blue.
anything i need to tell you?
thanks for the help
casey

[mogurnda]

Yep, a protein skimmer. Distilled water helps, but you still have to deal with fish waste from the food.

I have kept most everything except the most finicky sps corals under that much light. Soft coral, mushrooms, zoanthids, LPS, and "easy" SPS like pavona and montipora will do fine.

[caseykell21]

I use a protein skimmer, and a millenium 3000 filter

[mogurnda]

Just make sure the skimmer is adjusted to pull out lots of brown glop. I am not a big fan of mechanical filtration on reef tanks, because they can trap debris and allow it to break down to nitrate and phosphate. As long as you aren't having problems with nutrients or algae, it's probably OK.

[caseykell21]

I also have 7 hermits, 25 nassarius snails and 10 assorted algae eating snail, a sand sifter and an orange sea star. I appreciate the help. Can you please be specific on corals I have a few mushrooms, some yellow polyps. What else?
thanks

[mogurnda]

It depends on where you want to go. If you want soft corals, Capnella (kenya tree), sarcophyton (toadstool leather), sinularia (finger leather), xenia, or anthelia are all good starters. Many kinds of zoanthids (button polyps), star polyps, and mushrooms will also thrive in your system.

If you want to take a stab at stony coral, then euphyllia (frogspawn, hammer coral), montipora digitata, monti capricornis, or pavona cactus would be good. Different kinds of brains will also work. You will have to keep a closer eye on you Ca and alk levels than you would with soft corals, though.

That's a start. You really have a lot of choices.

[caseykell21]

thanks for the help. I use red sea Ca +3, and Kent Marine buffer. I would like an open brain coral what do you think?

[mogurnda]

You have enough light for an open brain. Just look for a healthy specimen.

I haven't used those products, but the combination sounds reasonable. The main thing is to test both Ca and alkalinity regularly, and tweak your dosing to get your levels where you want them. I aim for Ca between 400 and 450 ppm, and alkalinity at 3-3.5 mEq/L.

[caseykell21]

what is a good test kit for Ca and Alk. I use fastest

[mogurnda]

The fastest alk kit is OK, although I have found the readings vary somewhat between batches. Last time I used a fastest Ca kit, it was really hard to tell the exact point when it shifted from red to blue. I now use salifert for both, and am very happy with them.

[csloo]

Live stocks that can keep:
a) Mushroom family(RC,yuma and etc)
b) Leather family(finger recommended, other leather also can but as for future, if ur leather become very big, then it will bring some headache to u)
c) Elegance(if you are interested cause quite hard to kept)
d) Hammer
e) Frogspawn
f) branch
g) anchor
h) Acan, favia, brain, prata..
i) Zoo, button,galaxia,xenia
i) If you interested in SPS, u can try monticap first follow by acropora..

Hair algae:
a) Since water condition is good, i guess ur trace elements material inside ur water also is good.
b) as u know, good protien skimmer play a main role
c) herbivors animal is the best solution to consume those hair algae exist inside ur tank.
d) Get phosphate remover to future guarantee(Rowaphos or Purephos - try to get these 2 product)
e) Water changes with RO water.
f) for better result, get a UV stertilizer(optional)

Water fllow, temp and lighting play important role in keeping reef. each coral need different flow. try to get more research on it. at here, i put my experience about what i had b4:
a) Branch,frogspawn,anchor,hammer = slow to moderate flow
b) seafan = moderate to high flow
c) mushroom = low to moderate flow
d) leather = low to moderate flow

mostly LPS tank enjoy moderate flow. Talk about foods, u can try:
a) cyclopzee
b) Marine snow
c) brine shrimp
d) golden pearl
e) phytoplankton

about teskit, i think most probably "salifert" is de best testkit which i ever use b4.
a) Sera - not realiable
b) JBL - not accurate
c) Azoo,Prodac - not realiable and definately not accurate at all.

just my 2 cents...hope it's help..

[caseykell21]

I am turning my water over about 17 times an hour at least and am thinking of adding another power head.
casey