10 easy to keep reef tank corals for biginners
Reef tank 11 years ago 168,165 views
Each coral pictued, is the most common colour and variety of that coral. Many of the corals listed will come in many different colours, or slightly different forms. Often the more unusual colours the more expensive a coral will be!!. The Leaf coral is also known as Povona caral. Reef Tank Water Parameters: Ammonia (NH4/3): 0.1 or below. Levels should be near zero or almost undetectable. Nitrite (N03): No evidence shows that Nitrite affects marine life.If have low Ammonia them you should have low nitrite. Testing nitrite is only important when cycling live rock to see if you are at the end of the cycle and all the nitrite has turned to nitrate. Nitrate (NO3): 20ppm or below for soft corals and some L.P.S corals. 0.5ppm or below for all S.P.S corals, and invertebrates like clams, star fish, and shrimp. Phosphates (PO4): Phosphates should be below 0.03 to stop hair algae from growing. A Salifert test kit should show no sign of blue. If you are cleaning a film of algae of your glass every week, then you have just enough undetectable levles!! Sea water is 0.005. Salinity: 1.024 - 1.025 (34 - 35 ppt) Temperature 24-28.c (76-82f.) Carbonate (alkalinity): 7-12 D.K.H. Try not to raise carbonate by more than 1 D.K.H per day from a given starting level. (0.5 is even better). Calcium: (Ca): 380-450ppm. Try not to raise more than 20 ppm per day From a given starting level. (10ppm is better). Magnesium (Mg): 1200-1400. never raise more than 60ppm per day. P.H: 7.9-8.3. It will naturally fall and rise through out the day. See video on water chemistry. (reef tank build part 10) Iodine: Testing is difficult. (See video on don't overdose iodine). 0.06ppm total iodine made up of 0.02 Iodide, and 0.04 iodate. A weekly 5% water change will keep levels up. so no Need to dose. Trace elements: Testing is difficult!!. A weekly 5% water change will keep levels up! Happy Reefing!!.
Green star polyps are NOT hard to remove - they can be removed easily with a blade - they create their own home - a thickish purple rubbery mat which can be cut and removed at your convenience. The mat clings to rock but is not difficult to pull away.
10. comment for 10 easy to keep reef tank corals for biginners
20. comment for 10 easy to keep reef tank corals for biginners
if your flow is to strong don't point directly at the corals, point it at the glass to soften the flow.
It could be any one of 20 things why your monti is not doing so well.
Calcium should be 380-450
alkalinity should be 7-11 dkh
magnesium should be 1260-1350
p.h 7.8-8.4
temp 25-28
phosphates 0.03 or below.
nitrates 1ppm or below.
Corals eat dissolved organic waste, which enters your tank from any food waste, so you should not need to add any supplememts.
Glad to hear you tank is up and running, and your zoas are spreading. Try something like a Duncan.
so I'm not sure what is the problem with the montipora :/
You could make a net cover out of some plastic/wood rods from a D.I.Y shop, and glue it together. If there is any gap it wont matter to much.
If you stick with the 11 watt light, and it had a k rating of 11,000k,-15,000k you might be able to grow zoas and mushrooms but nothing else.
In my fish stocking vid (how to build a reef tank part 2), I say 1 small clown fish size fish for every 6 gallons (24 litres) so only one fish.
If you had a fish only tank (no corals) then you might be able to keep 2 clown fish size fish, but keeping the phosphates down will be difficult. There are some very small fish such as yellow gobys, you will need to do your research. One yellow goby, and one clown fish might work.
Frozen marine fish food is very cheap. 1 packet of frozen blocks would last 6-12 months, and cost £2-3. Marine fish can be very picky about what they eat.
Stuff phosphate remover and activated carbon
in the filter, and change it every month. You may need more flow than the filter will give you. you need about 500 liters per hour (125 gallons) for a tank your size.
I would leave the hood and light, and fit the 7watt L.E.D over head, and grow some mushrooms and zoas with a skimmer hung on the back. If you want to keep L.P.S corals, then put the 3 tube T5 over head from allpondsolutions.
I think you have a lot of reading to do!!!.
You need to use R.O.D.I water. Tap water contains Phosphate. The water purifier will be no good. I make my own R.O.D.I water with a filter system, but you can buy it from your local fish store.
So comparing L.E.Ds with each other, or T5 with L.E.D or metal halides is difficult.
You would have no problem growing zoas, and mushrooms,and some soft corals like Kenya tree coral, with the 2 Lights.
I have a whole 15 series on how to build a reef tank. You need a skimmer, and phosban reactor. In your case, your tank is so small, it might be easier to do a 20% water change every few days, to remove waste.
It takes a lot of reading to build a reef tank.
I didn't read enough when I first started.
Unless you go for something like I showed you from China for £83. If you went for higher
wattage than 7, it would just be a longer unit and the half the light would be wasted. There are some cheap T.5 lights our there but maybe to long for your tank.
PS: link is here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aquarium-Fish-Tank-Over-Head-LED-Lamp-Light-35-45-58-76-CM-White-Blue-Color-/390958722675?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&var=&hash=item5b06f4ae73
PPS: you can see there are options where the longer it is the more wattage although that may mean not all of the light going into the tank, being not as many watts, although the first one is 7w?
You need 1lb per gallon (1kg per 8 litres). so you need 5-6lb (2.5-3kg).
Finding lights that fit a tank as small as yours is difficult. Flourescent T.5 are the cheapest form of lighting. You would need 4-6 tubes, but you would not find unit that small.
The lighting on a larger tank (10-30g) would be the same cost.
Interpet do a double L.E.D 360mm bright white light for £30-£40. They will probably only grow soft corals.
http//pic365.org/ebay/vuk/products/a026-3.jpg
Will probably grow anything you want, but does not say what it will grow. It weighs 4.5 kg, so will need hanging from the ceiling. It costs £83.
It would be better suited on a 20-30g tank!!!.
You will never be able to grow S.P.S corals, they need a lot of light. You might be able to grow some zoas, and mushrooms that need very little light. I think the pictures are very confusing and misleading. The A.I. nano made by DD aquarium solutions is £300. It is £300 f0r a reason. If lights were as cheap as £5.95 for growing corals it would be great.
T.M.C L.E.D are £295 per tile. Ecotech are £600 per tile, Eco rays are £200+, get the picture.
The A.I nano fixture has just 10 L.E.D. If I were to shine your 48 L.E.D in your face, it would be bright, but O.K. If I were to shine The A.I nano in your face it would do serious damage to your eyes. All L.E.D are not the same. You need High power/intense L.E.D. Normally one tile of high power L.E.D would use 30-60 watts of power, compare that to your 1.5 watts. I have a video on lighting (how to build a reef tank part 6).
Sorry to go on and have a rant, but adds like the one you saw, are just so misleading to newbes, That's why a make vids, because there are so many confusing and misleading things on the internet, that just make me mad!!!!!. I was a newbe once and had to learn the hard way.
Eheim Scuba Cube with EcoTech Marine Radion XR30w Thunderstorm
I've had a few. one lasted just over a year. They need feeding by hand, and can be difficult to keep. I nevere fed mine!!. There is the daisy coral, similar to the goni but sligtly easier to keep. My pink one is over a yesr old.
Shrimp and hermit crabs are fine in a 6g nano.
There is no garantee that any clown fish will host an anemone. Rose bubble tips are quite easy. As with any inverabrates like clams, shrimp, and anemone you need low nitrates. 1ppm or below is best. My tank raiaed clown host my frogsspawn coral, but its realy just a matter of luck.
was wondering when you bring the coral from the shop how do you
acclimatise it to my tank water. Have seen so many videos that seem
to contradict what to do.
Any help much appreciated.
when i am ready to get the coral. Need some
more live rock first. Whoever said setting up a reef tank was easy was fibbing! ;-)
30. comment for 10 easy to keep reef tank corals for biginners
You need some sort of G.F.O (granulated ferric oxside) like rowa phos or phosguard in a reactor. You must get you phosphates down be foe you do any thing else.
Denitrofying bacteria that live in your sand bed will eat the nitrates, but can't eat the phosphtes. A good skimmer and G.F.O are needed to remove phosphates!!.
I have a hammer head coral and it dosent want to open its tentacles it has light to med flow and led lights and still not good sign:( any suggestions??
Yes your right. I've always called it a leaf coral, and also pointed out it sings in the video, and pointed out it can also be called a pavona in the discription.
Do check my yellow tang and lemme know what you think :)
My healthy yellow tang
thank so much
It is good that you have started out with a fish only tank, and have not tried to rush into keeping corals. Just remember if a coral needs lots of light, then place it 1/3-1/2 the way down the tank directly under the lights. If a coral needs medium light place it in the bottom half of the tank, or on the bottom but not in the shade. If a coral needs low light then place it on the bottom or in the shade!!. Let me no if you post a vid of your tank, or if you get stuck in any way. I don't know every thing, but will try and help if I can.
Good luck and happly reefing. The fish tank DOC.
Denitrofying bacteria that live in oxigen free areas of the tank, like your sand bed or in rocks, ear nitrate turning it into nirogen gas.
Wait a minute, since when do the bacteria eat nitrate? I thought they only consumed nitrite, turning it into nitrate? Maybe I've heard wrong?