first time reef'n

stilltryn · #1 02/03/2006, 11:29 PM

i want to add some coral , corals to my 1yr. old tank.
i was told a "yellow polyp" is a good first choice, easy to care for and the lighting ok. i have a compact fluorescent ,96w true actinic 03 blue,96w 10,000 daylight and 2 3/4w moonglow. is this true?
46gal. bow w/ 30lds of live rock,emperor 400 w/bio wheel1in. crush'd coral bed. too much info.? not enough?

first timer,thanks to all who answer

fishdoc11 · #2 02/03/2006, 11:34 PM

[welcome]

Yellow polyps or mushrooms(which would be my choice

) would be a couple of good ones to try at first. Do you have your parameters handy? pH, alk, Nitrate, temp and SG are the main ones that are important for those corals.
Chris

stilltryn · #3 02/04/2006, 12:46 PM

sorry it took so long but... ph 0,sg1.022,nitratelooks to be 40-60range ,temp. 80 , do not have a alk. test will buy one today!

thanks

areze · #4 02/04/2006, 12:48 PM

Ive heard of but havent ever seen the yellow star polyps. I have the green star polyps though, and I cant seem to kill the darn things.

they are a solid choice, but Id suggest you keep them off to an island or you may end up with more than you bargained for. Mine came on their own rock, which I laid between 2 other rocks. now those 2 other rocks are growing them.

stilltryn · #5 02/04/2006, 01:07 PM

thanks for the help! off to do more homework on the matter but im still tryn

nepuck · #6 02/04/2006, 01:31 PM

PH at 0? Typo maybe? PH should be 7.8 to 8.3 (it will increase throughout the day)

Salinity should be about .024 to .026

trates are a little high, ideally 0 but not over 40

Alk should be around 2.5 to 3.5 meq/L (7 to 9.8 dKH)

also get a Calcium test kit. Calc is important for corals

lessans · #7 02/04/2006, 01:38 PM

He said yellow polyps not yellow star polyps. Colt coral, zoanthids, Xenia, Green Star Polyps, Leathers are all good beginner corals that don't require intense lighting. I only have 2.95 watts of light per gallon and all my corals are doing just fine.

Larry Waughon · #8 02/04/2006, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by stilltryn
sorry it took so long but... ph 0,sg1.022,nitratelooks to be 40-60range ,temp. 80 , do not have a alk. test will buy one today!

thanks

(welcome)

ph?,SG I would raise to 35 ppt, I would lower the nitrates ,temp looks good. Good Luck!

Larry Waughon · #9 02/04/2006, 01:46 PM

[welcome]

CeeGee · #10 02/04/2006, 03:12 PM

let me stress this as it has been said but I could see how someone new to keeping corals may think they would be alright.

Get you water parameters in check before adding the first coral. They are off a little. Do some good size water changes over the next few weeks and use RO/DI or equivalent water.

fishdoc11 · #11 02/04/2006, 03:18 PM

Off topic but CeeGee your inbox is full. I have been trying to return your PM for several days

What nepuck said as far as your water params stilltryin

stilltryn · #12 02/04/2006, 03:54 PM

thanks for helping a first timer . i just moved my tank and things are a little out of "wack". my local io water seller is down due to fire so i used tap water ,bad move, going to find a new water source and those test kits, thanks agian,
stilltryn , jeff

CeeGee · #13 02/04/2006, 05:03 PM

I will go and empty it.

I thought maybe you were mad at me or something!

Thanks for the heads up. They need something to let you know when it is full.

fishdoc11 · #14 02/04/2006, 05:33 PM

CeeGee,
They send you emails but apparently you have your email form RC disabled because I tried to do that too

PM is on it's way...........

stilltryin,
No problem, that's what we are here for

thanks, Chris

finneganswake · #15 02/04/2006, 06:38 PM

Hey, welcome to RC!

What I would really recommend since you have rather high nitrates is to save the purchase of corals for a couple of months and use the money for a good RO/DI unit. It's really rare for an LFS to change the membranes often enough to keep the TDS (total dissolved solids--the stuff you don't want) levels where they should be. This will be a long-term investment that will pay off in spades, as it is (IMO) the easiest factor for a newbie to change.

Once you get your nitrates at <10ppm (through water changes and, if necessary, less feeding and possibly less fish!), you can start with the corals. Yellow polyps are a great first coral and very hard to kill. About the only way that you can kill them is to have them smothered by hair algae; this could easily happen with your nitrate levels so high as nitrates fuel algae growth.

I know it's tempting to throw stuff in as quickly as possible, but patience is a hugh virtue in this hobby.

nepuck · #16 02/05/2006, 08:22 AM

other advantages to owning a RO/DI unit is you will save money (in the long run). Last time I calculated making water myself was about .16 cents / gal vs. around .50 cents at the LFS. And that doesn't incl. your gas and time picking it up.