Non Photosynthetic Soft Corals?

[TheJudge411]

Are there any?

[Amazon4]

Dendro's are all that come to mind...however, are sun corals LPS?

[TheJudge411]

Im not sure, im looking for low light or non photosynthetic for a tank, i really cant afford everything with good lighting so if i can cut the lighting til later i can start my reef.

[aninjaatemyshoe]

I'm guessing you're quite new to the hobby. Non-photosynthetic corals are far more difficult than photosynthetic ones. You definitely do not want to go there until you've gained a ton more experience and knowledge. There are, however, very easy corals that require rather little light (but still some light). Mushrooms are probably the best thing to start with in regards to very little lighting. People have had success with them with just regular fluorescent lighting.

[TheJudge411]

so just mushrooms? what are some other low light corals? i've found some lighting that i can afford its not t5 or anything but its decent.

[Lotus99]

What kind of lighting is it, how many watts, and what are the dimensions of your tank? "Decent" is a little vague.

With lower lighting, mushrooms are a definite possibility. You might also be able to keep some leathers.

[TheJudge411]

40gal 36" tank is the tank i ahve in mind, i have not purchased any lighting yet

[dendro982]

Non-photosyntetic corals will require a really good filtration and skimming, and the food is more expensive and less readily available.

Softies: mostly gorgonians, red finger gorgonian, yellow finger (both Diodogorgia nodulifera), Swiftia exerta and Swiftia kofoidi, and one with smallest intense blue polyps. Blueberry didn't worked for me and many others - nobody knows, what it's eating. The usual food for this size of polyps didn't worked.

Next are Chili coral - although they are frequently mentioned as easier, and good for beginners - they are not, and if you will find the reliable way to make them open to feed - post for all of us.

Even more special requirements: scleronephthya and dendronephthya, they (the first, at least), live in one systems, and dieing - in anothers, while all other corals are doing perfectly well.

LPS: tubastera (sun coral), may be dendrophillia or duncans.

If the low light is the issue, the following corals should work:
White xenia, close to the top:

Neon-green candycane:

Green hairy mushroom (grows very big):

Green star polyps, brown star polyps;
White lemnalia:

Macroalgae Ochtodes (will be brown under the high light):

Frogspawns and hammers, but they will need time for adaptation and better be placed higher:


These were growing in 12" (30 cm) deep tank under 18W PC (combo actinic ans 10,000). With better light - you may add red mushrooms:


Article about Deep water reef tank, and can't find link, but few months ago here, at RC, was thread, something like: show me your low light tank, less that 3 Watts per gallon (quoting from memory, wording should be wrong). Nice tanks, by the way.

Good luck!

[capn_hylinur]

nice post dendro--esp from a fellow Cdn

This thread will give you a lot of ideas about what lps corals to try:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/s...hreadid=1236242

[dendro982]

[vezina345]

chili coral is also low light.

[LegendLand]

chili coral (Nepthyigorgia) is a 100% filter feeder..alot of myth going around that it lives off light & contains the symbionic alge..it does not..& is not for beginners.. i still consider myself lucky to have kept one for 2 years..i may not even be able to keep another colony that long..i have only had one..& untill i get a new system..will only have one

[ManilaMan]

nice post dendro982! i wish i ask you the when i was starting my tank.

Judge, i have all of those coral that dendro posted and after 3 months of my softee dominated tank , i can see babies on my shrooms, xenia, and palys.

and i only use pc 260w over 45 g. goodluck!

[lowendmelody]

260 watts over a 45 gallon tank is hardly low lighting, in my opinion...

I have just under 2 watts of compact flourescents over my 125, I would consider that the minimum for any softie... I have a few kenya trees and a purple frilly gorg., and a shroom or two, to go with some brown polyps and a couple of condy anenomes and everything seems fine....

[dendro982]

110W PC over 90g tank :







And few months ago was a thread, something like "Show your low light tank, under 3W/gal", nice full tanks shots. Can't find the link, sorry.

[ManilaMan]

nice tank dendro, how many types of gorgonia are you keeping? i see purple, yellow and red. are they all photosyntetic?

nice sun coral too! how many times do you feed it?

[dendro982]

Non-photosynthetic gorgonians only, illustrated thread is here.
Fragging, illustrated - http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...readid=1256157 .

Red thick - red finger gorgonian, Diodogorgia nodulifera (have small yellow morph too), largest observable polyps. Got mine on sale, half of them was exposed to the air during shipment, but so far - so good.
Bright orange - Swiftia kofoidi, least troubles so far, but after initial rapid tissue necrosis.
Fine red - disputable, could be Elisella, Ctenocella, or Leptogorgia, miniata or punicea.
Fine blue, thin branches - likely Guaiagorgia, prone to bryopsis and bacterial film on branches, otherwise OK.
RIP blueberry gorgonian - never seen it eating at all.

Sun coral - as everybody, trying to feed twice a week, but in heat of the summer (water quality issue) once a week or less. Spawned in the tank, a lot of babies all over the tank, but they grow very slowly.

Fighting for keeping scleronephtyas alive, not so good, and chili coral - trying to make them open regularly to feed, also could be better, but these at least are all alive.

If anybody keeps non-photosyntetics - post too, I'm interested, other people - too: the same topic appears again and again, but in different places, difficult to find.

[Boca Kris]

I have a 55g with a 2x28W T5 setup (about 1 watt/gallon or so). I have a buncha different kind of polyps, and some pink & blue ricordea's, and some sun coral, etc. Everything in my tank is doing fine, not really growing, but doing well.

I did purchase a 5 x 54W T5 Aquactinic unit, so I'll be upgrading lighting some, but the 2 bulb unit worked for some stuff! Water quality has alot to do with it....water changes are KEY!!!!

[rogergolf66]

canations, and chili coral

[angelfishman145]

I have to ask,I would like to try some LPS corals.
and it mite seem like a dumb question to some,but.
are there any photosynthetic lps corals?
I have 260 watts over a 55 gallon if thats any help.
Thanks

[dendro982]

Sorry, missed the point: photosynthetic LPS or non-photosynthetic?
Most LPS are photosynthetic, many - with additional feedings. With such light you may keep any of them

[capn_hylinur]

Originally posted by angelfishman145
I have to ask,I would like to try some LPS corals.
and it mite seem like a dumb question to some,but.
are there any photosynthetic lps corals?
I have 260 watts over a 55 gallon if thats any help.
Thanks

260 watts of what---eg attinics, etc

[John Zillmer]

I have had a chili for about 6 months now. Every week, I take a toothbrush to it to clean off the algae (it is under a ledge in high flow, but still gets a layer of gunk), and it polyps out for the next 2 nights, during which time I feed it as much cyclops as it will take. Then it films over until I clean it off again.

I did frag a piece off a few (3-4) months ago, and the frag has attached to the rock, and needs the same toohbrushing as the mother colony. I'm considering setting up a no-light tank to see if the algae film issue improves. Dendro, how is this working for you? I'm thinking of a 10g with a biowheel and a Prism skimmer.

By no means an easy animal to keep, contrary to what I read before I puchased it.

[rogergolf66]

If you are having that much algea growth it sounds like you need to take care of that before getting anything else. I had a chili for 2 years and never had to clean it off or anything else in my tanks from algea.

You have a nutirant problem. what are your nitrates and phosphates?

Roger

[John Zillmer]

Oh, I know what causes the algae growth -- keeping a chili, three sun corals and 2 target mandarins in a 55g. My tanks run dirty, and I tend to keep only animals that can deal with this or even prefer it. (I had no reason, before I acquired it, to believe that a chili couldn't outcompete algae -- most softies have great chemical weaponry against such things.)

Dendro had asked about tips for making Chilis open for feeding; I should've clarified that my post was in response to that query, not a request for help with algae. I thought that this experince of mine might help other folks realise that perhaps their chili is closed because it has some sort of biofilm on it, that's all.