Looking for advice on corals to purchase

[connpatd]

I'm nearly to the point where I want to get my first coral(s) and wanted to get some advice from the pros.

My 120 gallon tank has been up and running for about 8 months and my water parameters are stable now finally with my calcium finally reaching the 450 range (it was sadly low for a long time).

I think I'm more attracted to LPS corals, Shrooms, and Zoas.

I'm really afraid, though, that I'll start buying them only to have them kill each other off.

I know it may take more time than anyone is willing to spend on a stranger, but could someone post a list of pretty looking corals that I should look into purchasing, and let me know what I need to know but don't know enough to ask?

For instance, how far apart should they be to minimize warfare, what level of the tank they should be at, etc?

I have a 120 gallon tank with 200 lbs of LR, and the following critters....

1 Fairy Wrasse
1 small Six-line Wrasse
2 False Perc Clowns
1 Diamond Goby
3 Firefish
2 small BTA's

Numerous, various snails
1 Emerald Crab
1 Arrow Crab
1 Porcelain Crab
a dozen or so small blue leg hermits
1 small sepernt star (hmmm, i think maybe he isn't a serpent. he has the black and white striping)


Right now I'm just waiting for the BTA's to find permanent spots. I just bought one BTA over the weekend, but he turned out to be two BTA's stuck to the same rock and they are both still trying to find the perfect spot (climbing around in the rocks atm).

Any help and suggestions will be most welcome.

There is just soooo much information out there that confuses the heck out of me and the search feature seems to be down lately.

A appreciate the heck out of any replys.

THANKS!


P.S. I have 250W Metal Halides and a good skimmer. Water is pristine.

[JJ21]

I'd keep an eye on the arrow crabs if you like zooanthids and polyps. If they get hungry they will not hesitate to eat the polyps. They also eat bristleworms, which I think makes a much better clean up crew/ scavenger in a reef tank.

[am3gross]

i think the corals are a matter of preferance. what is nice to me others may not like. a good regime that i follow is when i go to the store and see something i like i will not buy it the first time around. i will find out the name of it and then go home and google it, ask on here and also on other forums about the coral. i also do the same thing when i buy fish. hope this helps.

[JJ21]

Oh i forgot, place LPS at least 6 inches apart to prevent them from stinging each other and to compensate for growth. If you get large LPS or they grow larger, more distance is better as they have larger sweeper tenticles. Most LPS don't like high water flow as their fleshy tissue can tear if they are thrashed around to much by water flow, which can give brown jelly or other diseases the opportunity to set in. Light isn't as much as an issue because LPS eat meaty foods, with moderate light. Don't place fleshy corals on rocks as again, when their tissue expands it can tear on the rock.

Hope that was somewhat helpful :D