a few questions about coral

[cadd]

hi i know these questions to you might sound stupid but to me as a beginner i dont have a clue so i would like a bit of advice.

okay which coral is best to start of wih for beginners.also when you put coral into your tank what do you do do you have to plant it into the sand at the bottom or whatever else you have at the bottom.also when i have seen pics with people put rocks in there is always coral on top of them or in between them,so what do you do just place them on how you like.

[MiddletonMark]

Maybe this would be better answered in the `New to the Hobby' forum?

In my opinion [just that] there will be more people jumping in to answer your questions.

As for what is best ... you'll need to lay out what your system is, and what you want to keep in it. Normally zoanthids, mushrooms, leathers are often good beginner corals. Most can be gotten as `frags' = propagated corals that come from other aquarists tanks. I prefer them as they can then grow into the tank, are often cheaper to get, and have proven to be hardy in aquaria.

I'd really suggest checking out / joining a reef club in your area. I learn a whole lot from mine, have met good friends, have gotten and given free frags ... and you can see how people run different kinds of systems successfully and ask questions while standing in front of the tank. The `reef club forums' at the bottom of the forums listing has a good many, though others exist elsewhere.

And I would always suggest a good coral book. Eric Borneman's `Aquarium Corals' is really the best out there now in my opinion ... nevermind being authored by the moderator of this forum [and scholar elsewhere]. It's worth every penny.

As for placement ... depends on the coral. Some prefer the sandbed [brains, fungia] while some do better mounted up on the rocks. Lighting and flow are important considerations and are different coral to coral ... so it's impossible to generalize other than to place each coral in the place best suited for this.

Continue to ask questions, ask this in the new to hobby forum, get a good book like suggested above, and join a reef club. About that's the best advice I can give now [plus start with frags/propagated corals ... and when you post - include your tank size, filtration/skimming, lighting info too :)]

Good luck!

[cadd]

hi thanks i think i would rather learn it off the internet rather than go to club although it would be a great help

[MiddletonMark]

Just remember, much of what you read on the internet is wrong, misguided, or 100% anecdotal.

Personally I can tell if someone is full of `it' when looking at their reef and talking to them more than if they have 2000+ posts next to their name. I'm wordy, talk a lot ... so I have a lot of posts.

Expert? Nope.

Anyway - my opinion, good luck with it.

[cadd]

thankyou very much