coral

[reed_5point0]

my light arrives tomorrow...Probably whole im in class with my luck. What corals are good for my tank I will be running 2x96wPC. All i plan on really having are some Zoos, Shrooms and thats all i really like from the low lights. What other corals can my tank handle.

[floridajhawk]

what size tank ?

[reed_5point0]

46 bow

[Versus]

as long as they are high quality bulbs .

[pmcrazi]

reed, I have 36g bow w/ orbit pc's 2x 65w w/ lunar lights. I have done really well with zoo's, shrooms, ricordia, xenia, gsp, buttons, etc... see pic below
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/81504tankshotsm.jpg

[floridajhawk]

ull be fine with that tank and lighting :) for the corals you mentioned at least

[reed_5point0]

theres alot of sps I like but i know I cant keep those with my lights and what not. what about a cap?

[floridajhawk]

maybe but thats still a risk

[reed_5point0]

thought so got the lights on the tank and they look good. might pick up some zoos early next week to see how they do.

[pmcrazi]

I notice the zoo's do better the higher up they are, I'm looking for extra rock to "move everything up" in my tank- higher to the lights. My mushrooms are spread out, and actually do fine lower, and my buttons are at the bottom. Best of luck to ya.
Karen

[Jovreefer]

You can do SPS as long as you do a few things.

1. make sure to keep up on waterchanges & quality
2. feed the corals every few weeks
3. dont ever try any blue or purple SPS

before the huricanes I had that same setup and I kept, grew and retained nice color in .... a yellow M capricornis, pink birdsnest, a few M digitata's, and at the very top of my tank I kept a green tabletop acro.

If you are wanting to test it out I'd go with an orange capricornis or a green, brown, or orange digitata, You should have absolutly no problem with those corals.

[reed_5point0]

cool, what about a bali slimer that about the only SPS I have really likes alot. I also like the birdsnest. I will wait and get the tank a little more established before I get some real nice coral but Thanks for all the info everybody.

[Jovreefer]

I've never tried a slimer...but there is only one way to find out :) if it does not do well take it to a ORCA meeting for the frag swap.

[reed_5point0]

yea I might give it a whirl in a month or two. I might try to get a zoo today, not sure tho.

[floridajhawk]

i heard the slimers are not that big of a risk, like she said its all about flow, water quality, and feeding of the corals :) and you should be fine. GOOD LUCK

[MORAY]

I had PC for a couple years and kept sps in it. Montipora, blue prostrata (bluish purple table), purple valida, green slimer, and some others did pretty well and grew. By running you lights around 12hrs a day you can compensate some for the lighting. You need to be very aware of bulb life though. Like Jovanna said, water quality (all aspects) is a big key. Also feeding and flow are important, but I've done it and I know it can be done.

Now, I'm not saying all sps will thrive because I have one that barely made it, and a couple that do way better under halides.

If your goal is to have an sps tank you may want to think about what you put in now. There's a bunch of stuff I wish I never put in because I can't get rid of it now. Some softies spread fast and furiously.

[MORAY]

Take things slowly and don't go wild putting corals in. The only thing that happens fast in a reef tank is dissaster. Impulse buys are not a good idea for anything you are going to put in you tank.

Most people in this hobby follow a certain path and there is a wealth of knowledge in the reef club here. The very best money you will spend on this hobby is a membership to ORCA. You can learn from others mistakes instead of living them. I wish I joined it sooner than I did, I still love the club and its members, and it's better now than I have seen. I've been a member since 2001.

After some meetings you will have a better idea of what you want to do long term.

[Versus]

you can make a beautiful tank with just rare zoo's and uncommon ricordia .. i had a 46g 2x96 and only had a few sps , i was pretty new to the hobby so i just stuck to jess's reccomendations of birds nest's etc. and they did ok but for the growth and coloration =/ its not even really worth putting them in there under that lighting.

Like moray said , choose what you put in your tank with alot of thought .. ALOT . If you dont want togo to the orca meetings I have my own , me my dog and a couple maniquins i got from the burdines dumpster .. we make tea and discuss politics .


-Hubert Cumberdale