Coral Choice

[mysis]

I am aware that corals can be affected by the inhabitants that they have with them. so i am going to make a choice of corals that can work together and will not end up killing each other.

first off, i was thinking of replicating the indian ocean, as that is mainly what corals i have to choose. and also i want to have a mixed tanks, softies, lps, sps, and a bubble tip anemone.

The problem i have, is it is too hard to decide and also obtain info on what species will do well with each other. Because i regulary go diving, i realize that compacting 3 miles of reef into a 40 gallon aquarium is a delicate issue, and some life forms are found in surge areas and other in quiter areas.

so i want to try and build my reef so instead of it lasting 3 years, it lasts 15 years +.

initially i was thinking of this list.

Caulastrea furcata, candy cane
Acropora sp, acropora
Duncanopsammia axifuga, diasy coral
Trachyphyllia gaoffroyi, (group of 3 on sandbed)
Turbinaria bifrons, yellow cup coral
Xenia sp, pulsating xenia
Acanthastrea lordhowensis, Red striped brain
Scolymia australis, Green fungus coral
Clavularia viridis, Green tube coral
Duncanopsammia axifuga, Daisy coral

I am also thinking that is very much overstocked? and know that not all will live happily together, so what would you recommend to choose.

 

[Casperson]

Read Anthony Calfo, Book of Coral Propagation or The Reef Aquarium Vol. 1
Julian Sprung, Charles Delbeek.
These books will help you gain a better understanding of corals and reef keeping in general.
Then use this forum to clairify questions you might have.
There's so much more to learn even before you start with corals.
Sometimes forum answers can be misleading unless a real expert answers your question.

Hope my reply is helpful,

Tom C.

 

[Anthony Calfo]

my only caveat to this otherwise/overall resonable list is to make sure the Acro you choose is not a high flow, high light species which clearly would not work out with the otherwise lux-tempered needs of the other tankmates.

Fluorescent lighting will be fine here too especially if the tank is less than 75cm deep. A balanced mix of blue and daylight lamps will do the trick nicely.

Else look at quality 10k K halides

 

[mysis]

Yeah i thought so, everyone was screaming T5 or halides at me, i have found excelent starter acro from the marine biologist i know. all have been fraged and are really pale lime green, and he is running them under fluro's so i should be ok, also the other day i aw a crocea clam under i think about 180 watts of compact fluros, and also i noticed sunlight was hitting it, do you think it will die from insufficient light?

 

[Anthony Calfo]

no worries... even modest lighting schemes can keep higher light species so long as said specimens are placed no less than 12" or so from the surface (also make sure the fluorescent lamps are mounted no higher than 3" off the surface of the water.)

 

[mysis]

i have legs for the lamp and it is exactly 3 inches from the surface