I am new to the hobby and looking for some advice. I have a setup that I know is not ideal for reef, but it was free. I have a 33gal hex tank which originally started as a FOWLR until I added some pulsing Xenia (which I LOVE). I bought at the same time a green star polyp which has yet to open, been 4 days now. I have him close to the light as possible, but no luck yet. So I am looking for another possible coral that might do well in a hex tank with 2 65,000k bulbs. Any ideas. Also I have a Percula Clown, 3 Stripe Humbug, Diadema Dottyback, and a Bicolor Blenny who all get along great and hang out together. They only have issues if someone gets too close to their hide out, except for the 2 damsels. The 3 Stripe likes the Clown to hang out in it's hidey hole.
Newbie... soft corals?
- Thread starter Dmcbride
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Somethings Fishy
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hey welcome to rf, how many watts are your lights? and what kind? mushroooms should do well in your tank...
user 26995
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Welcome to Reef Frontiers.
There are a lot of soft corals that would be good for your tank. Neptheas and Sinularias and colt corals, kenya trees. These all get pretty big, tall, but can be trimmed real easy. They get too big you cut a piece off to keep and sell or give the rest away. These all do well under lower lighting. Mushrooms too will do good under low light.
There are a lot of soft corals that would be good for your tank. Neptheas and Sinularias and colt corals, kenya trees. These all get pretty big, tall, but can be trimmed real easy. They get too big you cut a piece off to keep and sell or give the rest away. These all do well under lower lighting. Mushrooms too will do good under low light.
Thanks... I swore I was sticking with a FOWLR since my setup isn't ideal and I was super intimidated by coral keeping. After my Xenia I would like to add something else. Do you think the green star is a bad match for my tank? should I try it again? Also do you know how to cut the xenia when it gets too big. I'd like to give some to my sister-in-law after it grows some more, if that's possible. I like the idea of tall since I have a Hex tank it is pretty tall and lacks anything interesting to look at as you get a little over half way up. I have Live rock piled higher in the back of the tank and some that wrap around lower with a few small ruble type pieces in middle which the Blenny loves. So something that could add interest up higher would be awesome. Are all of those pretty much filter feeders and which ones need feeding?
Compact florescent 65,000kiloben have to go look at them for more info, that's what i know off the top of my head. My hood has the ability to have two bulbs. Should I have a mix of two different kinds of bulbs, or what would be best without getting a different hood or metal halide.
Also anything that my clown might host that would do well in my tank. When he is not hanging out with his girlfriend he hides at the top of the tank. He is spending more time out front and center with my new additions, but I would like to make him as happy as possible.
user 26995
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Those are okay. They may promote algae growth. You might want to look into upgrading to a T5 lighting fixture that you could mount or hang over the tank.
Oh there are other xenias too. Pink or white pompom, and blue/silver xenia.
couple of examples. These are all under T5 lighting.....
in front is pink kenya or colt coral and the back one is pink sinularia
yellow sinularia...I think
pompom xenia
blue xenia
Oh there are other xenias too. Pink or white pompom, and blue/silver xenia.
couple of examples. These are all under T5 lighting.....
in front is pink kenya or colt coral and the back one is pink sinularia
yellow sinularia...I think
pompom xenia
blue xenia
user 26995
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My clowns are hosted by an elephant ear mushroom and a toadstool leather. You could keep those too.
The toadstools can get really large though and might fill up the tank.
The toadstools can get really large though and might fill up the tank.
great suggestions so far!! Really any of those softies will do really well for you 
Most are pink tho - which I think is weird....
Also, i'd go with the t5s like @ipisces suggested, a metal halide will just be too much eat for a tank as small as yours, and if you aren't really into keeping the super hard corals, the t5 will allow you to get some better color (as the bulbs are nicer) and better par so maybe you can upgrade to some of the easy LPS corals as well!!
BTW - what kind of bulbs do you have? If its 24" T8s, I have an extra bulb that was donated to the club that no one wants - you are welcome to it the next time ur in Spokane!
Most are pink tho - which I think is weird....Also, i'd go with the t5s like @ipisces suggested, a metal halide will just be too much eat for a tank as small as yours, and if you aren't really into keeping the super hard corals, the t5 will allow you to get some better color (as the bulbs are nicer) and better par so maybe you can upgrade to some of the easy LPS corals as well!!
BTW - what kind of bulbs do you have? If its 24" T8s, I have an extra bulb that was donated to the club that no one wants - you are welcome to it the next time ur in Spokane!
user 26995
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Yeah, a lot of them are pink.
I have a couple yellow and a couple green, but I dont know that there is much more soft coral in any other colors. Oh, I do have a purple kenya tree. Then there are the green/purple hairy mushrooms and blue or red mushrooms for a little extra color.
I have a couple yellow and a couple green, but I dont know that there is much more soft coral in any other colors. Oh, I do have a purple kenya tree. Then there are the green/purple hairy mushrooms and blue or red mushrooms for a little extra color.
1guydude
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hows that piece of tree doin ipisces?
user 26995
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Haha!!! I lost it for a while. Since it wasnt attached it floated out of the dish I had it in with some rubble rock and dissapeared in the rocks below the frag rack. I was moving the rocks around a while back and found it attached to a big rock, so I moved rock out so it would get some light and its doing great!
I forgot to ask what wattage and kiloben should I look for in lighting with T5? It is all greek to me. Also for some odd reason my Clown has taken issue with my feather duster and keeps trying to push it to the ground. I moved the feather duster and he pushed it down again. I finally had to move it next to the Blenny's rock so he would leave it alone. Is it normal for a fish to go after a feather duster? He wasn't really trying to eat it, just pushing it around.
user 26995
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It is a filter feeder. It does like a lot of flow. Besides water changes, I do feed phytochrome once in a while. It also gets vitamins from the fish food every day.
user 26995
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Yes they will do things like that sometimes if they dont like if for some reason.
this got pushed up higher and wanted to make sure ti could be seen. thanks
user 26995
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as far as the t5 lights, I am using 10000k whites and blue actinics and a purple. Its all a matter of choice. You could do all whites, half white & half blue or mix and match the colors as you would like.
