coral help

[ScubaDiver93]

What is the first coral u should put in ur tank and how long after its cycled should u put it in?

[drummereef]

If it were me I'd wait a couple weeks to make sure the tank has stabilized. Then, start with your most hearty species. If you are going to keep softies then I'd do some GSP or something easy first. Then gradually add some more delicate species. Take it slow and you'll be fine. ;)

[ScubaDiver93]

i feel really stupid but wuts a GSP and what is the hardiest species in ur opinion.

[erbio]

Oh boy.....


Start off with a pom pom Xenia okay?

[ScubaDiver93]

um...wuts that and wuts a GSP?

[AquaReeferMan]

Check them out.

Xenia
http://liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=2366&N=0

GSP(green star polyps)
http://liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=738&N=0

[ScubaDiver93]

thanks i really appreciate it, im new to this so i need ALL the help i can get.

[ScubaDiver93]

wuts an LPS and wuts an SPS?

[erbio]

Here are all of the abbreviations and definitions you'll need:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1129059


Maybe you'll want to research tank cycling first?

[Jorgens]

First I would grab as many books as you can find. Let the tank sycle for a few months to encure you make it thru those books. Then you'll likley have more answeres to simple questions. AND more complicated questions that the rest of us are still trying to figure out!!! lol

Discomas Mushrooms are pretty easy. Alot of corals acn survie the right paramaters as long as there stable. And the key is STABLE.

[ScubaDiver93]

how long did u cycle ur tank?

[drummereef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10190886#post10190886 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ScubaDiver93
wuts an LPS and wuts an SPS?

SPS = small polyp stony
LPS = large polyp stony

GSP would be considered polyps, kind of in the softie family. A great coral book to pick up is Aquarium Corals by Eric Borneman. It's a great resource and explains the different family of corals well. ;)

[dcombs44]

I'm going to be blunt here, and say that if your tank currently has nothing in it to leave it that way.

Your tank will then have plenty of time to cycle and cure. You need to get on Reef Central's forums and read read read. Don't guess with this hobby. Do your research, ask lots of questions, and then act. Don't ever act on a whim. Make sure you ask questions and then buy/use/do/whatever.

From the early sounds here, you make it sound like you have minimal knowledge about what you're getting into. Too many people have made the fatal mistake of jumping in before they knew what they were doing, so please, for your sake and for the sake of the animals that you wish to keep, learn and then start making your purchases.

I don't in any way mean to sound harsh, but these are fragile creatures, and the people that have been involved in the hobby for a while hate to see them lost due to a lack of knowledge.

Best of luck.

[ScubaDiver93]

trust me, u have no idea. Ive been studying this for months now. I know what i like and ive done so much research. I already got the technical part of it (skimmer, refugium, etc.), im just tryin to get a sense of what works and wut doesnt from experienced reefers.

[lpsluver]

Take some advise from this experienced reefer. Avoid Xenia. It is the weed of soft corals and may take over your tank. Some will disagree with me but an equal number will agree.

[ScubaDiver93]

what wont take over the tank at an alarming rate and is an easy hearty first coral?

[justinl]

for the same weedy reasons as for xenia, i would avoid GSP. if you go with those make sure it's on a rock separate from the majority of the rock.

I would start with mushrooms. only get one or two and put it on a fist sized rock. multiply them until you have a cluster... looks pretty cool imo plus it will give you a lil experience on how to frag, how to attach coral and let you know the tank is stable enough to support growth of a hardy species.

have you read any books? even if you have been researching for months i guarantee there are gaping holes in your knowledge. many reefers have been doing this stuff for years but no one knows everything. i highly recommend reading a couple of good reefing books. it will save you a lot of headaches later on.

dont ever get it into your head that you've done all the research you can... it's a progress thing. there's always something new to learn.

[ScubaDiver93]

i have read a couple books and many different articles. can u mix different colors of mushrooms?