equipment you'll need---if you want to keep...

[Sk8r]

...well, let's see: and mind, this is advisory, not ironclad.

LARGE FISH: you probably *will* need a good filter, plus your live rock and sand;a quarantine/hospital tank a sump and really, really good skimmer; autotopoff, ro/di filter, a really big tank. They come 6' long. What you don't need: mh lights, calcium reactor, etc. You do need tests for: ph, alkalinity, salinity [refractometer]; temperature; nitrate, nitrite; ammonia; a bottle of Amquel in case of emergencies; some Maracyn in case; and some copper med, in case...ONLY to be used in the hospital tank.

SMALL FISH: a quarantine/hospital tank; live rock, sand [aragonite]; a skimmer and sump is a real good idea. Filter is not often advised---only if no corals. Refugium is good---if you want dragonets, nearly mandatory unless your tank is over 75 g. Autotopoff. Ro/di of your own if your tank is over 5g will pay for itself. What you don't need: mh lights, calcium reactor, etc. You do need tests for: ph, alkalinity, salinity [refractometer]; temperature; nitrate, nitrite; ammonia; a bottle of Amquel in case of emergencies; some Maracyn in case ONLY for hospital tank; and some copper med, in case...ONLY to be used in the hospital tank. This also goes for clown/anemone tanks.

SOFTIE CORAL: live rock, sand [aragonite]; a skimmer and sump is a real good idea. Tank size: ranges widely. What you don't need: mh lights, calcium reactor, filter, etc. You do need tests for: ph, alkalinity, calcium [a good idea], salinity [refractometer]; temperature; nitrate, nitrite; ammonia. Autotopoff and ro/di. If you add fishes, see above. A refugium can keep down pest algae. BEST not to combine SOFTIES with STONY of any sort. Plan to trade your SOFTIES and mushroom rocks if you decide to go STONY. Watch your fish: some eat coral polyps. Angels and butterflies not reliable.

ANEMONES: some require very high lighting, incl. mh: do not get until your tank is at least 6 months old and chemically stable. Do not keep with softies or stony coral: exception: hardy mushrooms and buttons ok. Otherwise observe conditions for softie corals.

LPS STONY CORAL: no filter; live rock, aragonite sand; good skimmer with sump really adviseable; refugium keeps algae down; tank size optional. This is where MH lights can help, but strong lighting of other types ok. You may consider a kalk reactor up to 100g; adding a calcium reactor may be mandatory when you get up into the 150's. A ro/di filter and autotopoff. If fishes, see above. You may combine with SPS STONY but do not combine with SOFTIES. CLAMS do nicely in STONY tanks. Again, watch out for angels and butterflies: coral-eaters. Some individual rabbits also fancy green lps. All above tests plus: calcium, magnesium, and any other you think necessary.

SPS STONY CORAL. No filter; live rock, aragonite sand, though some go bare-bottom; high flow; good skimmer with sump; refugium keeps algae down; tank size optional. MH lights are standard but not universal. You may consider a kalk reactor up to 100g; adding a calcium reactor may be mandatory when you get up into the 150's. A ro/di filter and autotopoff. If fishes, see above. You may combine with SPS STONY but not recommended with SOFTIES. Not adviseable: angels, butterflies---some individuals and some whole species prey on stony coral. CLAMS ok. All above tests plus calcium, mg, and others as you deem useful.

Hope this breakdown gives you at least an idea. There are many variations on this, and each tank is a bit different, but this is for rule-of-thumb.

[msn711]

Can't combine LPS with softies? That's absurd. That's where most beginners start out, and that's usually what you see in non-sps dominated tanks.

I'm sure you're trying to help beginners out, but you know this is way too general to be on any real help to someone planning a tank. There simply are no shortcuts to doing your research.

[Sk8r]

I still say, in all respect---best not, especially in the smaller tanks where most beginners start. You end up losing a specimen before you figure out what's not compatible. There's some benefit to experimentation in placement, been there, done that---but it's easier not to have the problem at all. No, most things will not die outright, and most lps can fight off mushrooms, but not happily. It's just easier to figure out what direction you'd like your tank to go and go there. If your thing IS to have a mixed tank, yes, you can do that, but you'll want to run carbon, which ordinarily I wouldn't recommend for stonies; and keep your softies in the downstream of the water flow, not upstream of the stonies. My first tank was like that, a 100g, and I still found some problematic placements causing me trouble, particularly in overgrowth of some structural rocks---

which is another point: if you're going to do a mix, try to keep the corals from bonding to the structural rock, because they can grow into areas you don't want them. Green star polyps and mushrooms are particularly bad about this; xenia can be a problem, though gsp and xenia aren't as problematic as mushrooms...which, at least the common discosomas, can multiply far faster than the ones you're trying to grow.

And it should go without saying---but lps is slightly more finicky than many softies, so observe the conditions requisite for lps, once you have lps in your tank.