Which is hardiest? Hammer, Torch, Frogspawn?

[Been_There8]

Well, im a begginer to saltwater fish tanks, i have 2 clowns, 1 cleaner shrimp and a bear bottom tank. 14 gallon biocube(with stock lights).

Currently, for my tank, i just drop a half cap of phytoplankton in once a week, and i really dont want to spot feed any of the new corals i want to get. I feed my clowns and shrimp fish flakes right now.

So i was wondering two things, which is the hardiest, a hammer, torch, or frogspawn? Im a beginer, so i started small with mushrooms and polyps, they are doing fine, so im just moving up the ladder.

-My nitrates are around 12-15 right now, and it doesnt look like its bugging anything, but im getting them lower, i do a 20% wc every 2 weeks.


So basically, i was wondering which one of these would fit good for me, i think they all look sweet and amazing, and i love how they have tenicals.

[ludnix]

They don't seem to be more sensitive than one another in any order, but I would avoid the torch. Depending on the flow a torchs tentacles can easily get 10" long which could be problematic in a biocube.

The branching hammer and frogspawn are nearly identical so it won't make a difference which you get, I would just get whatever colony or frag fits your tank best.

You might consider holding back on the phyto, that could easily be contributing to your nitrates and I'm not sure it's helping your particular corals much. You won't need to spot feed the hammer or frogspawn, they are not very good at eating food anyways.

[Been_There8]

and do any of them have a skeleton?

[otrlynn]

Yes, they have a skeleton. They are large polyp stoney corals. You don't see the skeleton when the polyps (or "tentacles") are out, but you can see it when they draw in at night or if the coral is P.O.ed for some reason. Since they do have a skeleton, you need to maintain decent levels of calcium (which can probably be done with regular water changes). I also do not see the need to put liquid phyto in your tank and believe it may be contributing to your nitrate levels.

[Been_There8]

Lets say my calcuim level is low, what would i do? Just add some liquid that is made for taking calcium up? Or does it get fixed with a water change.

[pisces4u]

I'd go with frogspawns, there are some pretty nice ones out there and I prefer them over hammers but that's just my preference.

Calcium in a 14g cube with mushrooms and polyps shouldn't be a big deal, even after you add a hammer/frogspawn. I would do 10%-15% wc weekly rather than 20% bi-weekly to prevent large chemistry swings and maintain steady calcium.

[downhillbiker]

I would say that you can go with a hammer or frogspawn. I like the appearance of both.

Do you have test kits for calcium and alkalinity? Doing water changes should keep it stable if you have a quality salt, meant for reefs, but you should still keep track of it. It is also a good part of the learning curve in the hobby. You should become familiar with your tank and parameters, and where they should be, as well as the terms used for measuring these things.

[stanlalee]

torches are known to be the less hardy than the frogspawn and hammer which as far as I'm concerned are bullet proof like most common LPS unless they are damaged in transit.

[downhillbiker]

I dont really think torches are less hardy, they just get long tentacles and can sting other corals from a long ways away.