A Choral Coral?

[ChoralCoral]

Hello RC- I've been enjoying researching my first SW tank. I'm a music teacher in the SF Bay Area, and work for a school that specializes in implementing the latest brain science. We don't have mascot yet, so what would be better than a brain coral named Carl the Choral Coral? :spin1:

My biggest question so far is....What is the affect of sound on corals? Along with singing, we do a lot of folk dance and xylophones. Do you think this could negatively affect the corals?

Tank:
A small plug and play- not really a DIY kinda gal. I'd like it to be small enough that I could take it home over the longer vacations. 6-15g
-Suggestions?
-Which one would require the fewest upgrades?

Stock:
Coral only- the way the polyps work to create one organism is just like a choir. I'd love one of those corals that looks like a brain, but that's not a deal breaker. I'd also like to get some colorful zoas and swishy frogspawn type corals in there.
-What are the lower maintenance corals that I should research?

Maintenance:
-What type of maintenance should I expect with a tank like this? I won't be able to install a RO/DI, so I'm planning on buying the salt water from the LFS.
-Do corals create a lot of bio load like a fish?
-Feeding?
-Water changes?

I appreciate any expertise you can offer. I'm not rushing into anything and I plan on researching extensively before purchasing. I'll also be checking with our facilities manager to make sure electricity/heat stay on over the weekends.

[reefshadow]

Unless your activities are producing a lot of vibration, sound should have no effect.

I would look into a small all-in-one system (AIO), like one of the smaller biocubes. Taking it home on a regular basis would likely be very stressful on the inhabitants, since everything would need to be disturbed, then transferred, then set up again. If this can be avoided it would be best. Once a year for summer vacation would likely be fine for hardier corals. You may be able to set up a small ATO (auto top off) to prevent daily changes in salinity. I would ask about having daily access to the facility over medium vacations like Christmas, spring break, ect... If your school cuts power alltogether this is a deal breaker, IMO. Temp is negotiable because a heater will be very efficient in this small volume of water. However, high temp can be problematic, so if the school gets very hot in the summer (cutting AC) when classes are not in session this could be a problem. LED modules are a lighting option that is very cool, along with low power consumption. All other light set ups will heat the water to some degree, some significantly.

Most people end up doing light upgrades on the stock AIO's unless you pay more for an upgrade at the outset. However, if you choose your coral stock carefully you may not need to do this, depending on temp concerns.

Zoas and mushroom corals are a great start, then maybe add the LPS (large polyp stony) coral of your choice once you are sure the inhabitants are doing well.

Maintenance would include small water changes and top off's at a minimum. Small tanks can be problematic because with a smaller volume, changes happen much more quickly. For instance, daily evaporation can really impact your salinity.

Corals create very little bioload unless you feed them regularly, something that isn't really necessary most of the time.

HTH, and welcome to RC.

[mclevenger10]

Just doing some quick math, if you even got a 10 gallon tank, approximating a gallon of SW weighing around 9 lbs that is a 90pound tank with no rock, sand, weight of the tank, jsut the water. It would be very hard to transfer that around to often. I am also a teacher and most school do shut off AC in the summer, which would cause a problem, unless you bought a chiller. Also remember, that the smaller the tank the quicker it can crash!

[ChoralCoral]

Thanks guys. That's helpful advice.

I think there would be vibration, because we do a lot of jumping, dancing, and xylos- which rest on the floor. Is there a history of corals having an adverse reaction to vibration?

As far as moving the tank, do people ever use silicone to stick the live rock to the bottom of the tank so it doesn't slip around?

Thanks again- so much research to do.
:)

[Fizz71]

The club I'm part of does a lot of school tanks, but none of them are "movable". You could try to have a setup at home and just move the corals home for the summer. If you're going to "move" it you'll need to break it down, have water ready at home and bring it back up.

Since you won't have fish it won't be too bad. You can remove the corals, drain the water to the sand and throw some wet newspaper in there to keep the live rock moist until you get it home (under an hour should be fine) and fill it back up. Or remove the rock.

Over short vacations would be your biggest concern if it gets hot in the classroom.

I would also recommend you look at the genus Acanthastrea (referred to as "Acans"). The look very "brainy", come in a variety of colors, grow in clusters (easy to move) and don't require a lot of light (to help with heat).

Good luck.