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Gluestick
04/14/2006, 09:25 PM
What is a good stony coral for a beginner? I am getting ready to start my 90 gal Megaflow, which I just set up! and I would like to have stony corals. What is a good beginner stony coral, and can I keep SPS with LPS? I know that softies and stonies don't like each other, and I think I like the stonies best. Will I for sure need a kalk drip? What other extra equip. is needed for keeping stonies? I have 2x250W HQI on my 90gal with t5s actinics.

K-Dubbs
04/14/2006, 10:06 PM
Actually people have succesfully kept SPS, LPS and softies all in the same tank. But for the most part, people usually choose one type as their main type of coral. People say you can't keep softies with SPS because some softies (such as toadstools and other leathers) will give off mucus or toxins in the water which will bother the SPS a lot. So, if you do SPS you want to stay away from those. But if you do some simple mushrooms, or zoanthids for example, you shouldn't have a problem.

The best advice I can give you is just to reasearch the individual corals. Softies is a very general catagory. As is SPS and LPS.

So far the easiest SPS I've had experience with is a Montipora. There are a few different forms of montipora, and many different colors. They seem to be really hardy and mine does well with higher nitrates and a bit lower light (although I did recently upgrade). I only dose a two part calcium/alk supplement and have never used Kalk.

Kalk isn't a necessary thing although some people do love it. If you don't use Kalk you will most likely want to use something else, like a Calcium reactor. Or if you only have a few stony corals you might want to just use supplement system of some sort.

Seems like you want to do stony corals, in which case I would do a kalk doser or a calcium reactor.

Remeber, it will be a while before you should even think about adding a coral to your tank. First you have to set it all up, get it filled, cycle it, and then make sure it is mature enough for corals (amount of time before you put corals in is a debateable topic). Some people only wait 3 months.... some people wait a year. I guess it all depends.

Sorry for the long-winded post.

HTH,
K-Dubbs

Konadog
04/14/2006, 10:09 PM
Either a Montipora Digitata or a Montipora Capricornis is a pretty easy SPS to keep and grow pretty fast. Both, or any SPS coral can suck up a lot of calcium when they start to grow. A kalk drip is one way to help supplement this.

bertoni
04/14/2006, 11:19 PM
This book might be useful:

[ericsbook]

I agree with Montipora. Also, the Euphyllia are very easy, IME. Also, Caulastrea and Trachyphyllia.

6Speed
04/14/2006, 11:48 PM
I've found digitatas to be pretty easy to keep. I've only been in the hobby about a year, maybe a little less, and I started picking up stoney frags about 6 months into my venture. I haven't had any problems with them, they are all growing nicely and color is good too. I dose with esv 2 part every day, and do a water change every 2 weeks.

The only problem I have had is sometimes this big ars snail I have will knock them off their rock and they will touch another coral, like a hydnopora, which will kill a little piece of the sps, but only the area it touches.

ReeferAl
04/15/2006, 12:18 AM
I have found Pocillopora sp. (damicornis?) almost impossible to kill. I had other corals including all my montis die-off from a salinity mishap while the Pocillopora kept on growing through it all.

Allen

keithntracy
04/15/2006, 04:47 AM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7180595#post7180595 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bertoni
This book might be useful:

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1890087483/reeflink" target="_blank"><b>Aquarium Corals</b></a><br>Selection, Husbandry, and Natural History<br><i>by Eric Borneman</i><br><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1890087483/reeflink" target="_blank"><img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1890087483.01.TZZZZZZZ.jpg"></a>

I agree with Montipora. Also, the Euphyllia are very easy, IME. Also, Caulastrea and Trachyphyllia.


that's the book we just got....can't put it down!!!

Fast Fred
04/15/2006, 05:41 AM
Excellent advice from everyone so far. Monti's and Digi's are good first choices. You may also want to look into joining a local reef keepers club. Sometimes frags can be obtained from fellow reefers for free or cheap.

Gluestick
04/15/2006, 08:16 AM
Thanks for the info guys. I joined a club in my area, so I'm sure that will be helpful as well.

MiddletonMark
04/16/2006, 04:44 AM
:thumbsup: Good idea on the club. Seeing successful running setups, meeting some nice reef people ... a great way to get good advice, eventually meet with nice frags.

I'd recommend Pocillapora damicornis as well ... it was one of my first, very hardy.

Montipora I would also put as an early one to try ... frags in both cases, IME they're on average quite hardy when multi-generational.