Coral Reef Forum

hi, i want to grow my first coral. i have a basement, that has 22-28 degrees, i want to use MH\T5 as lighting.which coral is better for me to start with? how much light hours does it need?is th algae zooxanthellea good for it?where to get some?

i need to know the PH, turbidity, and salinity of the water, and how does it work? do the have seeds or what?

thanks appriciate your time(:

firstcoral at August 22, 2010 at 11:51 AM

hi, i want to grow my first coral. i have a basement, that has 22-28 degrees, i want to use MH\T5 as lighting.which coral is better for me to start with? how much light hours does it need?is th algae zooxanthellea good for it?where to get some?

i need to know the PH, turbidity, and salinity of the water, and how does it work? do the have seeds or what?

thanks appriciate your time(:

Hi, you have to do more research. Browse through the different topics of the forum to learn more. **I can tell that it looks like you have never dealt with a reef tank and I advise you to do some much needed research because this is not something that is cheap. This hobby is expensive and can end in disaster if proper water chemistry is not maintained.**

The temperature is Celsius right?  Water temperature should be between 72-78° F

Metal Halide lights are very good lights but you might need a chiller to keep the appropriate temperature. These lights can keep any corals so its up to you. Lights on for about 8-12 hours. I keep mines on for 10 hours.

Salinity should be between 1.020 - 1.024 specific gravity.

Ph  = 8.3

There are no seeds, corals are not like plant that you put in your garden.  You start with a "mother" coral, have it grow and than frag it.  You would than take the frag and have it grow a little bit until it grows to a sellable size. Or you can sell smaller pieces.

There is much more to this hobby, especially with water chemistry. Calcium, Magnesium, Alkalinity, Ph, nitrates; theres a lot of stuff to monitor and test.

nycoralfrags at August 22, 2010 at 12:41 PM

firstcoral at August 22, 2010 at 11:51 AM

hi, i want to grow my first coral. i have a basement, that has 22-28 degrees, i want to use MH\T5 as lighting.which coral is better for me to start with? how much light hours does it need?is th algae zooxanthellea good for it?where to get some?

i need to know the PH, turbidity, and salinity of the water, and how does it work? do the have seeds or what?

thanks appriciate your time(:

Hi, you have to do more research. Browse through the different topics of the forum to learn more. **I can tell that it looks like you have never dealt with a reef tank and I advise you to do some much needed research because this is not something that is cheap. This hobby is expensive and can end in disaster if proper water chemistry is not maintained.**

The temperature is Celsius right?  Water temperature should be between 72-78° F

Metal Halide lights are very good lights but you might need a chiller to keep the appropriate temperature. These lights can keep any corals so its up to you. Lights on for about 8-12 hours. I keep mines on for 10 hours.

Salinity should be between 1.020 - 1.024 specific gravity.

Ph  = 8.3

There are no seeds, corals are not like plant that you put in your garden.  You start with a "mother" coral, have it grow and than frag it.  You would than take the frag and have it grow a little bit until it grows to a sellable size. Or you can sell smaller pieces.

There is much more to this hobby, especially with water chemistry. Calcium, Magnesium, Alkalinity, Ph, nitrates; theres a lot of stuff to monitor and test.

thanks a lot. i know there is more to it and i am at the very begining of my research. could you maybe reccomend me on a book or links where i can get the information i need?also to ask again - about the food you give it, and which coral do you say is better to start with?

how do i create water with this salinity?

Try going to Liveaquaria.com and visit their coral section. They have all corals with a description and important fast facts, i find it very helpful.  

What I would recommend, are soft corals or LPS corals. Polyps, leathers, mushrooms because those are easier to take care of for a beginner. and should grow rather quickly.  

Most corals are photosynthetic and dont need to be fed but you can use something like ZoPlan to feed them. it is always a benefit.

Salinity is how much salt is in the water. You want to measure how much salt is in the water with a hydrometer or a refractometer. to do this just simply follow the instructions that come with your salt. some brands are Tropic Marin(which I use), SeaChem, instant ocean

nycoralfrags at August 22, 2010 at 10:07 PM

Try going to Liveaquaria.com and visit their coral section. They have all corals with a description and important fast facts, i find it very helpful.  

What I would recommend, are soft corals or LPS corals. Polyps, leathers, mushrooms because those are easier to take care of for a beginner. and should grow rather quickly.  

Most corals are photosynthetic and dont need to be fed but you can use something like ZoPlan to feed them. it is always a benefit.

Salinity is how much salt is in the water. You want to measure how much salt is in the water with a hydrometer or a refractometer. to do this just simply follow the instructions that come with your salt. some brands are Tropic Marin(which I use), SeaChem, instant ocean

thanks so much(:

i must say this website you gave me is excellent. there are many frag plugs mentioned there. i read that in nature, corals grow on aragonite. what difference is there between aragonite, aragonite and concrete, sand and concrete, and fired ceramic?

They are all different types of frag plugs. i think the aragonite ones are better. but I usually make my frags on small pieces of live rock

i see. what is the adventage by doing this? and where do i get a live rock?are there live rocks for sale?

is there a way to reproducea the coral in the aquarium? how old should the coral be?

Here is a link to the live rock. http://liveaquaria.com/product/aquarium-fish-supplies.cfm?c=393

I would advise going to your local fish store as they can help a lot with any questions that you may have.

Growing corals is not something that happens over night it takes months and years.

okay thank you.

does coral also need lights?

Joy at November 11, 2011 at 4:55 AM

does coral also need lights?

Yes