Coral Choice Help

[CCXGT]

So... Just been down to the LFS and had a look at their coral tank.

 

I'd like to run a few corals by you guys to see what you think.

 

First, the whole tank:

 

A few I've picked out:

A leather toadstool

 

Red mushrooms

 

Another toadstool

 

A plate

 

Feather duster (£17 for one)

[GHill762]

I know very little about leathers but always liked toadstools, that yellow one is good looking.

 

feather dusters look nice, but they can be fragile and short-lived. they also typically need regular feeding.

 

plate coral should be pretty easy care, not a bad looking plate.

 

mushrooms are always nice for a plush look, but be aware they can spread quickly depending on the tank.

 

as for prices, I don't know what pounds are so I can't help with pricing.. lol..

 

I like that hammer coral in the background.

 

what are your goals for the tank? what kind of lighting do you have? how big is the tank?

[CCXGT]

I know very little about leathers but always liked toadstools, that yellow one is good looking.

 

feather dusters look nice, but they can be fragile and short-lived. they also typically need regular feeding.

 

plate coral should be pretty easy care, not a bad looking plate.

 

mushrooms are always nice for a plush look, but be aware they can spread quickly depending on the tank.

 

as for prices, I don't know what pounds are so I can't help with pricing.. lol..

 

I like that hammer coral in the background.

 

what are your goals for the tank? what kind of lighting do you have? how big is the tank?

It's a standard 10G, currently a FOWLR with one single Perc.

 

I have a 120w Full Spectrum LED Tile.

 

A Koralia 425, might be swapping out for a Jebao RW4 in the future.

 

I don't really have any goals with it at the mo, it's my first ever salty tank and I want a taste of the addiction.

 

I'm pretty sure £1 is $1.50 these days XD

 

They all seemed pretty expensive, that Hammer cost £65 ($90).

 

I do have a second LFS to go to, it's just a bit further away.

[GHill762]

hammers tend to be expensive, $90 is probably a pretty fair price considering its size.

 

picking an end goal would be a good first move. do you want a plush softie/leather tank? are you thinking sps? or maybe a primarily lps tank with a few soft and sps?

 

if you start with a bunch of soft corals and later decide you want hard corals, it can be difficult to remove many soft corals..

 

sounds like light and flow are in pretty good shape, as long as your parameters are fine you should be set for most stuff. flow could probably be a little higher for sps but I wouldn't start with sps anyway.

[CCXGT]

hammers tend to be expensive, $90 is probably a pretty fair price considering its size.

 

picking an end goal would be a good first move. do you want a plush softie/leather tank? are you thinking sps? or maybe a primarily lps tank with a few soft and sps?

 

if you start with a bunch of soft corals and later decide you want hard corals, it can be difficult to remove many soft corals..

 

sounds like light and flow are in pretty good shape, as long as your parameters are fine you should be set for most stuff. flow could probably be a little higher for sps but I wouldn't start with sps anyway.

Just a lil Softie/LPS tank.

 

I was considering a couple Zoa colonies.

 

A GSP (doubtful).

 

A biggish mushroom/leather.

 

Perhaps a Hammer, just not that size.

 

Perhaps a Torch.

 

And maybe an easy SPS, like a Monti Cap.

[Maniu]

Start with zoas, gsp and mushrooms first. If they survive 1st month in your new tank then add something more challenging like leather or torch.

 

P.s those fans look tempting

[CronicReefer]

I would buy that mushroom, it has some very nice color and isn't as expensive as everything else there. Definitely check out that other store. They may have better selection or at least pricing because $90 for a hammer that size/color is pretty expensive imo.

[GHill762]

I would buy that mushroom, it has some very nice color and isn't as expensive as everything else there. Definitely check out that other store. They may have better selection or at least pricing because $90 for a hammer that size/color is pretty expensive imo.

not really, I'd say thats average around here.. the hammer looks pretty good size there. I've seen hammers everywhere from $65-120+ in that size range for a standard color hammer (both locally and online).

 

the mushroom may look nicer under blues but it looks kinda brown in the pic to me (probably just the lighting).

 

that said, I'd probably check the other store out too, seems like a pretty limited selection in that tank.

[CCXGT]

Well the tank has literally just finished it's cycle, about 4 days ago.

 

The first fish went in today and I have no plans to get any others.

 

You think it'd be wise to pick up that mushroom group so soon?

 

Keeping in mind that I haven't had the lights on throughout the cycle and haven't experienced an algae outbreak yet.

[CCXGT]

The other LFS actually specialises in Africans (my main tank).

 

They do have a wall dedicated to salt though..

 

I'll try and get down there soon.

[CCXGT]

I would buy that mushroom, it has some very nice color and isn't as expensive as everything else there. Definitely check out that other store. They may have better selection or at least pricing because $90 for a hammer that size/color is pretty expensive imo.

Just been checking out that mushroom.

 

Is that not 2 different corals?

 

In the back are just standard Red Mushrooms but in the front isn't that a Rhodactis?

 

Or are they just the same thing and I'm being an idiot?

[CronicReefer]

The mushroom is two different kinds, the one in front looks like a ricordea or just a bumpy mushroom, which is also why I think you should buy it. Standard prices for hammers around here are $30-60 so that's why I thought it was expensive.

 

Just been checking out that mushroom.

Is that not 2 different corals?

In the back are just standard Red Mushrooms but in the front isn't that a Rhodactis?

Or are they just the same thing and I'm being an idiot?

[GHill762]

Just been checking out that mushroom.

 

Is that not 2 different corals?

 

In the back are just standard Red Mushrooms but in the front isn't that a Rhodactis?

 

Or are they just the same thing and I'm being an idiot?

they're definitely different. the smooth ones look like they have a metallic green hue, may look better under blues. the bumpy one looks like a rhodactis to me as well, looks like it could be red and blue maybe, once again different lighting will show different colors..

 

 

 

The mushroom is two different kinds, the one in front looks like a ricordea or just a bumpy mushroom, which is also why I think you should buy it. Standard prices for hammers around here are $30-60 so that's why I thought it was expensive.

that's a pretty good price for hammers, at least from what I've seen. they always want $90+ for a hammer at the closest lfs..

[JMarcink91]

If it were me I would buy either the mushrooms or the plate. The yellow toadstool looks pretty nice, but in a 10g it could quickly take up alot of your space. The bumpy mushroom is not a ricordea, but is different than the other red smooth looking ones. It could be rhodactis or could just be a bumpy discosoma I am not sure. If you get the mushrooms though I would separate that one so that the other ones do not take it over.

[CCXGT]

If it were me I would buy either the mushrooms or the plate. The yellow toadstool looks pretty nice, but in a 10g it could quickly take up alot of your space. The bumpy mushroom is not a ricordea, but is different than the other red smooth looking ones. It could be rhodactis or could just be a bumpy discosoma I am not sure. If you get the mushrooms though I would separate that one so that the other ones do not take it over.

I'm not sure how to go about separating them to begin with.

 

Is it absolutely necessary?

 

Aren't mushrooms notoriously hard to stick to rocks?

 

Would I need to glue it down?

[hey]

if the shroom doesn't come on a rock place some rubble in a shot glass and set the shroom on top of it, in a few days it should attach to a piece of rubble which you can glue where you want.

[CCXGT]

if the shroom doesn't come on a rock place some rubble in a shot glass and set the shroom on top of it, in a few days it should attach to a piece of rubble which you can glue where you want.

It's not that it doesn't come on a rock, it's the fact that two mushrooms are sharing one rock.

 

I want to avoid having to split them since I don't trust myself in doing it right..

[hey]

It's not that it doesn't come on a rock, it's the fact that two mushrooms are sharing one rock.

 

I want to avoid having to split them since I don't trust myself in doing it right..

you could literally pull it off with your fingers to separate it, mushrooms are hardy. Then take it and do the shotglass thing with it and voila mushrooms separated.

[JMarcink91]

If you have coral cutters (bone cutters) or any heavy duty cutting tool, you can just cut that section of the rock off so that the mushroom is still sticking to the rock. This is not 100% necessary, they should be fine on the same rock. It is just something I personally would do since that one looks nicer than the others so it doesn't get smothered.

 

Even a hammer and chisel could work too. Wait until the coral is acclimated to your tank. Then if you want to separate them, wiggle the rock around under water to make they close up a little bit. You will see where the foot is attached. Cut or chisel the rock to separate

[CCXGT]

Well.. I got the Shrooms.

 

They've been in for about 2 mins at this point.

 

I've decided not to split them.

 

There is a LOT of Red heads on this piece, growing all over, so I'm afraid a few have been sentenced to the sandbed.

 

The Red/Blue Rhodactis is pretty huge and I've got it facing upwards.

 

There is a second 'Rhodactis' looking head on it, it has different colouration but I'm not too sure yet.

 

Anyways... At the mo I've got the Powerhead on alone. When should I turn on the lights?

[CCXGT]

I just flicked the blues on to see what's what and this is what I was presented with:

 

THEY'RE GLOWY!!!

 

There is quite a lot going on on this rock but the camera picks up almost none of it.

 

I'll try for a better pic when they've all opened up and are doing fine.

[JMarcink91]

Looks good welcome to the addiction! haha

[GHill762]

Cool! Good choice

[CCXGT]

Looks good welcome to the addiction! haha

Oh no.... God help me.

[JMarcink91]

lmao theres no helping you! That tank will be fully stocked and rocking some nice pieces very soon!