My Fluval Spec V Reef (Newbie + Coral Recommendation?)

[Pm5k]

I'm very new to this.

 

I have a 47 gallon bowfront that houses a six inch red eared slider turtle. I've learned all of the ins and outs of caring for a turtle, however I can't do much in terms of plants, and other fish because she'll eat anything and everything. So far I've only been able to keep on plec* because it's a full grown dwarf and it's probably too big for her to want/try to eat.

 

So we had some tenants movie into the office complex where I work who are setting up a saltwater fish/coral store. This got me very interested in saltwater, however with already having a 47 gallon tank, I didn't want to add anything big.

 

Hence the Fluval Spec V. Still at it but wanted to post some pics, and ask for a recommendation for a coral or something similar that I can put on a certain spot on my live rock. I'm still with stock lights and water flow so I need something that will work with that.

 

I'm looking for something that will wave around and hopefully be around 25.00 or less.

 

The spot I'm talking about is at the top, it's it's a bowl shaped spot, maybe big enough and deep enough to hold a cotton ball.

 

If anyone wants to know:

 

A tad over 5 pounds of Carib Sea live sand

A fairly dense, non holy 4.5 pound live rock.

Glacier water (5PPM TDS) with Instant Ocean salt

Cheap Fluval hydrometer

No heater yet, still trying to decide

Stock everything else

 

 

 

[tigrtraps]

I'm very new to this.

 

I have a 47 gallon bowfront that houses a six inch red eared slider turtle. I've learned all of the ins and outs of caring for a turtle, however I can't do much in terms of plants, and other fish because she'll eat anything and everything. So far I've only been able to keep on plec* because it's a full grown dwarf and it's probably too big for her to want/try to eat.

 

So we had some tenants movie into the office complex where I work who are setting up a saltwater fish/coral store. This got me very interested in saltwater, however with already having a 47 gallon tank, I didn't want to add anything big.

 

Hence the Fluval Spec V. Still at it but wanted to post some pics, and ask for a recommendation for a coral or something similar that I can put on a certain spot on my live rock. I'm still with stock lights and water flow so I need something that will work with that.

 

I'm looking for something that will wave around and hopefully be around 25.00 or less.

 

The spot I'm talking about is at the top, it's it's a bowl shaped spot, maybe big enough and deep enough to hold a cotton ball.

 

If anyone wants to know:

 

A tad over 5 pounds of Carib Sea live sand

A fairly dense, non holy 4.5 pound live rock.

Glacier water (5PPM TDS) with Instant Ocean salt

Cheap Fluval hydrometer

No heater yet, still trying to decide

Stock everything else

 

IMG_427344.jpg

 

IMG_42788.jpg

 

Well, it's a start! Most all of us ditch the stock lighting, and until you do I can't directly recommend any coral. People have trouble killing Xenia coral though, and it's cheap as well as wavy. The coral comes in various colors, I linked to the white one cause it's the first link I found .

[Pm5k]

I'd consider coral or anything else. I know almost everyone replaces the lights, but I just haven't done the homework and am trying to spread everything out a bit so I don't spend too much at once. Hadn't thought about it but would like contrast with the rock.

 

EDIT: I guess we could put anything in that space, doesn't have to be wavy, because I remembered we were thinking about putting wavy corals on either side of the rock, to the left and right in the open space.

 

I bought that rock because I thought it would be cool to put things in the nooks.

[Geppetto]

Understandably you want to keep cost down, but I highly suggest replacing the lights as soon as possible. The stock lights are too weak for reef application that a lot of corals wont survive, and the ones that can survive, will not have enough light and turn brown. New lights, depending on which you get, will allow you to keep a whole other range of corals.

 

Their are coral that don't need light, but those are a bit more difficult to keep. The number one investment you should make in your tank, in my opinion and a lot of others, is the lighting.

 

If you still want to keep your stock lights, I suggest these two zoanthids, dragon eyes and eagle eyes. VERY easy to keep. And most mushrooms.

[Cameron6796]

I assume you know the cycling process, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. I also assume you have salt in th water lol. Get a heater soon, then lights

 

Do not add anything until you do research on its needs, if you upgrade the lights you could get a euphylia coral, they have great movement and are relativly easy to keep the will just need better lighting then the stock light. Also all euphylia corals will not sting each other so they can be placed near each other, however they will sting other corals so give them lots of space.

Here are the three most common euphylia

 

Hammer corals have "c" shape or hammer shaped tips

 

Or a torch coral they have long tentacles with coloured tips .

 

Or a frogspawn coral these have multiple tips on each tentacle

 

If you bought another small rock and put the two rocks on opposite sides you could have an island of all euphylia and that way they won't sting non euphylia corals on the other rock.

[Pm5k]

I'll definitely do it. It's not even the money, it's just so much to absorb, it was a lot just to get here, so it's the combination of the homework and the cost.

 

I really want something that looks like it came with the tank. I do have soldering skills, and that's where the homework comes in, see what other people have done and decide what I want to do, where to get it, etc.