Corals for my stock nano cube?????

[seashellshelly]

Okay, I have a 12 gal nano cube with stock lighting (50/50 24 watts) and I am a total newbie with corals. I am wanting to purchase some corals for my tank but have no idea where to start. Please give me some very specific suggestions for corals that would work in my tank and that would be fairly easy to care for. Any tips or suggestions are appreciated!

 

Shelly

[embryoguy]

shelly,

 

i had a nano cube also with stock lighting, and for 6 months i had 3 varieties of mushrooms and 3 types of zooanthids. all did extremely well and are very easy to take care of. they can handle the flucutations in water quality. how recent have you bought your nano cube? can you still return it? if you still can, you so should consider waiting a few weeks bec the new nano cube wtih more lighting and cooling fans will be available, which will give you more flexibility. best of luck.

 

ps i also have 6 snails, 1 hermit crab, 1 clownfish, pseudocromis, and coral banded shrimp, again with 3types of mushrooms and 3 vaireties of polyps. key is water changes and small feedings. i only feed my fish every other day and FLAKE food only.

[Changisbad]

I have a stock nano cube as well and have had great success. Easy corals to keep in there include:mushrooms, ricordea, yellow colony polyps, GSP, zoo's. All of these are easy to care for and are doing quite well and growing like wildfire in my nano. I only keep one fish and 1 shrimp. HTH

[seashellshelly]

Thanks guys!

 

One more question.........Do corals count as part of your bioload?? I was planning to add 2 or 3 small fish eventually.

 

Thanks

Shelly

[secretreef]

hey Shelly i have a 12 gallon nano with stock lighting for 1 exception that i retro fitted it with a moonlight in it under the splash guard which was very nice i can add pics if u want. For the most part this is what i have in my tank

 

1 cleaner shrimp

2 true percs

1 orchid dottyback

10 turbo snails

3 red scarlet hermits

1 Fox coral

1 sponge

1 Pulsating Xenia

1 Palm palm Xenia

1 rocks of green and brown mushrooms

1 Sebea Anemoe

1 Disc coral

1 brain coral

1 frag green star pollops

1 frag of candy coral

 

And everything is fine, just dont over feed and keep on those weekly water changes and as long as u have less then me in theory u should be better off then me. And i am doing great.

i use Frog bites to feed my fish between feedings. They are small and does not could up your water and the fish love it. 2 gallon water change a week and u shouldnt have to add any at all chemicals because the salt mixture should have as much as u need.

[xtremeyolks]

Secretreef what salt mix do you use?

[embryoguy]

secret reef! do you have stock lighting? its nice to see someone willing to take chances with having as much as he wants. i agree completely with you, water changes and no overfeeding is key. q

 

question to all? in addition to the stock lighting(24-50/50), is it ok if i add 32 wt all blue atinic or would it be better for 32wt50/50?

thanks

[seashellshelly]

Thanks secretreef! I'd love to see your tank and how you did the moonlight. I didn't realize I had so many options on corals.

[secretreef]

i have stock everything except for in my reflector i drilled a 7/8 with a drill to slip in my aqualight 3/4 blue led light ( moonlight) under the splashguard. took only 30 mins

 

xtremeyolks--I just use Kent sea salt or oceanic sea salt

 

embryoguy-- its ok to ad a full 32 watt blue atinic but i would think your lighting would look weiiiirdd and grow more algae then good. If you are doing it for a moonlight effect just do what i did and add just a moon light LED its small so it doesnt take up much room and doesnt get hot i have mine running 24/7 and when my timer kicks off my lights it shows thru.

[embryoguy]

secret reef. thanks for your thoughts, i just like how my zoos glow under the addition of the atinic. if i add a 32(50/50) wont my algae also grow? it just seems so brigt with it. and i dont find the look pleasant.

 

have you changed anything to your filter? how do you clean out your filter? i still have everythign in it but with addtion of chemipure and purigen, w/ 2 gall weekly water change.

 

shelly i heard alot of people add these moonslights. there is a guy on here that is offering to make you one for 25$, but i heard target has one for only 10$. best of luck and thanks for your thoughts secret reef.

[secretreef]

ill take yall some pictures tonight of it.

 

I understand how u say its so bright but the thing is this. IF u have so much blue light your corals and fish will think its mostly sunset. your fish have to have some contrast in day and night. the reason why i bought my moonlight was because when the lights went off it was pitch black and in the morning when it turned on it was like holy cow light and would shoot across the tank and stress them out. i would do half a blue compact but i know they dont make it that way but then again the FISH bussiness your own preference and opions.