Questions on corals...

[Iphantom]

I plan on getting my first coral in the near future

I am going to get:Blue Mushroom Coral

(Actinodiscus sp.)

but I have a few questions

whats the best placment for this coral?

do I feed it anything?

what about supplements?

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Now that will only be the first one...once I feel comfortable then I am going to get more... this is a list I have compiled please review and tell me what you think((LOOK AT THE LIGHT IN MY SPECS ON THE BOTTOM, ARE THIS COMPATIBLE WITH THAT LIGHT?)compatiblilty placement ect)

Blue Mushroom Coral

(Actinodiscus sp.)

Colony Polyp

(Zoanthus sp.)

Starburst Polyp Coral (green)

(Pachyclavularia sp.)

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also while searching throgh the user tanks

I see tanks like CALs *the one one the main page

and it doesnt look right

arent you supposed to put ample space beween each coral?

some of them are touching each other

 

thank you

-Matt

[SaltyDawg]

Light is their main source of food. Place it depending on the strength of your lighting and depth of your tank. usualy about midway up the reef in a moderate water flow area.

[MrConclusion]

Spacing between corals depends on which corals you're talking about. Does it grow quickly or slowly? Can you move it or cut it back when it gets too big?

 

Also, some corals are aggressive, they will sting almost anything they touch. Some corals will sting only certain others, some will not sting at all. Many stinging corals send out long sweeper tentacles at night, so you don't want anything near them downstream, but you can place mush closer upstream because sweeper tentacles "go with the flow" for the most part.

[SaltyDawg]

unless its a hairy mushroom or a ric. it wont sting jack. you could place it right up against a coral and it wouldnt harm the coral it is against. other corals can harm it though by stinging it.

A mushroom dosent produce long tentacles at night.

Your lighting is fine for the Zoo's mushrooms and prety much all soft corals, but probably not enough for small polyp stony's though.

 

As far as mushrooms go you can put them as close together to eachother as you want to . they will bend and fold themselves in a way that best suits them to get light just like a polyp matt will.

 

as far a spacing corals in general then yep. you have to be careful.

If you have two different type of leathers for example you want them on oposite side's of the tank as they compete with eachother chemicaly when placed to close to echother. they dont sting but they produce a chemical that makes one or the other draw its self in. It dosent kill the other leather but you will very rareley see them both fully erect with polyps out at the same time when placed to close together.

 

Thats about as technical as I can get on that as this is what I have experienced with mine and what my LFS has as well.

 

You have to be careful not to let other corals block out light from eachother as they grow. Research each coral before you buy it. This is one hobby that you definately dont want to be an impulse buyer in.

 

As a ruel of thumb, unless it is going to be a species only tank stay away from anything that produces long stinging tentecles in a nano reef.

 

prety much all of the anenome family with only a few exceptions to the rule are a no no as well.

 

Be weary of colt coral to as they get big quick and can sting other corals to.