Good corals for beginner?

[Lab_Rat]

What corals would you recommend for a total sw beginner. Tank is a 24g Aquapod with the PC lighting (1x32w dual daylight and 1x32w dual actinic). So far there is no livestock, save for a couple of hermit crabs and snails. Tank has been running at my place since June and had been running for 3 years with a prior owner. I'm thinking of starting to add the livestock in late Sept or early October if everything continues to be stable. I'm looking for easy, beginner friendly corals.

[txg8gxp]

zoa's, paly's, mushrooms, softies (kenya, xenia, etc) even alot of lps are easy to keep. IMO As long as you use good water and stay on top of water changes, you could keep alot of stuff happy under pc lighting.

[Lab_Rat]

Ok, cool! I'm doing 10% weekly water changes and buying the pre-mixed saltwater from Texas Tropicals. On my FW tanks I do 50% weekly but that seems extreme based on what I've read for SW.

Do you have to stock corals slowly? Not sure how much they contribute to bioload.

[txg8gxp]

It's always smart to add stuff slow. Depending on the coral it may not add to bioload, but the extra feedings will (mainly LPS stuff). 10% sounds fine to me, I normally do a 5g water change on my bc29...but I don't think I need too. If possible use RO for your top off water.

[Lab_Rat]

I plan on using bottled RO water to top off since I don't have a RO/DI unit. There is not a whole lot of evaporation so far, but I don't run the lights a lot either. Figure there is no reason to grow algae before adding stock that needs the lights on.

[allan]

I've a digitata purple that would probably do well under pc in a small tank. I think it's the easiest of the sps.

[bullstedman]

I have some cheap softies foor sale colt, pom poms, kenya,

[stoneroller]

you could keep alot of stuff happy under pc lighting.

... and you must replace your PCs every 6 months or so as they will lose PAR through time (like all bulbs).

I'd add green star polyps to the mix of good beginner coral. Check the for sale postings for starter frags.

[CoryDude]

zoa's, paly's, mushrooms, softies (kenya, xenia, etc) even alot of lps are easy to keep.

Good list. The only thing I'd add to it are acans.


I'd add green star polyps to the mix of good beginner coral. Check the for sale postings for starter frags.

The only thing I hated about star polyps, is if you get tired of them, good luck getting rid of them. I still have little patches that show up here and there. If you keep star polyps, keep them isolated to 1 rock and keep that rock on your sand bed. That way they don't spread to your main rock pile.

[Lab_Rat]

Thanks for all the recommendations! I probably won't add any corals until October, this gives me plenty of time to look up requirements for all those types of corals.

[jrsatx20]

I would get water from another source. I've used the windmill for water changes and top off.

[tebstan]

Good list. The only thing I'd add to it are acans.


+1!
I started with the easy beginner stuff too like mushrooms, leather, zoas. Actually still have mostly that... but the acans are by far more entertaining with a wide variety to choose from, and just as easy to care for. You can feed them if you want to see a reaction from them, but don't have to if that's not your kinda thing.

[Lab_Rat]

I would get water from another source. I've used the windmill for water changes and top off.

From a different source other than Texas Tropicals or than HEB for top offs?