LPS and photosynthesizing corals

Jordan Botha

Jordan Botha

Joined
26 Apr 2015
Posts
76
Reaction score
2
Location
Randburg
Hey guys!
So as some of you have probably seen I am in the process of setting up my first saltwater reef tank. I just have a little more research to do before I start setting this thing up.
One of the things I am particularly excited about is the LPS corals that I plan on purchasing., so far I have come up with a small list of corals that I plan on purchasing, I just need some help finalizing it.

As I do not plan on spending 12 hours every day hand feeding each individual coral, making sure that it gets enough food, watching its feeding behavior etc, I want to purchase mainly corals that don't need to be fed by hand(photosynthetic corals).
From my understanding most LPS corals get their nutrients from photosynthesizing, so this works good for me since I prefer LPS corals over most others.
So can you guys please indicate to me what corals I should take off/add to my list?
- brain coral
- frogspawn
- hammer coral
- torch coral
- Xenia coral
- pin cushion
- GSP coral
The only coral which I do not mind hand feeding that I plan on adding;
- tube anemone (cerianthus)

And then that is it for the corals.
(Note: my apologies for asking so many q's & starting so many threads on corals,fish,filtration BUT I would rather do that than start a tank without the necessary knowledge and know how. The only stupid question is the one not asked!:thumbup:)
Kind regards,
Jordan.
 
Just make a mental note that you will need decent lights to keep most of these corals in your list.
 
The corals in your list are perfect bigger corals and the fact that you love them makes it all the better. Everything on your list can survive in a medium light tank. Whats makes you selection even better is that they also like the same flow so you don't have the problem of creating different types of flow areas in the tank.

For lighting you can go with a few T5 tubes. It will be the cheapest to setup in the beginning. If I remember correctly you are doing a 1.2 X 0.5m tank. So 4 - 6 good quality T5 tubes such as ATI or Giesemann will be more than enough. A 39W unit might be better suited to the tank length as the 54W tubes might be too long.
 
Agreed with medium lighting, if housed in decent reflectors, 4x39w decent t5's will do.
I would advise against the xenia and gsp, they grow agressively and can become problematic.
A point to remember, which most overlook, is that the lps corals you mentioned (all except the last three) do require some feeding, mostly at night.
Almost enough nutrition is suplied by a healthy fish load, but there is still a shortfall. Fortunately, a once a week feed is sufficient to keep them thriving.
The growth rate of fed vs unfed corals is worlds apart.
 
I don't mind feeding say once a week, but anything more than that is a no. I Think that I will not go down the Xenia path as they are said to "release chemicals that are a detriment to stony corals". The GSP is not a must, I just thought that they are seriously attractive corals. But given their excessive growth rates and their tendency to become problematic I think that I'll also leave them out.
That leaves 2 spots open, any suggestions?
 
Acanthastrea, Blastomussa and Echinophyllia.
Surprised you havent mentioned zoanthids. Not an lps, but care is easy and some stunning colour morphs avail.
For the record, you mentioned pin cushion... They are more renowned than xeniids for releasing allelopathic compounds. Sarcophyton terpenes... Not cool... But, generally, its a chemical, physical and biological war for real estate on any reef... Just depends how you manage it in a closed system:
http://www.int-res.com/articles/meps/121/m121p191.pdf
 
Jordan Botha said:
My tank is 100cmx50cmx50cm
Click to expand...

4x39w T5 or 2 x 70w halides with two 39w T5 and you are clear for even the most light demanding corals..... Although, would go 2 x 150w... But thats just me.... I like roasting sticks...
 
depends if you buy new or secondhand. And which brand.

For second hand, had you checked out the for sale section? Or a new sponsor here that specializes in secondhand goods - Second Wave Dynamics? They do have a bunch of T5 units available.
 
I think I saw 4 X 39W units for sale by Secondwave for around R1100. Then just replace the globes which are around R350 each for Ati. So in total you are looking around R2500 for a quad 39W unit.
 
Okay, I have been reccommended to second wave dynamics so many times, I think I'll go check it out.
That's quite a hefty amount for lights!
I am thinking I will go with T5 lights, I'll go with 2 actnics and 2 white. But I could also DIY a LED unit instead ? But if the halides are cheaper then I'll get them.
 
Halides, although cannot be beaten in terms of CRI and growth, definitely not cheaper. R1 100 for lights really isn't much.
T5 globes are expensive, and even though the second hand units globes age is an unknown, they should be ok for the corals you intend to keep.
Its not necessary to replace them for the corals you intend to keep, especially considering the depth of your tank.
Also, under no circumstances should you replace all four globes at once, the light shock will cause the corals to stress. Replace only one bulb at a time.
I would recommend to go with one actinic, one blue plus, one coral plus (very crisp)and one aquablue spezial, but as mentioned, this can be stretched over a period.
 
Dont think they have the globes....will have to get the ATI globes from decent petstore.
 
Jordan Botha said:
Can I just speak to second wave dynamics to get those globes+their ballasts?
Click to expand...

You can get ballasts and diy something, but once you add it all up, you'll most likely get to above the cost of a sexond hand unit.
The units they are mostly selling iirc odyssea, dont have the best of reflectors, but for your intended charges and tank depth it will be fine.
Start off with just one x 39w ati coral plus and within a month a new ati blue plus in a unit with whichever tubes are in the unit and youll be good to go for a while.
Thats less than R2k for lighting, quite reasonable imho.
 
Last edited:
Jordan, in keeping a tank one needs to set a budget on what one is willing to spend on the hobby. One then needs to balance what the willing spend is, the equipment cost to keep the animals and the natural human desire.

For the members to be able to help advise you on what you would like to do, perhaps give them a guide on an expected budget alongside the creatures you have indicated. You will be advised on which sections of the system you want, is best to spend more of the budget.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom