Your First Hard Corals: LPS Hard Corals

dallasg

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Here is a list of MY 10 easy to keep LPS corals for the beginners, i have often been asked which to start of with so i am giving a full list of easy to keep LPS corals and their care and requirements. Once you have kept these successfully you can move on to more finicky LPS and start looking further at SPS, NPS.
I have all of these in my very basic system and all are flourishing with minimal care specifically for this article.

Large Polyp Stony Corals are generally larger calcareous corals with large fleshy polyps. The degree of extension of the tentacles depends upon the amount of light, current, and whether the coral is feeding or not. Most LPS corals have long sweeper tentacles which they use to keep any other organisms a safe distance away, to feed and might possibly damage other corals or livestock.

Now when i mean easy, i dont mean you can add these in the first week of adding water, i mean your water must be perfect and tank must be cycled. prefered params as follows:

  1. Ammonnia and Nitrites at 0
  2. Nitrates < 10ppm
  3. Phosphates as close to 0 but not more than 0.25ppm
  4. Calcium around 400ppm - 450ppm
  5. Magnesium around 1350ppm
  6. alkalinity levels between 2.5-3.5 meq/L (7-10 dKH).
  7. pH 8.1-8.4
  8. sg 1.023-1.025

Lets start off with the list:

  1. Candy Cane - (Caulastrea furcata)
  2. Trumpet Coral - (Caulastrea curvata)
  3. Brain Corals - (Trachyphyllia sp.)
  4. Short tenticle plate coral - (Fungia repanda)
  5. Bubble Corals - (Plerogyra sp.)
  6. Brain Corals - (Lobophyllia sp.)
  7. Button Corals - (Cynarina sp.)
  8. Pagoda Cup Coral - (Turbinaria peltata)
  9. Fox Coral - (Nemenzophyllia turbida)
  10. Brain Coral - (Favites spp.)
Candy Cane - (Caulastrea furcata)
Temperament
: Peaceful

Lighting:Moderate
Waterflow
:Medium

Placement:All
candycane.jpg



Trumpet Coral - (Caulastrea curvata)
Temperament: Peaceful
Lighting
:Moderate

Waterflow:Medium
Placement:Bottom to Middle
trumpetcoral.jpg



Brain Corals - (Trachyphyllia sp.)

Temperament: Semi-aggressive
Lighting: Moderate
Waterflow: Medium
Placement: Bottom
Trachyphyllia.jpg



Short tenticle plate coral - (Fungia repanda)
Temperament: Semi-aggressive
Lighting: Moderate
Waterflow
: Low to Medium

Placement
: Bottom

Shorttenticleplatecoral.jpg


Bubble Corals - (Plerogyra sp.)
Temperament: Aggressive
Lighting
: Moderate
Waterflow: Low to Medium
Placement
: Bottom to Middle

bubblecoral.jpg


Brain Corals - (Lobophyllia sp.)
Temperament: Semi-aggressive
Lighting: Moderate to High
Waterflow
: Medium

Placement
: All

Lobophyllia.jpg


Button Corals - (Cynarina sp.)
Temperament: Peaceful
Lighting
: Moderate

Waterflow
: Low

Placement
: Bottom to Middle

Cynarina.jpg


Pagoda Cup Coral - (Turbinaria peltata)

Temperament: Peaceful
Lighting
: Moderate

Waterflow
: Medium

Placement
: Bottom to Middle

PagodaCupCoral.jpg


Fox Coral - (Nemenzophyllia turbida)

Temperament: Peaceful
Lighting
: Low to Moderate

Waterflow
: Low

Placement
: Bottom

FoxCoral.jpg


Brain Coral - (Favites spp.)
Temperament: Aggressive
Lighting
: Moderate

Waterflow
: Medium

Placement: All
Favites.jpg

 
Nice Dallas... Thank you!!!

@Jeann1 - Yes - they are all photosynthetic...

Just out of curiousity Dallas, why not the likes of hammers, torches and frogspawn?

I have not kept many LPS before, but is there any reason you would say those are more difficult to keep?
 
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Nice Dallas... Thank you!!!

@Jeann1 - Yes - they are all photosynthetic...

Just out of curiousity Dallas, why not the likes of hammers, torches and frogspawn?

I have not kept many LPS before, but is there any reason you would say those are more difficult to keep?

Not saying they not good for beginners, but these 10 should be the first in the tank of LPS as they are fire and forget, where as hammers and torch etc require a litte more care with regards to food, light and water params
 
What do you consider "Moderate Lighting"? If I have for egsample a small 50cm cubed tanks.....?
 
What do you consider "Moderate Lighting"? If I have for egsample a small 50cm cubed tanks.....?

that would be used in conjunction with placement. a 50cm cube can have various lighting options, but a 400w MH would be overkill, even a 250w.
150w mh or 4 T5's placed low in the tank, near rock work would be moderate.

it also refers to its need for photosynthesis, less light less dependant on it, eighter it has loads of zoozanthallae or filter feeds as well
 
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I was under the impression one needs to feed candy canes and trumpets?
you dont have too, but one can feed all corals. these would even benefit from broadcast feeding.
 
I was under the impression one needs to feed candy canes and trumpets?
for those that visited my previous house, saw them growing in my goldfish bowl pico, with nothing but sunlight and an airstone <------ dont try this at home
 
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Awesome thread Dallas....

So what do you propose regarding Hammers? Since getting my hammer I dont sleep very soundly and wake up in a sweat to go and check on it... damn its stressful for a newby....
 
Thx dallas - excellent thread. I have a frogspawn and hammer which are thriving, and took out a torch which grew too fast! They never got food except the odd reefsnow every other week. Placement counts - just enough light and flow. Too much flow and the tentacles if i can call it that rub on the hard skeleton, so just keep an eye on that and it should be pretty hard to kill a LPS
 
Awesome thread Dallas....

So what do you propose regarding Hammers?
your're in good hands, dont worry about the hammer

Since getting my hammer I dont sleep very soundly and wake up in a sweat to go and check on it... damn its stressful for a newby....
this is normal, first signs of addiction, sorry no cure
 
Whats your secret? :tt2:
secret is " The most dangerous thing you can put in your tank are your hands"
get it running and let nature take control and get balance. also its easy to maintain 3L of water.
also was plumbed into a 1000L sump, only kidding

awesome thread... 10/10

:bigthumbup:

glad you liked it, i am doing a fish and SPS one as well

Thanks Dallas Awesome post
my pleasure

He he.... I think Dallas has webbed feet or was sprung from a mermaid.... Have you noticed he's a Vegan.... doesnt even eat Mysis!!!!;)
very true... at one with the ocean
 
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