# corals for beginners



## AleyLOVESanimals (Jan 24, 2011)

I'm planning on getting a 30 gallon reef tank and was wondering if you could give me names of some inexpensive, easy to care for, low light corals?

*c/p*


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## GetITCdot (Aug 4, 2009)

colt coral, kenya tree, mushrooms, and xenia


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## verdifer (Sep 8, 2010)

Finger Corals are pretty hardy, Kenya Trees are good and can spread also, I had a Kenya and every now and again you would see parts of it looking a bit different I could have waited till it fell but I just plucked it off and sat it in a hole on a rock somewhere, after about a day it would take root and start to grow so may be good to start with as 1 Kenya Tree can become a tree and a load of smaller 1's pretty quick.


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## Kaiden32 (Sep 4, 2010)

Zoanthids, xenia, mushrooms, definately. Probably a lot more others, those are just the ones that come to mind.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

Any coral will be trickier than a fish only aquarium but those are some good suggestions, just take it slow setting up.


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## chasethis1 (Feb 24, 2011)

I started out with Zoanthids, Palys, star polyps, ricordia, mushrooms, a few gorgonians are really easy, leathers are pretty cool too. Have fun, monitor your water and move forward.


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## verdifer (Sep 8, 2010)

The problem with Corals are trying to keep the Nitrates down, it can be the Bane of the Reef Keeper, Ive seen folks battle with them for what seems like forever, the Hardcore Reef Keepers so to speak aim for Nitrates under 5, there is a few ways to try and get rid of them.

Vodka Dosing seems to have really taken off big time alough Ive seen folks on forums say it didn't work for them but then again they may not have been doing it correctly.

Deep Sand Beds are good but can lead to a Nuked Tank if you stir it up by mistake, certain snails ands fish are really needed to keep it turned over properly, a guy posted on this website the other day telling how his tank got nuked.

Polyfilter pads get good reviews, I used 1 a few months back and seen no real drop in Nitrates.

Mangrove trees can survive in teh Saltwater and eat the nitrates up, I believe most who have them put them in a sump, I was wanting to get the Mangrove Trees but it's not easy getting them here in the UK.

There is also a few other products on the market claiming to reduce nitrates.


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## trouble93 (Nov 8, 2008)

verdifer said:


> The problem with Corals are trying to keep the Nitrates down, it can be the Bane of the Reef Keeper, Ive seen folks battle with them for what seems like forever, the Hardcore Reef Keepers so to speak aim for Nitrates under 5, there is a few ways to try and get rid of them.
> 
> Vodka Dosing seems to have really taken off big time alough Ive seen folks on forums say it didn't work for them but then again they may not have been doing it correctly.
> 
> ...


Just had to say it's a lot of good information here!!!!


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## trouble93 (Nov 8, 2008)

GetITCdot said:


> colt coral, kenya tree, mushrooms, and xenia


+1


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## verdifer (Sep 8, 2010)

I know beaslbob on this Forum loves the Macro Algae and I left that out of my post so he could step in, he knows more about them than me along with a few other things, can I also throw in that a different way to set-up your Reef Tank is to start with a Fish only with Live Rock and get your water perfect or near as perfect as you can then start buying Corals as opposed to going out and buying a load of Corals, takes longer but may end up saving you a lot of time and hasle down the line.

I have a freind who bought a load of Corals then started putting Fish in, after a few weeks Nitrates went up a fair bit, feeding+Fish Poo etc etc, a better way would have been fish and rock first get the water under control then the Corals.


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## Kaiden32 (Sep 4, 2010)

I agree.


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