# Planning additions - Advice Appreciated



## nema (Oct 22, 2013)

Howdy,

A brief run down of my setup:
24g JBJ nano with a protein skimmer, 50/50 CF Lighting, Phosphate remover and heater as well; Live sand and Live Rock with 2 Emerald Crab, 4 snails and 2 hermet crab.

I cycled my tank for about 2 months testing the water as i went and did ~20% water changes every 2 weeks. Once my Nitrite/Nitrate/Ammonia/Phosphate where at 0 and my Ph stayed at 8.4 for 4 weeks I was comfortable adding an Anemone.

My metallic green BTA was added first so it could find its home before I even considered other corals. you can see that it's now sitting here







and seems happy but I'm keeping an eye on it for the next few weeks to make sure it doesn't die/crash.

My question is this, I want to add all my coral and inverts and let them grow and settle for a few months between the last addition and the first fish. In addition to the Anemone I was thinking of adding a Lemon Tree Coral, Lavender Mushroom, Sarcophyton Toadstool Leather Coral and _possibly_ Maiden's Hair.

The Maiden's Hair is more because it has a soft flowey look that I like but I keep finding information on how harmful it can be, is this true?



To recap: What corals do you all recommend for someone who's a relative beginner but isn't in huge rush (id rather have a successful beautiful tank down the road than a rushed tank).


If the fish I'm considering matter, I'm looking at Clown Fish (Orange), Kaudern's Cardinal (black and white) and Orange Stripe Prawn Goby [if not a fourth one].

*c/p*


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

You are going in good order!The nems will overpower almost any coral so making sure they are happy and "stationary" is important(especially in tight quaters).all your corals look good but I would add GSP(Green Star Polyps) as they are simple and beautiful.As far as the maidens hair goes most keep algae(macros) in their sumps where it can serve it's filtering function and not "run rampant" in tank.
I had issues with a very invasive calurpae which with time and dilligance I eliminated with hydrogen peroxide when it finally got "out of control".So if you really want it in tank(I don't blame you) then just keep an eye on it and maybe add algae eating fish and it will be no problem.If it becomes a problem just "shoot it" with hydrogen peroxide every other day till it is gone(about 5ml is very safe for your tank size).


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## Jet (Oct 14, 2013)

Tubastrea aurea, orange polyp coral would look nice with green stars. It is simple to care for and is nice and small. You have to wait about a week, though, once you first get it for the polyps to open up.


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## nema (Oct 22, 2013)

I talked to the Aquarium Store near me and for the Orange Polyps they said I would need to feed it every night by hand with tweasers to each polyp. Is this true or do you have a different route you take for taking care of the orange Polyps?



Thus far I'm looking at adding the Lavendar Mushroom, Toadstool Leather Coral and the Green Star Polyps at the moment.

Thanks for the advice thus far!


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## Jet (Oct 14, 2013)

Yes, you do have to feed it, which can be annoying. But I got so much into the habit it really isn't an inconvenience to me anymore. To me it's worth it, but if you don't want to keep up with that kind of maintenance, an easy coral is Euphyllia glabresens, commonly known as torch coral. It is widely available and you don't have to hand feed it. Plus it looks nice, especially if you have any current.


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

A Torch is not for a beginner either, as it too should be spot fed weekly. It is a LPS and therefore needs more lighting than a CLF can produce. Calcium, Alkalinity and Magnesium levels need to be kept in check with LPS corals as well.
Torch Coral
Saltwater Aquarium Corals for Marine Reef Aquariums: Tube Coral, Orange


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