Help!! Need Tips to keep Coral

[stardust0408]

Hey I intend to keep 2 pairs of clown fish live rock and some coral.

Which type of coral is cheaper ans easier to keep.

Pls teach me...

thks..

[blueheaven]

Are you referring to LPS?

[veliferium]

Soft corals are easier thn hards and usually the first bought by beginners....

If u wanna try hard corals u can try opn brains or bubbles

[iantoh]

hi stardust, try leather corals if youre intending to keep a pair of clownfish. leather corals or sarcophytons as they are more properly known as, are entirely photosynthetic and just require sufficient lighting for their sustenance. T5 lightings for your tank ought to be sufficient. the clown fish will also play within the coral's tentacles in the absence of anemones which are harder to keep and ought not to be tried immediatly by beginners. try to get two or three palm sized leather corals (they cost about $5 to $8 per colony) so as to allow the clownfish to play in them whilst also allowing the corals nemo-free time to extend their tentacles and feed on light. think they make excellent beginner corals and are relatively easy to keep. just ensure you maintain the same water parameters as you would for your fish- that is, above 8.0 ph, above 8dkh, and low/no nitrites, nitrates.

another hardy coral you could consider would be the hairy mushrooms and ricordea yumas. these are the cheaper, more common mushroom corals, and clownfish are known to rest on them in the absense of anemones. they are also photosynthetic and do not have very strong lighting or water flow requirements.

do read up more about these two corals species and possibly others before you purchase them. for easy reading, you can check out www.liveaquaria.com, and for more advanced reading, www.wetwebmedia.com

cheers,

ian

[stardust0408]

iantoh,

as u mention the 'absense of anemones' . what is tat?

Is a an good factor os bad factor for both the fish and the coral.

How to acquire it if it good factor

and how prevent it if it bad

[Alvin Tan]

clownfish with the absence of anemone means tt the tank has only clownfish without the anemone...it has no disadvantage therefore safe to keep clownfish without the anemone..my $0.02..

[Pterois volitan]

Well..

I suggest you better decide whether you wanna keep soft corals or hard corals first . SOME soft corals are quite damaging to hard corals if you put them together.. especially the mucus they expel from their mouth.

I do think brains and pratas are easiest to keep.

My opinion.

[yiling]

you can start with star polyps , zoos or mushies.

those are hardy

[damienkee]

i will suggest mushie 1st!

all the best!

[Volitan]

another hardy coral you could consider would be the hairy mushrooms and ricordea yumas. these are the cheaper, more common mushroom corals, and clownfish are known to rest on them in the absense of anemones. they are also photosynthetic and do not have very strong lighting or water flow requirements.

Yeah, mushies are relatively easy to keep for beginners. If the mushies expand sufficiently, clowns may actually host in them. I suggest trying out with hairy or common mushrooms 1st, as they are cheaper compared to yumas. But yumas will be more colourful and pleasing to look at.

[Kelmen]

just my experience on "clownfish with no anemone":

especially if they are wild caught, if you put some coral that have strong/mild sting, like hammer. clownfish may try host on them.

And it depend on many factors, like the coral size, "endurance" to clownfish hosting, the coral may or may not do well.

In my experience, I put in a Goniopora (flowerpot), my Ocellaris decide give it a try. With some few accidents on the coral dropping (not glueing properly), the coral now looks die die liao.

[wil_lee76]

i will suggest mushie 1st!

all the best!

i think the most hardy that you can ever find is "live rocks" that the easiest.....

**lame joke***

[Volitan]

just my experience on "clownfish with no anemone":

especially if they are wild caught, if you put some coral that have strong/mild sting, like hammer. clownfish may try host on them.

And it depend on many factors, like the coral size, "endurance" to clownfish hosting, the coral may or may not do well.

In my experience, I put in a Goniopora (flowerpot), my Ocellaris decide give it a try. With some few accidents on the coral dropping (not glueing properly), the coral now looks die die liao.

I have similar experience on clowns trying to host on flower pots too. As a result the flower pot refuse to extend the tentacles, and after weeks it died. Is there any way to prevent or counter this?

I thought if clowns could host on flower pots, it may also look awesome.

[Kelmen]

I read its kind of on luck. Some flowerpot seems doesn't care, probably bigger size and different species.

Anyway, in my case, I stocked in a BTA, my Ocellaris host on it within 1 day, no more bother the florwerpot (probably too late ).

Now my Ocellaris is very territorial defensive, which it don't behave such prior the hosting. It bite my hand whenever I put hand working in the tank now! :|

[RAV-65]

i think the most hardy that you can ever find is "live rocks" that the easiest.....

**lame joke***

And "live sand"...