Corals for Beginner

[clowntrigger]

Hi to all

Saw these posting in Saltwater Aquarium forum, thought might be very helpful to those beginner trying to keep coral like me. Here you go.....

The following is a list of hardy corals for the beginner. It is intended to educate, and inform new hobbyists about the different corals offered for sale in the hobby that are easy for beginners to keep. Even though the corals listed are quite hardy...they still need good water quality, and proper care if they are going to survive and thrive in captivity. The scope of this file is not to explain the proper water parameters for a reef tank. There are plenty of good books on the subject, and great files in the FISHNET libraries that can be utilized for this purpose. This file is to help educate new hobbyists with the names and care of hardy corals...which can sometimes be confusing to a beginner. I hope you will find the following list useful.

SOFT CORALS

Scientific name: Sarcophyton sp.

Common name(s): Leather Corals, Umbrella Corals

Tips on care: Give moderate to strong light and good current. May not extend polyps after the following: handling, water

changes, moving coral to a different location, or shipping. Leather Corals slough off an outer layer of tissue at regular

intervals as an anti-fouling aid, and this is normal.

Scientific name: Lobophyton sp.

Common name(s): Scalloped Leather Coral, Finger Leather Coral

Tips on care: Give moderate to strong light and good current. Sheds mucus just like Sarcophyton sp.

Scientific name: Sinularia sp.

Common name(s): Finger Coral, Soft Flower Coral

Tips on care: Same as Lobophyton sp. This species is badly affected by high phosphate levels.

Scientific name: Clavularia sp.

Common name(s): Star Polyps

Tips on care: Give moderate to strong light, and moderate tohigh current. Green species do best under strong light. In low

light conditions they can lose their green color. Under good conditions Star Polyps will spread to adjacent rocks. Use of an

Iodine supplement helps these corals do well.

Scientific name: Cornularia sp.

Common name(s): Clove Polyps

Tips on care: Same as Clavularia sp.

Scientific name: Xenia sp.

Common name(s): Pulse Coral

Tips on care: Give strong light and good current. Under goodconditions Xenia can spread rapidly, and seems to do best when ithas "room" to grow. This species is sometimes known to "crash", and Iodine supplements are essential to the overall health of

Xenia. Problems have also been reported with shipping, so it might be better if you can obtain a specimen locally.

Scientific name: Gorgonia sp. ( General )

Common name(s): Gorgonians, Sea Fans, Sea Whips

Tips on care: Photosynthetic Gorgonians can be recommended to the beginner. They require strong light and strong current. The polyps can be fed occasionally with small food pieces like finely chopped shrimp, fish, etc. Photosynthetic Gorgonians usually have polyps colored green, tan, or brown. Polyps colored red, orange, yellow, or white are non-photosynthetic Gorgonians. Non -photosynthetic Gorgonians should be avoided by the beginner because of their heavy feeding requirements.

HARD CORALS

Scientific name: Lobophyllia sp.

Common name(s): Tooth Coral, Meat Coral

Tips on care: Give moderate light and moderate current. Can befed small pieces of fish or shrimp occasionally. Sensitive to

stings from other corals.

Scientific name: Trachyphyllia geoffroyi

Common name(s): Open Brain Coral

Tips on care: Give moderate light and low current.Occasionally can be fed with small pieces of fish or shrimp whententacles are expanded. Iodine supplements are essential to the overall health of this species.

Scientific name: Symphyllia sp.

Common name(s): Flat Brain, Tooth Coral, Lobed Brain Coral

Tips on care: Give moderate light and low current. Can be fedsmall pieces of fish or shrimp occasionally.

Scientific name: Turbinaria peltata

Common name(s): Cup Coral, Saucer Coral, Vase Coral

Tips on care: Give moderate light and moderate to high current.Can be fed with small pieces of food.

Scientific name: Cynarina lacrymalis

Common name(s): Tooth Coral, Doughnut Coral, Meat Polyp

Tips on care: Give low to moderate light and low current. Can be fed occasionally. Is sensitive to other corals, so keep it

away from other species.

Scientific name: Polyphyllia sp.

Common name(s): Slipper coral

Tips on care: Place on the bottom of the tank in moderate to low light and low current. Can be fed brine shrimp or other small

foods occasionally.

Scientific name: Herpolitha limax

Common name(s): Tongue Coral

Tips on care: Place coral on the bottom of the tank in moderate to low light and low current. Coral can move around by inflating its tissue.

Scientific name: Favites sp.

Common name(s): Pineapple Coral, Moon Coral

Tips on care: Give moderate to strong light and moderate current. Can be fed small pieces of fish or shrimp occasionally.

Scientific name: Oulophyllia sp.

Common name(s): Brain Coral

Tips on care: Same as Favites sp.

Scientific name: Favia sp.

Common name(s): Closed Brain Coral, Pineapple Coral

Tips on care: Same as Favites sp.

Scientific name: Caulastrea sp.

Common name(s): Trumpet Coral, Candycane Coral

Tips on care: Give strong light and low current. Can be fed occasionally with small pieces of fish or shrimp.

Scientific name: Euphyllia divisa

Common name(s): Frogspawn Coral

Tips on care: Give moderate to strong light and low current.This coral needs room to expand. Should be kept in aquariums 50gallons or larger because they can grow quickly.

Scientific name: Catalaphyllia jardinei

Common name(s): Elegant Coral, Elegance Coral, Elegans Coral

Tips on care: Give moderate light and low current. Keep good calcium levels and add a strontium supplement (this should be done if you keep ANY hard corals). This coral needs room to expand. Should be kept in aquariums 50 gallons or larger because they can grow quickly.

FALSE CORALS

Scientific name: Actinodiscus sp.

Common name(s): Mushroom Corals, Mushroom Anemones, Mushrooms

Tips on care: This species comes in many sizes and colors. In general they prefer moderate light and low current. Red and blue

mushrooms seem to prefer more light then most others, so you may want to give these stronger light. Iodine supplements are

essential to the overall health of this species.

Scientific name: Rhodactis sp. and Discosoma sp.

Common name(s): Fuzzy Mushrooms, Giant Mushrooms, Elephant Ear Corals

Tips on care: These are similar to the Actinodiscus sp., butthey are larger. Some species have small tentacles on the surface.

Give moderate to strong light and low current. Can be fed small pieces of shrimp or fish occasionally. When fed Rhodactis sp.

close up like a "bag" and consume the food. This is normal and when they are done they slowly open back up. Give these species room in the tank because they can bother other organisms.

Scientific name: Amplexidiscus sp.

Common name(s): Elephant Ear Coral

Tips on care: This species is one of the largest species offalse corals. It can reach almost a foot across in some cases.

Give it the same care as Rhodactis sp. and Discosoma sp. One word of caution, this coral may eat small fish that swim into its

stubby tentacles. This species needs a lot of room.

Scientific name: Ricordea sp.

Common name(s): Ricordea, Florida False Coral, Mushroom Corals

Tips on care: Similar to Actinodiscus sp. This species has small stubby tentacles on the surface of the "shrooms". Give

moderate to strong light and low current. Green species prefer strong light.

SEA MATS

Scientific name: Zoanthus sp. ( General )

Common name(s): Zoanthids, Sea Mats, Button Polyps

Tips on care: Many species of of Zoanthids available, most arehardy. In general give moderate to strong light and moderate

current. Usually green specimens are from very shallow areas, so they prefer strong light. Some species can be fed with brine

shrimp occasionally.

Scientific name: Parazoanthus sp.

Common name(s): Yellow Polyp Colony, Yellow Polyps

Tips on care: Give strong light and strong current. Feed occasionally with small pieces of shrimp, fish, and brine shrimp.

A NOTE ON FEEDING

All the corals listed above can...for the most part, subsist on photosynthesis carried out by their symbiotic zooxanthellae algae. This is not to say don't feed at all, but feed conservatively. The corals that can be fed, should be fed. Feedings can enhance growth, reproduction, and overall health. Feedings will also help the corals nutritional needs along with their symbiotic algae. A few words of caution about feeding though. Since you are just beginning be careful, and feed conservatively. When you feed use a syringe or turkey baster to feed the target animal. DO NOT just add food to the tank. By using a syringe you can spot feed the target corals and little food is wasted. You DO NOT want to over feed, or just add food to the water because you will run into pollution problems. Remove ANY food that is not eaten by the corals. Remember...feed the corals, but feed conservatively. This will hopefully allow you to feed the corals without running into pollution problems. When you get the hang of keeping corals, good water quality, and gain more experience you can experiment with heavier feedings and feed more often.

[Limpc]

Thanks for the exhaustive list.

If there is picture of the coral attached with the description, that would be perfect. I'm one of the those who is confused with the name of coral. If u try consulting some LFS, you became lagi blur...

So, if a online encyclopaedia (spelling ?) is available in this club, I believe it will help the newbie reef enthusiats a lot. This one for you AT.

Limpc

[Morgan]

Scientific name: Catalaphyllia jardinei

Common name(s): Elegant Coral, Elegance Coral, Elegans Coral

I do not think that the above corals can be classified as a beginner coral.

I would like to find out how many of you guys/gals out there keep this coral and how long did you keep it.

[Tanzy]

Scientific name: Euphyllia divisa

Common name(s): Frogspawn Coral

Tips on care: Give moderate to strong light and low current.This coral needs room to expand. Should be kept in aquariums 50gallons or larger because they can grow quickly.

I'll include the whole Euphyllia genus as good and hardy LPS to begin with. They will include Torch and Hammer corals too.

[[d]3v|L]

wa very detail, nxt time print it out.

[anakjoh]

Good suggestion - Limpc

Not everyone can afford Dr. Axelrod's book esp. when you only want to keep a few corals.

[Stenopus Hispidus]

   Morgan

                           Posted on Dec 13 2002, 05:35 PM

                           Scientific name: Catalaphyllia jardinei

                           Common name(s): Elegant Coral, Elegance Coral, Elegans Coral

                           I do not think that the above corals can be classified as a beginner coral.

                           I would like to find out how many of you guys/gals out there keep this coral and how long did you keep it.

Hmmm...do you have a problem with that coral? Could it be a defective piece that you bought?

[Morgan]

Hi Stenopus Hispidus

You have elegant in your tank?

How long have you kept it.

Mine start out looking good with good expansion, after a period time the tissue expands less and the also it start to recede.

[Stenopus Hispidus]

Hi Morgan,

Yes as a matter of fact I do have an Elegance in my tank. It was in my 4footer for 6 years until a snail/ hermit must have knocked it down and part of it came into contact with a favite. Both got a good beating. After that I moved the Elegance to my Nano for recuperation where it healed with part of it damaged permanently. It stayed there for another year and its still in there today. All in all...7 years.

I've not tried another one other than the current one that I have and all along I got the idea that it was easy. So now I am just wondering if Elegance these days are more difficult to keep? Is it because it was badly shipped as I have seen in some LFS? Could they have came from a demanding waters or different locality? etc, etc.

By the way, how long did yours lasted before it started shrivelling.

After dinner I went to my Nano to take a pic of my Elegance. Its seems to be in the pink of health leh. Its skeleton base in only 2" long plus another 2" that is already dead. The amount of meat it is putting out of its 2" skeleton is unbelievable, speaking of which, I think I should move him back to the 4 footer soon.

[Morgan]

Stenopus Hispidus

Beautiful elegant you got there.

What kid of lighting did you keep it under?

Do you feed it on a regular basis?

Mine does not last more than 6 months.

[Stenopus Hispidus]

Morgan,

Thanks for the compliment.

In the 4 ft it was sitting midway in the tank under 10K MH 175 watt (3yrs) & 20K MH 175 watt (another 3) and finally in my 2ft using 10K Compact Fluo. (55 watt) + Blue Compact Fluo. (55 watt) + Arcadia Actinic Fluo. (18 watt).

I don't specifically feed it but I don't deny that it might have made an occasional meal of frozen mysid or bs meant for my fishes. That itself is quite rare cos I don't have much fishes to feed. I am actually a 98% coral 2% fish kind of person.

I am sure you can have better success with them cos your other corals look nice and healthy. Esp. like your poci.

[Morgan]

Hi Stenopus Hispidus

Thanks for the reply.

So a less intense light level is required for it to thrive. I think mine must have been fried under direct sunlight.

My reef tank is basically corals only. There are only 4 fishes (for pest control, but not really working) in it which you can hardly see.

I also have tank dedicated to fishes.

Poci are easy corals to keep if condition are right and they grow pretty fast. And they are very brittle which break during handling and so made alot frags.

I lost half of my poci frags to RTN about 1.5mths back .

Fortunately, the spread has stopped.

[Sinn]

ive spent a few hrs searching thru the list and searched thru liveaquaria.com for their pics and more info.

those who wants the list can pm me

[mv3i]

pm you liao ....

can email me pls

[Sinn]

done so

[mv3i]

haven't got received it yet ,,,, can email one more time .... thanks

[hosoonhee]

hi,can pm me too,just started into this hobby.

[LiveRock]

Me need one too. If can, do email me.

Thanks a bunch!