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A Beginner guide to keeping corals in your marine aquarium

Beginner guide to keeping corals in your marine aquarium is essential

The dream of keeping a beautiful coral tank at home might be one of the main reason why you started on this hobby. This beginner guide to keeping corals in your marine aquarium is essential for you, if you are keen on setting up a marine tank and start keeping corals, but if you are totally new to this there is some tips and guide to help you along.

What are the corals that are good for beginners to keep when they are new to reefing?

The good news is that there are some species of corals that are available for beginners and these corals can be very affordable, easy to look after and hardy too which mainly come from the Large Polyp Stony Corals and Soft corals.

These corals for beginner give immense beauty, while at the same time requiring a minimum effort on the part of the person wanting to set them up and look after such a treasure possession. However, the basic requirement of maintaining the water parameter and not overstocking your tank is a must.

Here are a few corals that are ideal for beginners to use when they are just getting into reefing…

1.  Mushrooms:


Also called corallimorphs, they are corals that are very soft. Actually it is very hard to understand why they are called Mushrooms because they do not look like mushrooms – or anything near to them. But, when they move about or when they stretch in an attempt to get near to light, they do so by extending themselves on a stalk that will remain attached. It is at this time that they do appear to resemble a mushroom.

2.  Button Polyps (paly) / Zoas:


Some great features about this type of coral is that they don’t have to be fed, they will do well in light that is moderate and you also do not have to worry about them over growing. They are really very hardy and they are highly capable of looking after themselves. Though they may seem to be drab looking, if you look closely at their heads, you will discover that there is an awesome color gradient that is present over here.

3.  Anthelia:


This is an extremely attractive coral and it is very easy to keep, plus it is real hardy.  It has a tendency to grow well in tanks that have slightly higher nutrient levels. Plus it has the capability to grow very well and quite fast too. These morphs are available in many colors, the pink one being the easiest of the lot when it comes to keeping.

You can find this coral being sold under the name “waving hand” coral. A great feature of this coral is that it is really very affordable and if you happen to be acquainted to a fellow aquarist or have a friend who has this coral, just ask him or her to pluck out a few for you and there you go – you will have a got a coral for free – and that too, one that will grow.

4.  Pulsing Xenia:


This is a coral species that is very fast-growing and spectacular to observe. The name is derived due to heads of each colonial polyp opening and closing quickly and in a rhythmical fashion. These corals are very popular as they can look after themselves. They are very fond of bright light and so they will be very much at home near to the top of the tank. Though they can be fed, they really do not require any feeding. But, you must keep in mind the fact that they will grow like weeds. Also, they move about.
So, if you are keen on reefing and you want to go about setting up a marine tank so that you can have your own marine aquarium of corals and you do not know what corals you should get, the above beginner guide to keeping corals is bound to be immensely useful to you.

Larry Ng

Larry Ng (aka Harlequinmania )- Blogger, chef editor of SRC, and experience reef keeper, with over twenty years in the marine aquarium hobby. His love and crazy for marine life and fish keeping since a young age has turned his passion into a lifelong hobby. His personal 1000 gallon tank, and setup has been featured on the magazine and video.

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