Coral

[FrogFrenzy]

How much live coral can I put in a 50 gallon tank? I'm on a budget so I'd like to get just enough to look good and be good for the fish.

 

[Daniel Fishy]

A lot and depending on what type, whats your light source?

 

[FrogFrenzy]

A lot and depending on what type, whats your light source?

Umm I'm not sure I haven't gotten the tank yet. I'm sorta new to saltwater.

 

[FrogFrenzy]

But how many separate pieces of coral do I need in a 50 gallon tank?

 

[Searchin]

You are looking at it all wrong, it's not how many d you need, it's how many would you like.

Coral grows so theoretically you could put one Xenia in there and have it cover the whole tank.

Tell me more about your budget, makes me curious if you are ready for putting together a saltwater tank in general

 

[Mebbid]

Agreed, you are looking at coral in entirely the wrong way. It's more about how much coral you want in there to find visually appealing. You also have to keep in mind that most corals have hugely different needs and growth patterns with some growing soo fast that they can grow right over other nearby corals killing them. Or some others that are soo aggressive that they need to be kept 5 - 6 inches away from others.

But for a ballpark:
In my 20g high tank I have 7 different types of coral with about 16 different strains in total. I could potentially fit a lot more but the more I stick in there the more cluttered it looks and I'm happy with what I have until I upgrade to my 40b.

Mushrooms - 4 different color strains
Ricordea
Pulsing Xenia
Kenya Tree
Finger Leather
Zoanthid - 3 different color strains
Palythoa - 4 different color strains
Candy Cane