What corals can my current setup handle?

[sooju]

After taking a few months to get my head wrapped around this new hobby (or rather obsession), I'm now thinking about my tank's future and trying to plan ahead. The equipment and current occupants are listed below. I would like to add 1-2 more fish in the near future and then focus on corals over the next year or two.

So far I have two zoas. I picked up a torch a couple weeks ago but it died (brown jelly). Either it was damaged or I put it in a spot with too much flow. It was an expensive mistake and I'd like to avoid making it again until I have a better idea of what I'm doing!

The zoas are beautiful but I would really love to have at least one LPS coral. Do I have enough light? It's a tall tank so there's a lot of opportunity for adjusting closer or farther from the light. In addition to the sump return pipe and HOB overflow box there is flow from 4 small powerheads stationed along the top edge of the tank. The tank stays consistently at 78-79 degrees.

Please help me identify some good matches for my tank. I bought it as an established tank (6-7 yrs old) so I think it's ready for this next phase of its life. Thanks!

[Devilishturtles]

You can definitely get an LPS in there, if not a torch then perhaps a frogspawn or hammer for a colorful addition. Be careful when handling them and check them well in the store. They needs medium flow and as you learned the flesh is very susceptible to infection if damaged.

You don't really have enought light for anything other than soft corals and LPS but there is a lot of variety.

Good luck

[sooju]

Okay, so possibly a torch, hammer, or frogspawn. And I know I can handle mushrooms, zoanthids, and button polyps.

What about xenia?

Or are there any colorful leathers that could survive under my lighting conditions?

[Fierro Nights]

leathers you can have w/out a problem but they are not too colorful, turn different colors from deep purple when closed to an old piece of bubble gum pink when they unfold.

has anyone attempted to inject corals w/ color dye? im interested in the results. im thinking of experimenting this with one of my leather frags.

[melosu58]

I agree with the above choices. I would like to suggest a bubble coral.

[sooju]

I had no intention of going to the LFS today but I was out running errands and that's where my car went. I'm hopeless. And now I have a small pom pom xenia that makes me smile every time I look at it. I love the way it looks like it's waving.

The guy at the store recommended putting it on a baseball size rock on the substrate to prevent it from spreading too much. Is this good advice? Would it be okay that far from the light?

On another note - and I should probably search for this before asking - but does anyone have a coral reference book they would recommend? The LFS had one called "Corals" that seemed pretty comprehensive but it only had soft and hard corals, no zoas or mushrooms.

[ccCapt]

Originally Posted by Fierro Nights

has anyone attempted to inject corals w/ color dye? im interested in the results. im thinking of experimenting this with one of my leather frags.

I hope you aren't serious. Please enlighten yourself.
The Tragedy of Artificially Colored Live Corals by Anthony Calfo

[ccCapt]

Originally Posted by newbieNY

On another note - and I should probably search for this before asking - but does anyone have a coral reference book they would recommend? The LFS had one called "Corals" that seemed pretty comprehensive but it only had soft and hard corals, no zoas or mushrooms.

Aquarium Corals: Selection, Husbandry, and Natural History by Eric Borneman

[Fierro Nights]

oh geeze, i didnt know it was already being done, thats sad, i didnt know it would kill it, im glad now that i asked first, thank you.