Good starter corals

[mdw1974]

I have a 60g tank. It has a few Fish in namely bangii cardinals, white goby, red anthias, peppermint shrimp and a few blue legged hermits. I'm going to add a few clownfish and maybe a drawf angel over the next few months and in 6 months or so an anemone and a mandarine. I have a pair of 5400 wave makers, and use a sump system so the flow is fairly good. I only have 4 t5 lights 2 blue and 2 white but will upgrade eventually to LED, but not for 6 months. I want to put some colour and activity in the tank so was looking and some corals. Would like 4 or 5 but will only grow 6inches or so. What are good starter corals and the look and will add good character in the tank. Thanks

[tomtom14]

Zoanthids are a good starter coral. They have medium to low flow. Pulsing Xenia is good they look like pulsing hands, the current for them just needs to be enough so they sway in the current. Button polyps are one of my favourites. They enjoy medium flow and you should feed they Mysis shrimp every 4 days. As soon as the Mysis shrimp touch the button polyp it will close up like a Venus fly trap! They are amazing. Hope this helps.

[mdw1974]

That's really helpful. Ill look into them all.

[nelix10]

I would recommend a torch , hammer or frogspawn! So fun to watch and fairly hardy!

[melosu58]

Bubble coral. leather coral and a brain coral would be good starter corals.

[tomtom14]

Don't put a bubble coral in the tank before 6 months though otherwise it will struggle and could die.

[melosu58]

My bubble coral was the first coral in the tank fifteen years ago. I`m wondering if you mean bubble tip anemone. In my experience they will do fine.

[nelix10]

I agree the Bubble coral was one of my first! It has done wonderful, my clown has hosted it and sleeps there every night!

[mdw1974]

The bubble coral looks really nice. Do they grow slow and not to big I don't want anything taking over the tank. If I get a few bubbles in different colours. How are you best to place them in the tank? What else have you got. I like some of the mushroom corals too but are not sure.

[nelix10]

Yes they grow slowly it will not take over your tank! I have a very mixed reef, Xenia, 2 torch, 2 hammer, octospawn, variety of zoes, pipe organ, a few mushrooms, trumpet, gsp, 3 acros, 3 monti digi, a monti plate, favia, 2 flowerpot's, 3 different nems, brain! Ha tough mix I guess

[mdw1974]

Yeah it is hard. corals seem harder to choose than the fish. I want something that will keep me interested, that said the LR does that. Ha. But mainly that the kids will find interesting so colours and shapes and the way the feed are important but they also need to be fairly hardy. To many choices.

[nelix10]

I find the coral far more interesting then the fish! And can be very simple to care for , good lighting, keep up with water change and heat, easy

[mdw1974]

I think the underwater world is brilliant. Problem is marine tanks are not that common where I am and people who know what they are talking about ate few and far between.

[nelix10]

Where is that? And to answer your earlier question my bubble is at the bottom in the sand

[mdw1974]

I live in coventry in the uk.