Coral Stocking Question

[rive1404]

I need help determining what corals i can keep in my 75 gallon tank. My lighting consists of a Nova Extreme 48" fixture T5HO 4x54 watt (2 10k daylight and 2 actinic) total 216 watts. I'm running fluval 405 and 305 cannister filters with a Coralife 220 needle-wheel superskimmer. Ammonia, nitrites and nitrates are at 0. Any feedback is greatly appreciated!
Thanks,

 

[nicoff08]

all soft corals will be fine under that lighting along with most of the LPS coral but wouldn't go near any SPS's. zoo's and mushrooms would do well and are great starter corals/anenomes and have a large range of colours.

 

[melosu58]

You have about the same lighting as me. Check out my gallery to see what would go in your tank. There are others that I dont have you could have also.

 

[rive1404]

You have about the same lighting as me. Check out my gallery to see what would go in your tank. There are others that I dont have you could have also.

Gorgeous tank and great advice melosu. I really wanted to get a head of frogspawn and i noticed that you had one. Would my lighting be sufficient for it and other LPS corals?

 

[melosu58]

I would think you should be OK. I had that frogspawn before I doubled my lighting. I also have it at the top of my rockwork. You should be OK for most LPS and most soft corals. BTW welome to AA

 

[cmor1701d]

What Mike said and ....

 

[rive1404]

What Mike said and ....

Thanks cmor. You guys are great, thanks for all the help!

 

[mr_X]

all soft corals will be fine under that lighting along with most of the LPS coral but wouldn't go near any SPS's. zoo's and mushrooms would do well and are great starter corals/anenomes and have a large range of colours.

i wouldn't recommend an anemone with that lighting.

 

[cmor1701d]

That light doesn't have the same the type of reflector as the Pro version, but MAY still be ok for some types of anemones that want moderate light. Be very careful in your selection if you decide to add one. At the very least wait till the tank has been running stable for 6-8 months.

 

[rive1404]

Thanks guys. I don't think I'll be looking into any anemones. For the time being I'll be satisfied with just corals. I got what looks to be a tiny frag of torch coral from a FLS, and I'll try my luck with that. One of my live rocks did come w/ a free colony of zoas and they look to be thrivin under the lighting conditions so far and this really pink flourescent mushroom looking thing that I just can't ID.

 

[cmor1701d]

Freebies on LR are so nice....

 

[nicoff08]

i wouldn't recommend an anemone with that lighting.

i meant the mushrooms as the anenomes, sorry that wasn't very clear.

 

[MsBeanCtr]

Just a little note in regards to the torch coral. Make sure you give it plenty of room. It doesn't play nicely with other corals and sting the heck out of them.

Good luck!

Thanks guys. I don't think I'll be looking into any anemones. For the time being I'll be satisfied with just corals. I got what looks to be a tiny frag of torch coral from a FLS, and I'll try my luck with that. One of my live rocks did come w/ a free colony of zoas and they look to be thrivin under the lighting conditions so far and this really pink flourescent mushroom looking thing that I just can't ID.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Uhhhh.... I second that. Don't make the newbie mistake I made and put the torch in the center of your tank where it can reach out in allllll directions! I actually witnessed my torch attacking my stylophora. Very interesting to watch, but I was also scrambling for my 6" tweezers to break up the fight! (Stylo got moved and has made a full recovery. Torch got pruned, and is going to be finding a new home soon!)

 

[lance]

Coral like good flow as much or more then high light. You could get any coral or have a mixed reef. You would be limited in some corals placement. Like a SPS or LPS would like it up high and many coral maynot like it very low. MB sea fans or sun corals but the rest will want to be in the mid range. SO keep this in mind with rocks scape making space for them.

And the anemone might be fine but be sure water quality is high.

 

[Ziggy953]

T5 lighting does generate enough light to support most corals. If you are interested in SPS corals you will need them high in the tank. Digitata is a good option as they will grow under PC lighting, the only thing is they may not have the intense color they would under MH. Research the needs of each coral you are interested in before you purchase. Liveaquaria.com can help you out there.

 

[Innovator]

I highly disagree with T5's being unsuitable for coral growth. Rive, I really do not see a problem in being able to house a large variety of corals including sps with your lighting. Take a long look at this thread for some ideas in regards to lamp choices/placements and par.

Reef Central Online Community - The T5 Q&a Thread

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=918935