Coral suggestions?

[jc47799]

Hey everyone,

My tank 29g tank with 10g sump is a solid 6 months old, and is doing great! I am getting some nice coraline algae growth over the live rock, and glass. Now that the tank is nice and healthy, and I have some money to spend on corals I'm ready to buy my first group. I'm looking to get something relatively easy to care for. My tank inhabitants include ~15 hermit crabs, 4 red banded trochus snails, two common cleaner shrimp, a royal gramma, and two ocelaris clowns. I have fallen in love with Zoas, but was wondering if any of the experts out there have any suggestions? I have T5 bulbs (one 10,000K, and an actinic). let me know! thanks for all of the help!

~JC

 

[beckbrass]

You should be able to grow some zoas and some softies but 2 lights is not much light. I'd at least ditch the actinic and put an ati blue plus in so your getting good light out of both bulbs instead of just one. Good luck.

 

[jarrodsanborn]

agreed with the bulb or fixture upgrade. until then most zoas should do fine. they might not grow fast or at all....., but will do fine if you keep them up in the top 1/2 of the tank.
There are a bunch of softies that would do well to, so try to start planning out how you want the tank to look in a year. it will help your purchasing decisions.

for future thinking, you might want to consider a 4x24w fixture with 2 ati blue plus, a 10k of your choice(Ati/Giesemann preferred) and then maybe a figi purple or another blue plus.

for reference i kept many softies and zoa/palys ALIVE temporarily in a 29 with just 2 17w 10k t8 bulbs in a junk fixture(for 8 months). the par was 20 at the highest point. now i have them nearing 300.

If you are ever up in nh, pm me and i could hook you up with a sample pack of easy stuff.

 

[jamesdong009]

If you're able to, I would look for a 4 bulb fixture for your tank. In the meantime, the best thing you can do is swap out the bulbs for an ATI Blue Special and an ATI Blue+.

You should be able to keep some softies and zoas for now.

 

[jc47799]

Thanks everyone for the input! Jarrod - I might take you up on that offer at some point soon.

~JC

 

[Bobbofin]

Zoas, softies, maybe an LPS up high once you switch out the bulbs to ATI to a blue special (full spectrum with blue) and blue plus (420/460nm actinic). B at Skipton's carries ATI bulbs.

 

[jc47799]

Good to know. I'm planning on swinging by skiptons this week. So the consensus for the time being while I work with the rig I have would be to swap out the actinic bulb for a a blue plus, or should I change out the 10,000K as well for a blue +?

~JC

 

[jc47799]

Cancel that last post...

 

[inverted]

Zoas, ricordias, mushroom corals. For LPS, definitely should be able to do chalice corals, acans, also there are some corals that will do well with some spot feeding, symphillia, Tracyphilia. There really is quite a bit that can do fine in low light, not that more light wouldn't be better.