Corals

[1234-fishy-freind]

Hi guys.
Ive been thinking over my current situation and ive been wondering if having corals is really worth it.
The only corals i have had success with are my mushrooms, cabbage coral, toadstool coral and polyps.
I also have a large tank of 100 gallons so I have to spent alot of money on additives.
The lighting also costs a bomb to run.
So is the hassle of keeping corals really worth it or would I be better off with a FOWLR setup?

what are your thoughts

josh

 

[seffieuk]

Worth every penny

Seffie x

 

[seffieuk]

Double post - don't know how it happened - sorry

 

[SkiFletch]

Well, I'm a full-on coral addict, so i would obviously say it's worth it, but if you're feeling stressed by it, then it might not be for you. Sadly we can't make that decision for you

 

[1234-fishy-freind]

I think the main thing for me is that Ive kept corals and just had them go down the drain even when water quality is good, for example, my pussy coral, which is probably the most pathetic thing ever seen and I think its too far along to recolver.
Also my green star polyp colony detoriated due to high nitrates at one point but that is under controll now so heres hoping that the few polyps left will recover.

What are everyone elses views here.
Im hoping to get a good topic going.


Josh

 

[scott133]

i some times regret it i had a reef when i first set up the went to flowr as i was loosing corals but im had to go back to the reef it is just so much better

 

[xxBarneyxx]

I actually like the corals more than the fish to be honest Given the recent outbreak of whitespot and fish deciding to rip each other apart in my tank recently the idea of an invert only tank is starting to sound pretty good right now

 

[ben1987]

the corals give the tank a real wow factor imo. Worth all the hastle and money imo.

 

[1234-fishy-freind]

Barney, maybe if you just kept fish with no corals then the white spot wouldnt of been a problem however, if youre a coral lover then its understandable hahaha.

I think im going to give it a couple more months before i decided as im begining to cope with stat swings better as im testing to see weekley consumption of things and adding enough "stuff" to keep things at right levels.

Yes ben i do agree that they do make a tank look alot more interesting, but what has a torch coral got that a blue face angel doesnt have


josh

 

[xxBarneyxx]

I think im going to give it a couple more months before i decided as im begining to cope with stat swings better as im testing to see weekley consumption of things and adding enough "stuff" to keep things at right levels.

This could be part of the problem mate. Unless you have a LOT of SPS corals you really dont need to mess around with dosing things. Just get a decent salt brand and leave it all to regular water changes. I havent ever dosed any of my tanks (despite the salt Im using having crap calc and mag) and all my corals have done fine with good growth rates. I may start dosing on my new tank but only because its about 150g total and doing regular water changes on it is going to be more hassle then dosing to keep it at the right level.

 

[1234-fishy-freind]

Hmm possibly.
When I next do a water change I will test the water I willbe putting in beofre it goes in after i have just added salt to it and tell you the stats and you tell me what you think.

What salt brand do you use?

 

[ben1987]

i use TMC Pro reef salt. Pretty much bang on the mark for all elements. Dissolves really easily too as its synthetic so very fine. Tad on the expensive side though.

 

[xxBarneyxx]

I used to use instant ocean which had pretty low calc and mag (and PH tended to come out slightly lower too). Despite all these being lower than "recommended" though all my corals did really well. In my opinion its much more important to have stable water stats then to have them constantly going up and down while you try to get the "magic number"

I have just switched to red sea coral pro (mainly because its the only one they had at my LFS when I was in desprate need of more salt). I havent tested it yet so cant say if its better or not but I tend to not test to much as I can normally see from the corals and their growth if everything is ok. This is probably not the "best" way to do it but I think a lot of people worry to much about trying to get things "just right" and end up doing more harm than good (not to mention getting stressed out and losing interest in it because they are constantly having to measure and adjust, measure and adjust ).

 

[1234-fishy-freind]

Hmmm... I think I will give that a go then barney. It does seem to make pretty good sence to be honets.
I am moving house shortly so that will be when I buy some new salt and give this a go.
cheers

josh

 

[bitfishy]

I'm of a similar mind to yourself 1234 - my tank is a death trap for corals - and being an animal lover I can't justify it t myself. I don't know what it is but they all die within a year (I only have two leathers from my original set-up). I have however had more success with filter feeders - I've had two for six months and they seem very healthy. My stats swing too and I've always got phsosphate no matter what I do. The whole thing just becomes a chore when you're helplessly watching something slowly waste away. You have my sympathy.

I'm starting a new tank now, making sure I get everything right from the outset - its much bigger - 100gal - which is supposed to make life easier (and it has a sump!). also lost a few corals due to rockslides so EVERYTHING will be glued down lol. I'm also going to invest in decorative algae!

Good luck to you whatever you do, your tank is supposed to give you joy, so IMO do whatever you have to to make it enjoyable again, if thats FOWLR for now then so be it!