Corals for Dummy Question :-)

Thanks a lot! I saw some rics online that I really liked. Indestructible sounds good to me!

 

I shop at The Reef Gardener and they are very good for getting coral online. Also a good source to show you the different colors a lot of zoas, palys, and rics come in. Pretty much the only place I get my corals from any more since I don't have an LFS.

 

Thanks for the link, I will check the website out right now. You're always happy with your corals from them? I assume so, or you wouldn't recommend them!

Oh, I'm excited, but I'm getting really nervous. So much to think about with this new aspect of my tank!

I'm on the website now - it's fantastic! The pictures are great.

 

Yes, I have always been more than happy with them! They are a sponsor here too. And they also have a e-bay. You can check that out, as you can save a ton sometimes on some really nice pieces. And whats great is the pics are 100% accurate. I have purchased a few times from other places that photoshop the heck out of their pics, and it's really disappointing when you get them and they don't look as colorful. But Reef Gardeners pics are spot-on with no photoshopping.

 

Okay so I looked at my light today and it's a 5500°K daylight, full-spectrum fluorescent light. Is this good enough for low light soft corals? The tank is also by a window, so it gets natural daylight as well. I know nothing about lighting...

 

Sorry about this... bump...

 

Well let me start by saying I am pretty green in this hobby, but ...

From my understanding both lower Kelvin lamps and also having the tank in direct sunlight are harbingers of algae blooms.

Most corals live at some depth, and water stops the penetration of red light fairly quickly, so blue light is what many corals thrive under ...

Which is why higher Kelvin lamps (>10,000K) as well as blue and actinic (420 nm) lamps are generally used for corals. These lamps also act like "black lights" causing the corals to fluoresce and making them look, well, COOL MAN!

Again I am quite new to the hobby so I am sure someone more knowledgeable than myself can either confirm or refute the information I am positing.

And thanks for the thread, I am looking for some good starter corals myself!

 

I know the tank shouldn't be next to a window, but I haven't had any algae problems. If it does become a problem I'll just move it (easier said than done, haha). I can upgrade my light. It would just be better if I didn't need to, obviously! I'll keep doing research...

thanks for the reply!