how to choose

so i have been doing a lot of online browsing, i never new how many kind and colors of corals there are. how do you pick and decide what you want to put in your homemade ocean. so many choices the lfs i go to has basic easy to sell stuff, I'm assuming that is why

sorry if this is the wrong place to post this

 

well you pick what you want, then make sure your tank can handle it, then make sure you can handle it time/maintenance wise, make sure you have enough lighting, make sure your params are stable enough for it, make sure you have the right amount of flow, make sure you have a spot in the tank for it with the right lighting, flow and location, make sure something in your tank won't eat it, make sure you have the right food for it, then if ya still think its cool and you have a spot, ya buy it

 

thanks cosmo! my biggest problem with choosing anything is i suck at narrowing it down. for instance i was looking at palys for one of my first additions and holy crap there are so many i need alot bigger tank.

 

lol bro, that's the addiction of this hobby in a nutshell, always a reason to upgrade except the extra cash needed. Basically, I'd recommend a goal for the tank and go from there. If you're new, I'm assuming, just startwith wome euphyiliias, torch, hammer, frogspawn corals, some shrooms, zoas and and a few palys. I like my xenia, but be careful, it can overtake a tank. Then think about a clam, I love mine. Then when you are good with those, add some favia, acans, chalices and montiporra. The next level of keeping corals, you'll want a decent skimmer at this point and decent test kits and maybe some dosing equipemt. Now you get into work and money, SPS, great skimmer, great param testing, great lighting, expensive power heads/flow, reactors, dosing, etc. But this step is prob a solid year dow the road and can be prepped for. I'd say follow that path, learn as you go, save money as you go, and always buy equipment ready for the next step so you dont have all the crap that isn't good enough anymore laying around

good luck!

 

thanks a bunch! yeah i am new i had a 55 awhile back and got back into it with a 180 trying to do it right this time! or better than before at least.

 

Think about placement, and coral aggression and growth rates.

If you decide to go with corals like Xenia, Kenya trees and GSP, expect that if conditions are right they will take over all available space. That is fine if you want a tank dominated by soft corals.

LPS can be very aggressive and damage and kill other corals, you want to allow for room to grow and consider placement.

I also think about coloration and ability to feed, you do not want to purchase NPS for their outstanding colors and watch them all slowly starve to death.

Flow and movement: Do want a tank with wonderful soft corals and Gorgonians that sway in the current or a tank with little coral moves dominated by sps.

Consider the size of your tank, IME turning a small tank into a mixed reef is more difficult. Best to decide what coral types you want as the main show pieces.