Starting corals??

Discussion in 'Coral' started by James.jcb.baker, Nov 29, 2010.

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  1. TheSaltwaterGuy

    TheSaltwaterGuy Banned

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    nice!
     
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  3. James.jcb.baker

    James.jcb.baker Flamingo Tongue

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    thanks again for the advise! very much appreciated. ill keep clear of the goniopora. Do you guys use automatic dosing systems?
     
  4. TheSaltwaterGuy

    TheSaltwaterGuy Banned

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    No i do not. I use instant ocean reef crystals, which comes with extra calcium and magnesium. If you have lots of corals, your reef might not last forever just by using that salt. I dose after i do a water change; first i check my parameters, and then add calcium and mag as directed by the manufacturer. if i test my params and there good, then I'm good for the week until i do my next water change.
     
  5. TheSaltwaterGuy

    TheSaltwaterGuy Banned

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    one more thing; do you know what drip acclimation is?
     
  6. James.jcb.baker

    James.jcb.baker Flamingo Tongue

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    ah right ok thanks, i kinda got the impression that i needed an automatic doser. i can add things myself most of the time but i have nobody to add/check perameters when i go away for the odd week. before its just been fish in my tank and ihave managed with an auto feeder with marine flakes in it but i worry about spending lots of money on corals and it all going wrong when i go away?
     
  7. James.jcb.baker

    James.jcb.baker Flamingo Tongue

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    and no, sorry i dont know what drip acclimation is? should i?
     
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  9. TheSaltwaterGuy

    TheSaltwaterGuy Banned

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    well I haven't really heard about an automatic doser, and since different manufacturer's products are different and may require different doses to reach the desired calcium and mag levels, it may be difficult to use. But im gonna do some research on that; sounds like a good idea. Any more questions? ;)
     
  10. James.jcb.baker

    James.jcb.baker Flamingo Tongue

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    ah right, maybe its got another name from here in the uk? thanks for your help! u should just visit n set up my tank lol i kinda started feeling comfortable in fish keeping but feel so outta my depth with adding corals into the mix.thanks again for your help youve made things a lill less 'cloudy' :)
     
  11. TheSaltwaterGuy

    TheSaltwaterGuy Banned

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    Well ur familiar with regular acclimation right? if not then tell me because it's kind of important. drip acclimation basically involves a bucket, airline tubing, the water in the bag, and the coral (also applies to other inverts like shrimp, clams, sea stars, crabs, etc.) anyway, you put the water in the bag into the bucket with the invert or coral or whatever u have. you start airline tubing by sucking water from the main tank. you need to make sure that the drip acclimation is about 3-4 drops per second. it has like a valve to control it. anyway, u have to keep the invert in the water at all times (obviously) and u need to drip acclimate for at least 45 minutes. This is because inverts are more sensitive to changes in water chemistry. So keeping 3-4 drips per second (i usually do this for about an hour), then u have to put the invert in. unfortunately, u have to put the store's water into your tank (at least a little) because u dont wanna expose the invert to the air. once the invert is in, it'll usually hide somewhere if it's like a shrimp or crab; for corals, they'll usually be closed up. always put the corals at the lowest spot in the tank possible away from completely direct light. over the course of a few weeks, gradually move the coral into the light and where u want it but very slowly. lets say u brought in some zoas, right? it's on the sand bed. one week passes; move it up a little bit; maybe on the first LR from the floor. then eventually do the same for weeks until its where u want it to be. Do you have a metal halide?
     
  12. blackraven1425

    blackraven1425 Giant Squid

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    It helps quite a bit with maintenance, having gotten a pair of dosers for alkalinity and calcium a couple months ago myself. You don't need it in a softies tank at all, though. If you go away for the odd week, I would get an ATO, otherwise you're gonna have some wicked salinity swings, which isn't good for any coral.

    Just pointing out, I haven't done anything other than a temperature acclimation to a coral in months, and have had no losses with softies, LPS and SPS being added in this way. If your salinity is right, and the other tank's is right, you have nothing to worry about, which is one way the ATO helps a lot.