I have no idea how you guys do it.. noob..

[tegracer877]

ok so I really have no idea how you guys manage to have such beutifull tanks full of large corals.. im in need of a basic rundown on coral care, placement and just a general guide i suppose.. ive been searching with no such luck so im hoping to get some insight from the pros.

ive had my tank set up about a month now, 6g nano reef with one clown, 3 hermits, 3 peppermint shrimp.

i have one zoa plug with about 7 polyps, one star polyp plug, one small leather/tree thing, and one mushroom that is not atached to anything..

my zoa is doing ok i think.. pretty much the same from when i got it, my star polyp has not opend up yet in 3 days.. and it looks like the shrimps might have ate it.. my leather tree thing got knocked over and fell down to the bottom and my mushroom keeps getting blown around and isnt blooming out at all.. its super small now

i have decent lighting i think.. coralife bulb.. how the F do you guys get them to stick on your rocks and grow???

 

[italipinos8]

I dont think its that hard. Just start off with easy corals. At least thats what im doing. You have to glue some of your corals down to the rock if you want them to stay. Also each coral has different flow requirements. If it is on a plug then you just have to let it outgrow it. Nothing to do but wait for them to grow.

Get a pulsing xenia. Mine is growing like a weed so far.

 

[PRC]

With corals, you start with beginner corals... zoas, mushrooms, mostly soft corals...Wait until you get more knowledge under your belt for SPS (hard corals)..

There are a few different ways to glue frags to rock...SuperGlue Gel (Yes you can use it in your display tank.)...This is my preferred and alot of other reefers way of attaching things to rock..Just take the frag upside down so the frag plug is just above the water, tamp the frag plug dry, squirt some superglue Gel on it, and stick it to the rock..)

There are SPS Glues, which are actually just superglue in a giant bottle.

There are 2 part epoxies. they can work well too.

 

[little_fish]

It important to remember that you are keeping water if you want to keep a great tank. Besides researching each coral you have and making sure that they are in the correct light and flow, you should have really good water.

I think keeping pristine water is key to good coral growth more than anything else.

But try gluing the mushroom down like suggested, try moving the GSP to a higher flow, pick the leather back and i think you be fine . . . .

But to be 100% sure, what exactly is your lighting so we can check it is good enough to keep corals.

 

[italipinos8]

ok so I really have no idea how you guys manage to have such beutifull tanks full of large corals.. im in need of a basic rundown on coral care, placement and just a general guide i suppose.. ive been searching with no such luck so im hoping to get some insight from the pros.

ive had my tank set up about a month now, 6g nano reef with one clown, 3 hermits, 3 peppermint shrimp.

i have one zoa plug with about 7 polyps, one star polyp plug, one small leather/tree thing, and one mushroom that is not atached to anything..

my zoa is doing ok i think.. pretty much the same from when i got it, my star polyp has not opend up yet in 3 days.. and it looks like the shrimps might have ate it.. my leather tree thing got knocked over and fell down to the bottom and my mushroom keeps getting blown around and isnt blooming out at all.. its super small now

i have decent lighting i think.. coralife bulb.. how the F do you guys get them to stick on your rocks and grow???

Also i think more people can help if you list your parameters. Are you using RODI water?

 

[dcantucson]

Doesn't sound like you're doing that badly to me. :)
Test your water. Water parameters are the most important thing in reef keeping. If you have bad water quality, then even the easy corals won't grow much. Good water quality equals good coral growth.

BTW welcome to the forum.

 

[tegracer877]

I am not using RO/DI water right now, i am using real seawater though since i have just a small tank it seems the best way, and im using distilled water for top offs.

my water usually tests like this
amonia:0
nit:0
nitrate:0
KH: 180-200ppm
calcium: 500ppm
PH:8.2
salt: 1.024
phos: .25ppm

my lighting isnt ideal since i have a fluval edge but its upgraded with LED, 7000k bulbs and a single compact florecent coralife 50/50 10000K

 

[little_fish]

That phosphate is what is getting your corals, small amounts are pretty deadly to them. I would look into getting a fuge put together or a GFO reactor to try and get those down.

 

[d2mini]

Patience, Daniel-Son.... patience. :D

Plugs can be stuck in holes in your rock, epoxied to the rock or superglued. Hard corals can be superglued straight to the rock without a plug. Softer corals can sometimes be glued, or strap them to a rock with a rubber band for a week or two until they attach by themselves.

 

[Ulta]

That phosphate is what is getting your corals, small amounts are pretty deadly to them. I would look into getting a fuge put together or a GFO reactor to try and get those down.

Weird that your getting Phosphates... and I don't think hes into a fudge or GFO reactor for a 6g tank >_<!

Having a Small 6g tank is actually harder to keep your water parameters stable. B/c it doesn't take much to throw things way off : /

 

[AmberSunrise]

I have about the same stuff as you and the same time frame.

I have learned that my corals will not open if they are blown around on the ground or even touched by a snail or crab they will stay closed for hours.

First thing is to get some super glue gel and try to get everything firmly placed this has really helped mine feel better about opening up. Its very messy and takes practice.

I moved my corals to a separate bowl with tank water in it and glued them to larger chunks of rocks, this made it much easier to reach them but with a 6g I would imagine you can do it right in the tank.

Give the glue a few seconds to start to harden then stick it where you want it and hold it in place for a minute to give it time to dry a bit.

Are you using any coral foods? I use brightwell microvore.

 

[little_fish]

Actually none of the corals you have need to be fed. I think that will just muck up your water. They get everything they need from the light and what is already in the water column.

 

[tegracer877]

thank you for the help guys, i just picked up some glue, il be trying it out soon and im getting rid of 2 of my pepper shrimp, those things are PSYCO im hoping that will give my corals an easier time not getting knocked over. and my leather tree thing is missing.. its just gone.. i have no idea..