Just Getting Back Into The Hobby =D

Hello all. My name is Brad, but I generally use the name Th0r4z1n3 on the various other sites I frequent. I'm just getting back into the hobby after about a 4-5 year hiatus. Previously I kept two 55 gallon fish-only tanks, and had pretty good success with them; having them up for about 5 years before getting out of the hobby for a while.

I'm in the process of setting up a 55 gallon tank right now, that will hopefully house some smaller fish and maybe a few corals. I've never attempted corals or anything like that before, and understand that it will be a while before I'm able to house any of them in my tank, but am hoping that proper planning from the start will help this to be a bit easier than just "jumping into them".

Just thought I'd say hi, and introduce myself. Hopefully I'll be a frequent poster, and not too much of a bother. LOL
 
Hello and Welcome!!

No need to wait with the corals, if you have the light there are many easy beginner corals that are easier to keep than fish IMO.
 
WOW! Lots of quick responses, seems like a very friendly forum. This puts me at ease a bit, some forums are can be a bit snarky towards n00bs. Thanks guys. :)
Hello and Welcome!!

No need to wait with the corals, if you have the light there are many easy beginner corals that are easier to keep than fish IMO.

Could you recommend any? That would be awesome! I've been tempted to say eff it, and just grab a couple, but everything I've read so far says to put them in an established aquarium. I'd like to get some corals in there as soon as possible, but wanna do it right.

Right now all I've got in my aquarium is my water, filter, protein skimmer, and heater. I'm still adjusting the heater to get the temp right. I'll probably grab some sand this weekend, and wait to add any live rock till I get everything stable, but if there are corals I could add sooner rather than later that'd be awesome!

My old lighting fixture got broken while in storage, so I ordered these from eBay because it was only a few dollars more than replacing the my single bulb fixture that I had before...plus I knew I needed to get more than a one-bulb set-up for corals anyway. It should arrive tomorrow according to UPS. Anyone have any input on these?

Aquarium Light 48" 216 Watt T5 Aqua Lighting Fixture Reef Fish Tank Salt Water 813373016826 | eBay
 
That looks like a very good light, but i bet the bulbs that come with it are pretty crappy so I would replace them much soon than you normally would.

And easy starter corals are: mushrooms, zoas, leather corals, palys, pulsing xenia, anthia, GSP, frogspawns, hammer corals, candy canes, trumpet corals, bubble corals, and the list goes on. Most soft and LPS corals will do just fine in a new tank.
 
You can start off with any of the soft corals such as mushrooms, leathers, ricordias, palys, zoas. You could even do Lps corals like trumpets, duncans, hammers, etc.
 
You have tons of options for corals.


However, after thinking a bit more about the light you linked to, I dont think it would be good enough to keep most SPS corals, clams and nems. But, like we have shown you, you arent lacking for coral options that would do fine with that light.
 
Yea I pretty much planned on having to replace the bulbs right off the rip, I've never heard of the brand that's pictured (Sea World?) but couldn't argue with the price for the light fixture. I've been researching "Beginner Corals" to see which ones would work well with the lighting type I have, and what depths to put them at. These guys seem to have quite a bit of information about the different corals they sell, as far as lighting tolerances and placement; not sure if I'll order from them or not, but the information seems to be good. With not having any experiance with corals at all, I'm just trying to soak up as much information as possible right now. :)

Beginner Corals: Corals Suitable for Beginners in Saltwater Aquariums

...I think I need to start a thread in the "Showcase" forum to document my progress, and maybe get some input as I go along.
 
That is a great site! They have the most accurate info on their fish and corals that I have found, they have top notch customer service and the diver's den is really great as well.

And yes you do need a tank showcase thread! We love pictures around here!
 
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