Hello all! First time reefer looking for first corals advice

[LaneBrain]

Hello everyone!
I am a new reefer and this forum has already been such a help! I took care of cichlids for a while, then made the switch to a 29g saltwater FOWLR tank because “I don’t think I’ll ever want coral”. HA
So now, I am in the process of starting a 75g reef tank. I built the stand, got all the plumbing (big shout out to Andres at Love The Reef for helping with that!) and all that is left to do is dry fit, and glue the plumbing, fill it up with water!
I want to build up some confidence with some zoas and LPS before I move to harder corals.
So my question to you is what coral would you recommend as my first? I’m also greatful for other advice you may offer.

thanks in advance!

 

[chadfish]

Hey, I'm still a newbie too, my tank is not 1yr old yet. I've learned a couple things:

1) Not all the plumbing needs to be glued, believe it or not. I know it sounds crazy, but it's not under any pressure, so a good dry fit should suffice and it's easier to disassemble / change.

2) Overall, coral hasn't been too much of a challenge keeping alive. I have a mixed reef. The hardest part is managing all the different flow & light requirements.

3) in terms of chemistry, my dosing pump helps, but at first, water changes should be enough to keep the Ca and alk stable

4) Some people plan a concept for their reef, as a 1st timer, I've been too interested in everything to limit myself. But I've hear softie tanks are super easy, fun, and beautiful - and they grow much faster too.

My first corals were: Kenya tree, zoas, and Trumpets (which I promptly over-lighted and bleached)
I find LPS - especially euphyllia - to be the toughest - again, just where to put them in the tank in terms of flow & lighting (Keeping them alive is easy)

For SPS: Green Slimer, Encrusting Montipora and pavona are super easy for me

Lastly everybody's experience is different, so "easy" often depends of what you are willing and excited to do and what interests you. If you set the tank up for LPS-specific needs, they will be easy.

Good luck, happy reefing, and welcome to BRS. I highly recommend joining as a member. This local community is 1000% more helpful than reef2reef .

 

[chadfish]

So now, I am in the process of starting a 75g reef tank. I built the stand, got all the plumbing (big shout out to Andres at Love The Reef for helping with that!)

+1 for @LoveTheReef

 

[LaneBrain]

Hey, I'm still a newbie too, my tank is not 1yr old yet. I've learned a couple things:

1) Not all the plumbing needs to be glued, believe it or not. I know it sounds crazy, but it's not under any pressure, so a good dry fit should suffice and it's easier to disassemble / change.

2) Overall, coral hasn't been too much of a challenge keeping alive. I have a mixed reef. The hardest part is managing all the different flow & light requirements.

3) in terms of chemistry, my dosing pump helps, but at first, water changes should be enough to keep the Ca and alk stable

4) Some people plan a concept for their reef, as a 1st timer, I've been too interested in everything to limit myself. But I've hear softie tanks are super easy, fun, and beautiful - and they grow much faster too.

My first corals were: Kenya tree, zoas, and Trumpets (which I promptly over-lighted and bleached)
I find LPS - especially euphyllia - to be the toughest - again, just where to put them in the tank in terms of flow & lighting (Keeping them alive is easy)

For SPS: Green Slimer, Encrusting Montipora and pavona are super easy for me

Lastly everybody's experience is different, so "easy" often depends of what you are willing and excited to do and what interests you. If you set the tank up for LPS-specific needs, they will be easy.

Good luck, happy reefing, and welcome to BRS. I highly recommend joining as a member. This local community is 1000% more helpful than reef2reef .

 

[LaneBrain]

Thanks for the advice, @chadfish
I paid for the membership about an hour ago, it must take a bit to update my tag

 

[chadfish]

Thanks for the advice, @chadfish
I paid for the membership about an hour ago, it must take a bit to update my tag

Yeah, don't worry about the admin stuff too much. It's a small operation and running the site is just a hobby for the club officers who are volunteers.

 

[this is me]

I strongly advise you to either glue your plumbing or use threaded plumbing. Even if it doesn't leak now, over time it will and it will have all sort of salt creep coming out of it.

There's too many stuff to eff up, but the most important thing is to learn from it. Know how to filter the info you're getting and know how to pick a couple build threads and read through them. All you really need is one working system but to get that, you might have to replicate many other people system.

The best advice I can give you is learn how to filter the info you're getting.

 

[jfoahs04]

Thanks for the advice, @chadfish
I paid for the membership about an hour ago, it must take a bit to update my tag

Welcome! I'm starting my 3rd reef, a 13.5 nano, right now (just added water over the weekend). Looking forward to seeing yours.

Yes, it's a few guys doing it for fun and they're tweaking some things on the site. I bought my membership on Monday and it took a few days. Don't sweat it!

 

[BiGGiePauls33]

Yeah, don't worry about the admin stuff too much. It's a small operation and running the site is just a hobby for the club officers who are volunteers.

Actually, it is a small operation and we are all volunteers here but make no mistake, BRS is a registered non profit organization, not just a hobby for those involved running it. Myself personally along with the other "volunteers" put a ton of work into making this club thrive. There's a ton of behind the scenes things that people don't see, feel free to run for office in December to get a better understanding of how it really is. This isn't just for yourself but for anyone else that thinks things could be better here or is it just a hobby. Personally I'd love to just sit back, relax and enjoy my other interests I have, but do this to help share a passion.

 

[BiGGiePauls33]

@jfoahs04 and @LaneBrain welcome to BRS

 

[chadfish]

Actually, it is a small operation and we are all volunteers here but make no mistake, BRS is a registered non profit organization, not just a hobby for those involved running it. Myself personally along with the other "volunteers" put a ton of work into making this club thrive. There's a ton of behind the scenes things that people don't see, feel free to run for office in December to get a better understanding of how it really is. This isn't just for yourself but for anyone else that thinks things could be better here or is it just a hobby. Personally I'd love to just sit back, relax and enjoy my other interests I have, but do this to help share a passion.

Sorry @BiGGiePauls33 , didn’t mean to speak for you, just trying to help. As you can tell, I love what you and all the other offices and volunteers do with this club and site. Big fan

 

[jfoahs04]

@jfoahs04 and @LaneBrain welcome to BRS

Thanks! And thanks for building what you guys have built here.

 

[SteveDola]

Advice:
1- glue the pvc
2- patience. start slow and dont over burden the system
3- do water changes weekly!
4- dont chase numbers. Keep them stable. its much more important. try to maintain consistency whether its lighting, flow, chemistry, etc...
5- coral selection- dont get invasive species for beginner corals- stay away from grass or other similar. For ez I would try duncans and hammer for lps --- a couple types zoas. always colorful and easy to sell if you decide to change coral direction or make room for other selections.

 

[chadfish]

Hey all, not sure why the plumbing statement was the first thing I wrote, certainly not my #1 piece of advice. Obviously safer to glue it.

 

[DEIGNAN14]

+1 on filtering advice. This forum is great for gathering a few different perspectives from people who have been at it for a while.

I think the advice on following build threads is good too. Great way to learn and I personally find the build to be one of the most rewarding parts of the hobby.

Take advantage of the opportunity to scoop gear or even an entire system from someone getting out.

Be careful with advice from your LFS. Some are an awesome source of info. Some are just trying to make a buck.

Most important advice is the hardest advice to follow. Take it slow. Resist the urges to make many changes at once or build an insta reef.

Nothing good happens fast in this hobby!

I have some green star polyp and some easy softies if you’re in the Watertown area and want some free stuff to get started.

 

[LaneBrain]

+1 on filtering advice. This forum is great for gathering a few different perspectives from people who have been at it for a while.

I think the advice on following build threads is good too. Great way to learn and I personally find the build to be one of the most rewarding parts of the hobby.

Take advantage of the opportunity to scoop gear or even an entire system from someone getting out.

Be careful with advice from your LFS. Some are an awesome source of info. Some are just trying to make a buck.

Most important advice is the hardest advice to follow. Take it slow. Resist the urges to make many changes at once or build an insta reef.

Nothing good happens fast in this hobby!

I have some green star polyp and some easy softies if you’re in the Watertown area and want some free stuff to get started.

Thanks for the advice (this and everyone else). I’d love some starter stuff. I’ll take you up on that when I finish the build!

 

[DEIGNAN14]

Sure! Just send me a dm when you’re ready. I always have some frags lying around.