Coral

[nicholez]

hi guys!!!!

wanted to ask wad is the points to note for keepin soft and hard coral.......

wanted to make all these points clear before i purchase it....

CHEERS!!!

[reefer guy]

errr.... check if ur water quality is reef ready... hehehe... aside from which, make long term plan as what you want to keep, softies? lps? sps? mixed? id rather sit and read, make researches and find out what i want and its compatibilities and ease of care than go to lfs pick out whatever i find nice and later regret.....

[Achilles Tang]

Simply:

Soft corals are generally:

1. Cheaper

2. Requires less light

3. Requires less calcium, alk

4. Requires lesser water circulation

5. Has toxins making them incompatible with hard corals

6. Duller colours, mostly brown.

7. Less sensitive to heat.

Hard Corals

1. More expensive (esp. SPS).

2. Requires much more light (SPS requires intense light).

3. Requires much more calcium, alk

4. Requires more water circulation (esp. SPS)

5. Brighter colours (all colours of the rainbow, esp. SPS).

6. Requires cooler water for long term health.

This is merely skimming the surface, a lot more info should be researched from reading good books like Aquarium Corals by Eric Borneman, or researching the internet.

Read up as much as you can before buying any livestock... a lot of marine livestock are incompatible with each other or have very specific housing/feeding needs.

Happy Reefing!

AT