Keeping Coral...It's not a plant, it's an animal!
The first thing you need to understand about a coral is that is not a plant it is an animal. These animals harbor tiny algae with in them that give the coral its colour and convert light into energy allowing the animal to thrive in an environment almost void of nutrients.
The most common causes of death to a coral are insufficient light, excess temperatures and nutrient levels. Coral are actually very easy to keep as long as you understand and provide for the requirements of that coral.
The first is to ensure that the tank will not exceed 25’C, this may require the use of a chiller or simply blowing fans across the top of the surface of the tank or filter. Placing the tank in direct sunlight may increase temperature and algae.
Having enough light is very important to most coral. Metal light is the best source of light to a coral, 150w per 2ft cubed is ideal. The next to consider is power compact and finally fluorescence tubes. It is very important to replay the metal halides every 18 months, the power compacts every 12 months and the fluorescence every 9 months. This is because the bulbs loose intensity and spectrum with time. You need to structure your rocks so the corals can be as elevated up as close as possible to the light. The coral that require the most light are to be positioned as close to the top as possible and the ones that aren’t, as light dependent can be placed further down away from the light.
It is really important not to put the coral too close to each other or they may sting each other. With time you will be able to see which corals can and can’t be kept next to each other. The coral that is being attacked will be with drawn on one side while the attacker will be visibly outstretched on that same side. You may also see the formation of some white milky stuff, which may be a bacterial infection as a result of the attack. In general if a coral is aggressive it is safer to have it down current from other coral it may sting. If any coral look to be irritating each other it is safer to just move them to other spot in the tank.
You must understand the water flow requirements of the coral you are keeping.
Most coral thrive in strong indirect water flow. I find it is best to position my water flow from the back shooting across the top to the front, trying to agitate the surface as much as possible.
You need to understand the best position for each coral to be in within your aquarium. You must consider how much light and water flow the piece needs. If it wants a lot of light and flow put it at the top near a pump outlet whereas if it doesn’t require strong light or flow then you may position it near the bottom of the tank. Also consider what coral is near it; don’t put a coral close to one that you know may sting it.
It is very important not to put in fish that eat or even harass the coral. Many species of fish like Angelfish don’t eat the coral but do harass the coral, over time this is likely to have an effect.
If a coral falls off the reef and lands upside down on the sand it is very important that you reposition the coral straight away or it will be damaged. For this reason you should at least check on your tank daily. It is important to be able to see if a coral is receding and understand why it is happening in order for you to reverse the effects before it gets too bad.
Under normal conditions some corals are very easy to looks after while others are very hard to look after. It is important to know how easy a piece is to look after before you that the piece.
It is important to ensure that the phosphate level remains low and the Calcium is high or you will find that the algae will grow better than the corals in the tank. Water changes and phosphate removing chemicals will help to reduce phosphate. There are many easy to use calcium supplements able to increase calcium levels.
Coral don’t want to die, they are animals that want thrive as much as you want them to, it is important that you understand the average minimum requirements for them to thrive.
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