Coral Care Basics for Beginners

Adding corals transforms your fish tank into a true reef aquarium. This guide covers everything beginners need to know about selecting and caring for their first corals.

Understanding Coral Types

Soft Corals

Difficulty: Beginner

Soft corals lack a hard calcium skeleton. They're forgiving and great for beginners.

Examples:

• Leather corals (Sinularia, Sarcophyton)
• Mushrooms (Discosoma, Rhodactis)
• Zoanthids and Palythoa
• Kenya Tree
• Xenia
• Green Star Polyps

Requirements:

• Low to moderate light
• Low to moderate flow
• Stable parameters (not perfect)

LPS (Large Polyp Stony)

Difficulty: Beginner to Intermediate

LPS have large fleshy polyps over a calcium skeleton.

Examples:

• Hammer coral (Euphyllia ancora)
• Torch coral (Euphyllia glabrescens)
• Frogspawn (Euphyllia divisa)
• Candy Cane (Caulastrea)
• Duncan coral
• Acan Lords

Requirements:

• Moderate light
• Low to moderate flow
• Stable alkalinity and calcium
• Feeding beneficial

SPS (Small Polyp Stony)

Difficulty: Advanced

SPS are the pinnacle of reef keeping with small polyps and intricate skeletons.

Examples:

• Acropora (staghorn, table)
• Montipora (caps, digitata)
• Stylophora
• Pocillopora
• Seriatopora (Bird's Nest)

Requirements:

• High light (200-400+ PAR)
• High, varied flow
• Pristine water quality
• Very stable alk/cal/mag

Selecting Your First Corals

Good Starter Corals

1. Zoanthids - Hardy, colorful, fast-growing
2. Mushrooms - Nearly indestructible
3. Green Star Polyps - Grows like a weed
4. Kenya Tree - Drops frags everywhere
5. Toadstool Leather - Impressive and forgiving
6. Duncan - LPS that's beginner-friendly
7. Candy Cane - Hardy LPS with great colors

What to Avoid First

• Most SPS (especially Acropora)
• Goniopora (flower pot)
• Elegance coral
• Non-photosynthetic corals
• Anemones (technically not coral, but common question)

Acclimation

Proper acclimation reduces stress and improves survival.

Steps:

1. Float the bag - 15-20 minutes to equalize temperature
2. Dim the lights - Reduce stress
3. Drip acclimate - Match salinity and pH over 30-60 minutes
4. Dip the coral - Use a coral dip to kill pests
5. Place in tank - Start in lower light area

Coral Dipping

Essential to prevent introducing pests:

• Coral RX, Bayer, or Two Little Fishies Revive
• Follow product instructions
• Inspect coral during dip
• Shake to dislodge pests

Placement

Light Considerations

• Start lower, move up gradually
• Light shock causes bleaching
• Use a PAR meter if possible
• Observe coral response over weeks

Flow Considerations

• Most corals like indirect flow
• Avoid blasting directly
• Polyps should sway, not flatten
• SPS need more flow than soft corals

Spacing

• Leave room for growth
• Consider aggression (sweeper tentacles)
• Euphyllia need 6+ inches from neighbors
• Some corals are toxic to others

Feeding

Do Corals Need Feeding?

Corals get nutrition from:

1. Photosynthesis - Zooxanthellae provide most energy
2. Dissolved organics - From fish waste
3. Particulate feeding - Catching food particles
4. Target feeding - You providing food

What to Feed

• Reef Roids
• Oyster feast
• Coral frenzy
• Mysis shrimp (for LPS)
• Amino acids

Feeding Tips

• Target feed LPS weekly
• Broadcast feed for soft corals
• Feed after lights out (polyps extended)
• Don't overfeed - water quality matters

Signs of Healthy Corals

• Full polyp extension
• Vibrant coloration
• Visible growth
• No tissue recession
• No pests visible

Signs of Stress

• Polyps retracted
• Color loss (bleaching)
• Tissue recession
• Brown coloration (browning out)
• Mucus production
• Not opening

Common Problems

Bleaching

Loss of zooxanthellae due to stress.

Causes: Light shock, temperature stress, chemical exposure Solution: Address the stressor, provide stable conditions

Brown Jelly Disease

Bacterial infection appearing as brown mucus.

Treatment: Remove affected coral, frag healthy tissue, dip

Tissue Recession

Tissue dying from base upward.

Causes: Poor water quality, alk swings, aggression Solution: Stabilize parameters, check placement

Growth Timeline

Don't expect instant results:

| Coral Type | Growth Rate | |------------|-------------| | Zoanthids | 1 polyp/week typical | | GSP | Fast, can cover rock | | Mushrooms | Monthly splitting | | LPS | Slow, new heads yearly | | SPS | Variable, inches per year |

Tracking Your Corals

Record keeping helps you:

• Track growth over time
• Remember frag sources
• Note placement and conditions
• Learn what works for your tank

AQUAXONE's gallery feature lets you photograph and track your corals' progress over time.

Conclusion

Start with forgiving species, provide stable conditions, and be patient. Every thriving reef tank started with a single coral. Soon you'll be fragging and sharing with fellow reefers!

Start your coral journey with AQUAXONE →