Securing and placing corals

[trilinearmipmap]

Well if all goes as planned I will have my first non-accidental corals in a few days. The tank already has various hitch-hiker zoanthids, clove polyps, and some kind of leather that came in on the rocks. I am ordering blue mushrooms, candycane, colt, and bubble coral.

It is a 120 gallon tank, Mag 12 return, Tunze stream 6060, and 8 x 54 watts T5 lighting. I need some advice on how best to place these corals in relation to lighting and current flow, and how best to secure them to the rocks.

Please before people tell me to add only one coral at a time, I need to batch things together due to the cost of shipping.

For the colt and mushrooms I need to find the best way to attach them to rocks, I have heard of toothpicks, rubber bands, or crazy glue. Is crazy glue mostly just for sps or for soft corals too? Where should I place these with regards to current (away from or nearer to the output from my Tunze stream)? I understand they will want a more shaded area, is this right?

For the candycane and bubble coral, do they just sit on the substrate (sand) or is it best to attach them to the rocks? And will they want to be higher up near the lights or lower down?

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by trilinearmipmap

Please before people tell me to add only one coral at a time, I need to batch things together due to the cost of shipping.

I don't think I've ever added just one. You could safely add 6 or 8 corals at a time, depending on the amount of slime they put off. Try not to add the shipping water to your tank, and you'll be fine.

To attach softies, I've had my best luck sewing them to things with thread or pinning them down with elastic bands. Pinching between two rocks works also.

[Pegasus]

Hello Everyone. I've been reading the board here for a very long time and figure it's about time I add my two cents worth.

I find that using netting secured with elastic bands is best for securing mushrooms to a rock. Also using gel crazy glue is the best for SPS corals as the softies I have attempted to frag over the years tend to shrink at the base and slip out of the glue molding. The regular crazy glue doesn't hold as well as the gel.

As for securing a colt coral, I haven't had much luck tieing or sewing it down. The coral tends to rip itself free. Also, colt corals secrete alot of mucus and glueing doesn't work either. Although, I haven't tried glueing it in place and then using netting to hold it down yet either. Nor have I tried placing it between two rocks. If you are ordering these from J&L's or some other distributor, the colt and mushrooms should come on a base. You can use a marine safe putty to secure the base to your rock work. The candy cane will come as a branch that is the exoskeleton of the animals and you can just place this in your rock work. Or you can use the putty if you need to.

With your lighting, you would probably be best to place your LPS corals about mid tank and slowly raise them up. I am old school still thinking of watts per gallon and do not know the par readings for T5's let alone for my VHO's. But the 4 or so watts you have is only at the surface and deminishes rapidly. In my experience, your lighting is minimum and your LPS corals will have to end up close to the top.

I agree with Brad that you are alright adding this many corals at once. The rule of one tends to relate to fish as they produce alot more waste than a coral does.

Hope this helps and good luck.

Larry

[trilinearmipmap]

Thanks for the advice.

Where can I find the aquarium safe putty?

[Aquattro]

Larry, welcome to the board, glad you decided to join the fun.

The putty can be ordered from J&L for about 12 bucks, but Industrial Plastics carries it also. More money from IPP though...

[Ken]

Good advice Larry! Another aquarium hobbyist closer up island! Welcome.I find securing corals are a special talent that require patience. Most corals will come on some sort of rock base already, wedging it between your rockwork is one means of securing them, epoxy and gel type glue will work for smaller pieces. Avoid aiming the tunze at the corals until the glue sets, and then consider a wavemaker. Securing corals is an art, it allows the coral to set and grow properly unlike a loose coral that continues to rock back and forth and possibly fall over and always continue to be reposition, allowing a coral to be stressed. Regards Ken