i want to start keeping corals. but i really am not sure where to begin...

my water is normal. low nitrates, not sure of the exact pH, but all my fish and inverts are fine. and the temp is anywhere from 75-79...im still trying to keep it stable.

all my fish are fine to keep with coral, except for maybe my longnose butterfly and my bicolor angel.

can someone tell me where to get started? and also, what corals are safe with these two fish in particular.

I dont know much about corals but to help get your tank temp stable i would set the heater temp in between your fluctuation range. It usually keeps it within .00-.99 of a degree. i just figured that out myself when i bought a new and heck of a lot better heater haha. Those el cheapo heaters with no actual temp reading are worthless and considered junk to me now because they malfunction and can over heat your tank.

Also I believe with the corals they are very sensitive to water changes so I would slowly drip new tank water with a very small tube into the tank. Almost like an IV drip. That in fact would be best for all tank water changes, but not very economical, unless your dealing with highly water sensitive corals when the extra precautions most definately count.

I have actually been wondering about how to obtain or even DIY an IV drip type of device or contraption.

i know my tank isn't setup right for corals right now, but they started growing on thier own on the rocks...

so far i have xenia wich looks like it's doing good... polyps that dont' open all the way and some red mushrooms that haven't opened up all the way yet... what's up with they...?


i also think because i'm using tap water in my SW tank... lol... i need to start using ro stat...