My little slice of the ocean that sits in my living room is my pride and joy, and I would like to share some of my secrets to budding reefers or simply people with an interest in this fantastic Hobby.
My reef is dominated by Small Polyp Scleratinians (Abbreviated to SPS) which are a group of corals that contains many species, they are characterized by small polyps (what a surprise) and a stony skeleton based on Aragonite, a specific crystal structure of Calcium Carbonate.
These little fellows can be quite difficult to keep in captivity but with a carefully planned system and diligent husbandry techniques they can thrive!
SPS corals require several key parameters to be met in order for them to do well in a captive environment, I would like to outline each of these in turn: Lighting, Flow, Element balance and addition and Nutrient control
Lighting:
Most Acropora species live in shallow water in the reef in areas with strong waves, suitable lighting is important in order for the symbiotic zooxanthellae (microscopic algae) that live within the corals tissues. The corals get most of their energy from the photosynthetic byproducts of the algae, though corals can also feed on suspended food with their tiny mouths.
There are several options available to hobbyists for lighting, I will start with my favorite:
High Output Flourescent lights, also called t5 lights (this relates to the size of the bulb, the smaller the t number the smaller the bulb), are the lighting system that I use over my reef, I have two light units each containing 8 bulbs at 39Watts each, some say this may be overkill but I am adamant that powerful lighting is important for coral health!
The next option is the Metal Halide, these generate huge amounts of heat but the replacement of bulbs can be much cheaper than exchanging many t5 bulbs.
And finally LED units are just coming into their own in the reefing market, they consume comparatively small amounts of electricity and give off very little heat. I use an LED light fitting on my sump tank to grow coral frags for propagation, I find the growth good but the colour not as intense as the corals under my t5 units.
SPS corals require several key parameters to be met in order for them to do well in a captive environment, I would like to outline each of these in turn: Lighting, Flow, Element balance and addition and Nutrient control
Lighting:
Most Acropora species live in shallow water in the reef in areas with strong waves, suitable lighting is important in order for the symbiotic zooxanthellae (microscopic algae) that live within the corals tissues. The corals get most of their energy from the photosynthetic byproducts of the algae, though corals can also feed on suspended food with their tiny mouths.
There are several options available to hobbyists for lighting, I will start with my favorite:
High Output Flourescent lights, also called t5 lights (this relates to the size of the bulb, the smaller the t number the smaller the bulb), are the lighting system that I use over my reef, I have two light units each containing 8 bulbs at 39Watts each, some say this may be overkill but I am adamant that powerful lighting is important for coral health!
The next option is the Metal Halide, these generate huge amounts of heat but the replacement of bulbs can be much cheaper than exchanging many t5 bulbs.
And finally LED units are just coming into their own in the reefing market, they consume comparatively small amounts of electricity and give off very little heat. I use an LED light fitting on my sump tank to grow coral frags for propagation, I find the growth good but the colour not as intense as the corals under my t5 units.
