Corals and Invertebrates FAQ

What are some tips for purchasing healthy anemones and corals?

First, know what the organism looks like when it's fully opened and healthy. You should research the animal in a good reference book. The coral colony, hydroid or anemone should be fully-opened and upright. Not all aquarium reef environments will support all types of sessile invertebrates due to differences in lighting, current, and water conditions compared to the organism's natural environment. Try to shop for sessile invertebrates in a store that displays them in ideal conditions. Surprisingly, many stores do not invest in proper lighting or water flow in aquariums used to display corals, so the animal you want may not be fully opened. Look for tears or rips in the outer integument ("skin") of the animal. Avoid purchasing hard or "meat" corals that are not open or when the soft tissue has peeled away from the hard exoskeleton ("shell"). Look for moldy-looking white growths on the tissue of soft corals. With gorgonian colonies (and many sponges), avoid buying specimens that aren't attached to a piece of rock, or that have begun to die-off at the tips. When purchasing an anemone that is attached to a piece of live-rock, and the store will not "give" you the rock with the anemone, buy the rock! Although many skilled (and patient) aquarists can easily pry anemones off of rocks, there is a good chance the body will get ripped in the process unless great care is taken.

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How much light do I need for my live reef aquarium?

The good old generic rule-of-thumb is 7 to 10 watts per gallon of reef aquarium, depending on the surface area and depth of the aquarium. This rule still works for some common aquarium sizes, but it is imperfect for several reasons.
A watt is a unit of how much power a bulb produces. Two different bulbs producing the same wattage may not produce the same amount (intensity) of light. The more surface area an aquarium has, the more light will be required. Water absorbs and scatters light, so light penetration also decreases as a function of water depth.
If a reef tank does not get enough light, corals and algae will close and slowly wither away. If there is too much light (not a common problem), the aquarium will be overcome by algae, and corals may get "bleached" out and die.
If you want to calculate the ideal light wattage required for your reef aquarium, we suggest you read one of the excellent books on our reef aquaria books page. Here, we would rather tell you what has worked for us and allow you to get scientific about the complex subject of light intensity requirements for reef tanks on your own. These recommendations are all based on bulbs used per two feet² of tank surface area in aquariums no more than 24" in height:

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I have a 55 gallon tank with live rock in it, and my coralline algae is starting to bleach. What could be the cause of this, and what can I do to bring it back?

This is almost always an indication that either there is not enough light (you should have at least 3 watts per gallon), or there is not enough calcium in the water (you need about 400ppm).

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I'm a first time fish owner and have a Betta Fish. Do I need to have corals and do fake corals work just as well?

Bettas are a freshwater fish, so you do not want to use coral in the tank, as coral slowly dissolves and will raise the pH in the tank to levels the fish could not tolerate. If you want the look of coral in the tank, artificial coral would be fine. Plastic plants would be more natural for the Betta.

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My tank is a 135 gal mature reef. Yesterday, made a 10 - 15 gal water change as usual. However, my skimmer pump has been performing irratically for months, but the tank has shown no signs of significant stress. Today, ALL of my inverts look like they're dying. Do you think it could be voltage in the water?

Yes, if the pump is a submersible type, and the epoxy that seals off the electrical parts inside may have begun to crack, which would also cause the pump to stop and start. The loose voltage will irritate all invertebrates and will eventually affect fish as well. However, that may not be the only cause of your problem. Sea Apples can release VERY toxic substances into the water which can kill them, and everything else in the tank. They are not recommended for any aquarium for that reason.

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I recently purchased an Octopus. I'm not really sure what kind of Octopus it is. When I bought it the store owner said that you could feed it anything. I've tried to do some research and I'm still clueless on how to take care of it. I've tried to feed it frozen krill and brine shrimp. I have it in my 55 gallon tank with a Lionfish and a Porcupine Puffer. Please tell me how to care for an Octopus.

You should not have bought an Octopus. They cannot be kept with fish, and ninety-nine out of a hundred die within the first month they are purchased, even when the proper habitat has been set-up for them. If you can, take it back right away. It is not going to live in your tank. Porcupine Puffers eat them, and so will Lionfish if the size difference is great enough. Octopus are very difficult to care for. Even public aquariums have a hard time keeping them alive. They need their own tank. They very rarely eat anything but live foods. They should be offered living Ghost Shrimp, Fiddler Crabs, Goldfish, Cuttlefish and Crayfish. They must have a varied diet! They can escape from aquariums with ease and can compress their bodies so they can fit through very small openings. They CANNOT be kept with any fish in an aquarium. Either the fish will try to eat them or they will eventually try to eat the fish. They are semi-nocturnal, need a dimly-lit tank, and also need a cave to hide in during the day. We could go on and on, but there are entire books written on the subject.

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I have a question regarding live rock and live coral. Living on a Caribbean island, I have access to an unlimited supply of "fresh" live rock and live coral. My question is: Can live rock and live coral taken from the ocean can be placed in the aquarium the same day is collected?

The question should be: "Should I collect live rock and live coral without a legal collection license and risk going to jail or damaging the reefs now that I have read this and know it is wrong and unethical to do so?" Considering that: 1)You are probably not a licensed collector. 2)You probably do not have a C.I.T.E.S. permit to collect marine livestock. 3)The U.S. government and all governments of ALL Caribbean islands have strict laws governing the collection of reef life and live rock. 4)The penalty for breaking those laws is usually a mandatory prison sentence and a heavy fine. That being said, yes, coral and live rock taken from the ocean can be placed in an aquarium but some die-off should be expected and regular water changes should be done during this time. No curing should be necessary but once again, we urge you to buy your specimens rather than collecting them yourself. Nothing in life is truly free.

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What invertebrates if any can be added to a marine only tank?

Very few, especially depending on the fishes present in your aquarium. Assuming you have enough lighting (at least 3 to 5 watts per gallon), your may be able to keep some hardy anemones, such as Condylactus sp. It is also possible that many of the sea stars would work, such as brittle and serpent stars. If none of your fishes will eat them, cleaner shrimps and coral banded shrimps, reef hermit crabs and snails are always a plus. In short, most any invertebrate is possible granted your other fish will not eat them--that is, any invertebrate except most any coral or corralimorph, or most sensitive anemones.

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Can I grow any type of corals in a Cichlid tank?

No, corals only grow in marine aquariums.

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I have a bubble-tip anemone that has two live-in Clarkii Clownfish. I think it is stuck in a crevice. How, or can I get it out without hurting or killing it?

The anemone will not get "stuck" unless a rock falls on it. You should leave it be. Any attempt to remove it will resulkt in the loss of the animal.

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