starting my hand at reefs

[DreamCatcher87]

okay, i have taken quite an interest in coral lately. ever since i had my hand at pom pom xenia, i have wanted to do more coral. okay i have a 29 gallon tank as i have said numerous times. I want to turn it into a reef with a pipefish and a snowflake moray. what all supplies do i need for my tank. currently, the only lights i have are a atinic blue light, and a (im reading directly off the light) HELICAL 10W 120VAC 60Hz 140mA
I dont know..that is what is on the light. Ill have to ask the guy who gave it to me what kind of light it is. my coral is looking great. I only have the xenia but they look great..here is a pic of my xenia



i dont add any supplements to my water yet, my friend told me nitrates and photosynethsis are what the pom pom xenia are currently working.

what supplies do i need to get if i plan to start working with coral? Im going to try to buy some star polyps off him as well as some more xenia if he will sell them to me. what all do i need to add to the tank so that i can keep coral alive? also, what are some hardy corals that a beginner can start with, so far i have had good luck with keeping my xenia alive.

[guppyart]

okay here it goes.
for corals your going to need to spend some serious money.
first of all,, in a 29g I woul recommend you get 2 maxi jet 900,, rated at 230gph, that will be 16x turn over.
POWERHEADS
2 maxi jet 900,, rated at 230gph, that will be 16x turn over.
which should be good to start with softies

okay now for lights,, there are many options, (PC) power compacts, T5, T5HO, and (MH) metal halide.

LIGHTS
in PCs I would say get a 2x96W// coralife is a good brandname for those.
get a 10,000K bulb and a actinic.

PCs get fairly hot and the bulbs are expensive to replace// and they will limit you to soft corals,, and maybe a few LPS

this is the T5 fixture I would recommend if you decide that is what you want.
http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/Sunlight_Supply/Tek_2_Retrofit_Kits/24_inch__4x24W_Tek_2_T5_High-Output_Retrofit_Kit_w!_Bulbs_by_ReefGeek
just cut and paste the link

T5 are cooler and the bulbs last longer then PC and they are more intense,so they will allow you to keep soft,LPS,SPS

for metal halide (MH),, I don't know really but due to the tank being 30" one won't work so I would guess, 2x 150W.
Icecap is a good brand name from what I have read.

SKIMMERS,, I would say a coralife super skimmer is a good starter for a smaller tank.
there are other brands that might be cheaper,, but in SW there is no such thing as cheap,, so if you go cheap you get a piece of useless plastic.

now if you get all that equipment,, you will be off to a way better start.
as it is,, your pom pom won't last much longer,, you have to little light for it,, you currently only have 0.3wpg with just that 10w bulb.
so if you want it to survive I suggest getting all the things needed right away

and yes it will absord nitrates,, but other corals don't take kindly to nitrates,,, so if you have lots,, I would say get a sump with a refugium and some cheato algae to help.
a 20g sump would be perfect,, it allows you more water volume which means there is more room for accidents or mistakes
or if you can't do a sump buy an aquaclear 70 and look up the refugium mod for it on google.

if you follow that you will be better set and your coral won't due to lack of proper equipment.

hope that all makes sense and helps,, if you got more questions just ask,, or PM me

[Damon]

A MH/PC fixture would be better than 2x150 MH......
That T5 fixture wont allow for most sps. Stick to LPS and softies.....
Thats all I have to add other than whats been posted on every other thread of this topic here.

[leveldrummer]

dont put a pipefish and a snowflake in a 29, the snow flake needs more room, and will possibly beat the heck out of the pipefish, pipefish are more like seahorses, and should be housed as such.