raising coral for dummies

Boxster · 05-21-2004, 09:48 AM

i have devoting most of reading to my tank setup (sumps, LR, skimmers etc.) im comfortable with all that now. i have some knowledge of fish and critters, now i want to focus my attention to coral. im looking for a web site that covers the basics, some of the treads get technical and i dont understand alot of the jargon. so i want to learn about the different species, which are easiest to start with, feeding and basic stuff like that.
thanks

tdwyatt · 05-21-2004, 09:59 AM

So what's wrong with TRT?

wanareef · 05-21-2004, 10:10 AM

Yea, What he said

Here's a great link to phot's of corals

tdwyatt · 05-21-2004, 10:11 AM

Seriously, there is a lot of info here in the Archives (just ask doug, he just had his 26th birthday, but the milage...

)

Eric's forum at RC is good, as well as Steve's site at Dynamic Ecomorphology. There are many different niche sites as well, speciallizing in particular genera and styles of husbandry. A good internet search using some good keywords will make a huge list for you to peruse.

Boxster · 05-21-2004, 10:12 AM

nothing, TRT has been nothing but helpful, i just hate feeling stupid, most have a wealth of knowledge and im still a rookie. im i missing a link on TRT?

tdwyatt · 05-21-2004, 10:13 AM

system hiccough... duplicate post

tdwyatt · 05-21-2004, 10:13 AM

Trust me, asking your questions here is a M U C H better place to ask and learn than most of the other sites on the internet, as there are NO STUPID QUESTIONS HERE.

Independent confirmation and a broad panorama of opinions are available and the board here is flame-free (heh, we enforce that, too

) I personally think that looking at all the resources for information is important, but rest assured that the site here is a great place to get information for everything from what type of sand to start with (OR WITHOUT if it is a KEYS-based response

) to how to differentiate between the thalli of the differing Gracilaria spp. of algae. The folks here gear there responses to the level of questions sked, and there are often directed responses for resources outside the TRT board as well. I think you'll be able to ask just about any of your reef-related questiions here and get a decent response or direction to a location where you can get a response, as it is more important here to say "I don't know" or to openly state that your response is speculation than it is to come up with some pat answer that may misinform.

wanareef · 05-21-2004, 10:21 AM

Wel, reading comes to mind, this is a good book that I would reconmend to read, look at, browse

another one

and another one

Boxster · 05-21-2004, 10:33 AM

thanks for the advice.
so ....what is the best substrate for raising coral? BB or sand or crushed coral?

tdwyatt · 05-21-2004, 10:43 AM

The answer for that one will depend on what type of coral, and to some extent, to whom you'd address the question!

Corals come from many different environments, and the aquarium conditions for different species of corals will have effects on not only the health of the coral in question, but the actual shape and general morphology of the coral as it grows and develops.

To adequately answer the question, we would need to limit the coral to those of a particular biotope, Geoff has a thread running as a sticky (top of the list of threads) that is exploring the biotope concept this month (May-June 2004), you may want to read that thread, then look at some of the topix covered in The Think Tank, they address some concepts related to this topic as well.

HTH

kwjones · 05-21-2004, 11:01 AM

I can't say enought good things about the archive section here...it's the best I've seen so far.

OodleyBoodely · 05-22-2004, 04:28 AM

Quote:

i just hate feeling stupid, most have a wealth of knowledge and im still a rookie

Hey, we were all there at one time, some of us not so long ago! I found the best way to overcome my feelings of inadaquacies was to read as much as I could stand on a topic, or several topics until I felt more comfortable with it. Just cruise the forums and especially the archives and click on anything that sparks your interest.

Even after 5yrs, there is plenty of stuff being discussed here that I find mind blowing and incomprehensable. That's when I know it time for me to back up and do more reading!

At anyrate, there is always more to learn in this hobby.

Please don't fear asking newbie questions-everyone here is very friendly and willing to help! I'm sure you'll find that no matter how basic your inquiries, someone, and usually many, will jump in to help you out.

Boxster · 05-23-2004, 07:55 AM

thanks everyone, you guys rock, where would we be without the net?

OodleyBoodely · 05-23-2004, 09:59 PM

Quote:

where would we be without the net?

Listening to the advice given at the LFS!

Some are good. A lot are bad. If that is all I would have had to go on, I probably would not have stayed in the hobby. I for one, got a lot of bad advice from the LFS when I first started out. It has improved locally since then, but I still hear some pretty scary stuff now an' then when I'm out petshopin'.

Boxster · 05-24-2004, 06:28 AM

i usually form my opinions after reading several perspectives on a given topic. for the most part the advice seems good to me.