One of the most easiest corals to grow and take care of in a saltwater reef aquarium is the green or brown star polyps or if you want to get scientific, Pachyclavularia (genus). These corals are considered a beginners coral, they can be very forgiving when it comes to poor water quality. The star polyps are also very tolerant of both low light and intense light as well and are very tolerant of a wide range of current. These corals should be kept at normal saltwater reef tank parameters.
These corals do not need any additional dosing other then your weekly water change but can be sensitive to to some phosphate removing sponges (the ones that use aluminum oxide). In my experience as with other soft corals they seem to like a little bit of phosphate in the water however so does nuisance algae. You also do not have to directly feed star polyps, they are photosynthetic creatures that do not require additional feeding provided that you have ample lighting.
Green and Brown star polyps are often fast growing corals that are easy to propagate. The easiest method for this is to let them grow on top of rubble rock and then break or cut the piece of coral that grew on top of the rubble. I currently have five colonies spread throughout my reef tank just by using the above method.
Obtaining star polyps as you can imagine, is an easy task. You can find these corals at any reef club, ebay, or on online forums. The cheapest way is to simply go to a reef club and ask for a couple of frags, usually if you are starting out other reefers will give you a frag or two. Buyer beware though, some online sites demand up to thirty dollars for a frag of star polyps that is only one to two inches big.
The macro algae Chaetomorpha has become a reefers best friend in the last few years, beating out Caulerpa as the macro algae of choice. Chaetomorpha is generally placed in a refugium that is connected to a saltwater reef tank where It is usually balled up. This macro algae has many benefits to a reefkeeper but generally its sole purpose is to absorb nutrients such as nitrates.
This macro algae is very common in saltwater reef tanks and it is easily obtainable. It can be purchased through online stores, forums and ebay but the best way to get some is to just ask a fellow saltwater aquarist. Many people in reef clubs will trim down there chaetomorpha and give it away at swaps or just charge shipping if buying it online.
Chaeto as it is sometimes called has the ability to host a whole slew of saltwater organisms such as pods, mini stars, and worms. When properly cared for it grows into a dense ball that gives the organisms a place to hide. Chaetomorpha is preferred by reef tanks owners over Caulerpa becouse unlike Caulerpa it does not go sexual. When Caulerpa goes sexual it releases most of its nutrients it has absorbed and it could cause a tank crash. Using Chaetomorpha will help fight nuisance algae by feeding on nutrients that are used by nuisance algae thereby creating a healthy competition between the algae.
Chaetomorpha is best used in a refugium with a little flow and a light. A lot of reefkeepers have had success growing this macro algae with a basic compact fluorescent 75 watt (5100K) floodlight, although for best results its better to provide a stronger light.
I had planned on talking about laminar flow this blog but an important issue was brought to my attention the other night about my Beneficial Reef Aquarium Snail article. I had a post in the article about the Ilyanassa Obsoleta snail and how it was a good detritus cleaner and scavenger. It turns out that there is a lot of debate about these snails.
These snails can be found on ebay, in fact there so prevalent on ebay that there are literaly dozens of pages with auctions on them. They are extremely cheap and are found in cooler waters which makes them easy to come by, especially on the east coast.
I have used these snails before with a small amount of success, after all Its hard to pass up 50 saltwater snails for $20 and $5 shipping. The auctions on ebay say that these snails do just about every thing and anything. What they don’t tell you is that they can carry nearly 9 types of trematodes and that half of the adult snails carry at least 1 trematode. Wonder what a trematode is? Click here.
Know had I known this information before I purchased these snails some 4 years ago, I would not have made the purchase. My purchase came from an ebay seller and in my hot reef tank only lasted for about 2 months. Many other reefers claim to have success with them and continue to buy them. But buyer beware these saltwater snails should probably be left in the mud flats where they are found with there parasite friends.
This thread has additional information and is a “must” read if you are considering buying these snails.
I would also like to thank John from http://www.reefcleaners.org/. For bringing this to my attention. Check out his site he has great prices on saltwater snails and macro algae.
These corals do not need any additional dosing other then your weekly water change but can be sensitive to to some phosphate removing sponges (the ones that use aluminum oxide). In my experience as with other soft corals they seem to like a little bit of phosphate in the water however so does nuisance algae. You also do not have to directly feed star polyps, they are photosynthetic creatures that do not require additional feeding provided that you have ample lighting.
