How to Care for Encrusting Coral Frags

written by Dave Burr

The corals in our assorted encrusting frag pack are easy to keep and grow well in most reef aquariums. They are a great choice for adding a splash of color to lower flow, lower light areas of your reef aquarium.

Placement: Mount the encrusting corals using IC gel glue, or putty, on an exposed rock or ledge in the lower two- thirds of the aquarium where they will receive moderate currents moderate lighting.

Feeding: Although symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae hosted within them supply most of their nutritional requirements through photosynthesis they do benefit from supplemental feedings of Oyster-Feast, mysis shrimp, or finely chopped meaty foods.

Lighting & Flow Requirements: Encrusting corals require moderate water flow and moderate lighting (PAR 150-250). T5's, Metal Halides, or LED's can all grow Corals when the proper PAR levels are provided. We recommend a 14-20K color spectrum for best coloration.

Care Level: Easy
Lighting Requirements: Low to moderate (PAR 120-250)
Water Flow: Moderate
Aggressiveness: Semi-aggressive
Range: Australia, Indo Pacific
Family: Assorted
Water Conditions: 75-80° F; sg 1.024-1.026 (1.025 is ideal); pH 8.1-8.4 Ca 420-440 ppm, Alk 8-9.5 dKH, Mg 1260-1350, Nitrates <10ppm, Phosphates, < .10ppm

Water Chemistry: It is important that proper calcium (420-440 ppm), alkalinity (8-9.5 dkh - run it 7-8 if you are carbon dosing) , and magnesium levels (1260-1350 ppm) are maintained. Raising magnesium levels gradually up to 1400-1600 ppm can help to combat algae outbreaks, just keep CA and Alk in line as you raise the Mg. Nitrates should be below 10 ppm and phosphates should be below .10 ppm. We recommend doing a water change when Nitrate levels rise to 10 ppm. It is important to replace your phosphate media when phosphates rise to .10 ppm. Media Reactors make the most efficient use of your phosphate media by fluidizing it.

Dosing: Vivid Aquariums uses and recommends dosing pumps to automate the dosing of additives and keep your levels more constant. A dosing pump can alleviate the chore of manually dosing your aquarium with Ca, Alk, & Mg 2,3, or 4 times per week and will benefit your aquarium by keeping your levels constant through frequent small additions of Ca, Alk, & Mg. Our tanks all progressed when we switched from 3 manual dosings per week to 70 automatic dosings per week and we got a lot more work done.

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