Soft corals are what you see most often in a home or business reef aquarium. They grow quickly and are relatively easier to care for that harder corals. Here are a few things to keep in mind when caring for your soft corals.
Lighting
While all corals need lighting in order to grow and photosynthesize, soft corals do fine in less intense light. High quality LED lighting is adjustable in strength so that you can experiment to determine the level of lighting that is optimal for your corals. LEDs can bring out the vivid colors of your corals as well. To determine placement of your corals with the lighting, click here.
Feeding
Depending on what you’re feeding your fish, some corals can consume bits and pieces left over by fish. Think phytoplankton, krill, pieces of shrimp. Photosynthesis plays a part in how these plants grow too. If you have nutrient rich water and the right lighting, soft corals may do fine without additional feedings.
Water and Movement
In order for the corals to get the food, water needs to move the food particles around to the corals. An adjustable flow is beneficial to corals as occasionally they may need a bit of a surge to flush debris from their surface. The water temperature should be between 80 – 84℉, salinity is best at 1.025 to 1.027, and alkalinity from 3.2-4.5 meq/L.
Do you have soft corals? If you have problems with your corals and need expert advice, Blue Planet Aquarium is here to help. Get in touch with us now!
About Jon Wolf
Servicing Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana & Michigan, Blue Planet Aquarium Services has been the most trusted name in aquarium design, installation and maintenance since 1999. A company large enough to be dependable but small enough to still watch out for your best interests, Blue Planet is the only company to call if you are planning to install an aquarium or have one maintained.
