Building a reef is not as easy as one might think. It takes careful planning and research. Corals can be very hostile to each other, especially if you put two different species too close together. They will begin a full out chemical warfare against each other until the dominant coral wins. Besides the possibility of WWIII breaking out in my tank, I also must consider the needs of each individual coral. They need certain amounts of light, water flow and nutrients. Once all of this information is processed, the purchasing and placement of corals may begin.
But it doesn't stop there...
Once the corals are purchased, there is a process of acclimation and cleansing that must occur to keep the main display tank safe and to keep the corals happy with the changes in water quality. Each coral must be adjusted to my tank water so they get used to the change in temperature and salinity. Then they must be dipped in a solution of tank water and a product called Coral Rx to cleanse the coral of any unwanted hitchhikers that may be hiding on the coral. After all this effort is done, the corals will be glued into place inside the tank. The end result is displayed in the following photos:
Devil's Hand Leather
Lobos
Orange/Purple Zoanthid
Hammer
Frogspawn
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