help me with my new tank

[vio]

so im in the process on setting up my 55 gallon aquarium and i need some more help. as of now my tank is still cycling so im in the process of just plotting out what i want to do and i need some opinions on coral selection. the tank is your standard 55 48x12x16. I have 130 watt pc fixture and was wondering what sort of corals would thrive under a light of this power? i was thinking mushrooms and zoas but what about leathers and ricordea? the more i look at everything there is the more i want and im just looking for someone to give me rough answer of what is keepable (dictionary check lol) under this light? i dont want to buy something beautiful and kill it. also if i upgrade to a 260 watt pc how much would this expand what i can keep (sps and lps possibly?)? all opinions are greatly appreciated.

[Steve McKay]

It is unwise to add any coral to a reef tank from one to three months after initial setup. This varies depending on your specific tank and the speed of cycling. During this time there can be dramatic swings of ammonia, nitrite, and pH. Calcium, carbonates, and other critical elements are also lacking at this point.After this time soft corals are generally the best animal to place in the tank first. You should have no more diatom algae or “local problematic” areas in the tank. Soft corals for the most part they are less susceptible to any small fluctuations that happen from here on out. They are a lot less dependent on calcium bicarbonate for skeletal growth and digestion. The nutrient pathways needed for the survival of soft corals is also usually establish by this point. The next step is probably adding corals referred to LPS (large polyp stonies). The best time to start adding these animals is after the tank has been set up for 5-7 months. Ideally you should have started to see small patches of coralline algae with a diameter of 3mm or more.The last corals should be the SPS (small polyp stonies). These require excellent water conditions and good advanced knowledge and experience. These are also some of the most rewarding and colorful corals in the world. It is well worth your time and money to wait 9-12 months before adding these animals. They need vary stable and specific conditions. When you start to see many patches of coralline algae larger than the size of a quarter it is a good biological sign that your tank may be ready for these corals.

[gregr]

To add to the excellent advice above, power compact lighting is just "ok" in terms of keeping many of the corals commonly available in the hobby happy. If you think you're going down the path of serious reefkeeping I'd recommend not investing more money into pc lighting. Metal halide, T-5 or even LED lighting (should be coming down in price soon) will give you more options when it comes to choosing corals. Probably 90% of the people in this hobby that keep sps corals use metal halide lights.

[gregony]

I had a 192W PC slopped on to a std 55 a while back and was able to do mushrooms and sarcophyton. I tried an elegance coral and it wasted away quick. This was like 8 years ago, and the elegance was still somewhat misunderstood (it basically has the same requirements as SPS, only fussier). I don't think you could keep stonies of any kind with 130W of PC in a std 55, but with a 230 you could probably keep everything except SPS. Not to be nit picky but I think a std 55 is actually deeper than 16. Which is why its generally not desirable as a reef tank (also its narrow). But they are cheap so you gotta do what you gotta do. If its 16 I think its a 50L, (but I'm not so anal as to go look it up). If it is actually only 16 high, you may be able to do some of the easier LPS. Though don't ask me what easier LPS is. I can grow soft corals, and I can grow SPS, but for some reason those LPS' just don't agree with me. And don't even get me started on anemones.

[gregony]

Okay I had to look it up. A 55 regular is 21 inches tall. If its the dimensions you said, than its a 45L. A 50L is 48x17x13. Only 13 inches high and way better for reefkeeping. If it is indeed a 45L, a 260W PC should be able to grow SPS. The 55 will just be too deep for power compacts to grow SPS, unless you put them way up top. But to echo McCay, you should wait to add the corals. They're expensive, and watching a $40 or more coral waste away for no apparent reason just sucks. They stop doing that so much when your tank gets older, no one can really explain why, they just do. Most people will testify that just as much as light, corals respond to solid, broken in water conditions. Except for those anemones...

[Steve McKay]

As far as lighting is concerned 130 watt is minimal,you would have to place mushrooms and zoas high in the tank reserved for corals that need more intense light if you had more light.If you went with 260 watt pc you would be better off.I have 288 watt pc,you should be able to keep most corals if you place the most light demanding ones high in your tank.But 260 watts is minimal even then.If you just want to keep the corals you have indicated then you will be ok.However we always want more.You may
want to check out T-5 HO fixtures people say they are better than pc,even I would like to know why.They might have more intense light I don't know.I'm sure that as other people answer your post they will suggest T-5 HO fixtures.