Caring for coral may seem daunting and way too advanced to try at home. However, with a little knowledge, the right supplies, and a helping hand, you can make your goals of owning a saltwater aquarium—thriving with coral—a reality. Find helpful information in our online saltwater coral guide for beginners to help you prepare for the next step: setting up your aquarium.

Essential Supplies

    As with care for all other aquarium life, you’ll want to prepare the environment before adding your coral. No matter what species of coral you choose to add to your tank, there are essential supplies and equipment you will need to start and maintain your saltwater coral aquarium. Your checklist of must-have supplies should include:

• Appropriately sized aquarium tank
• Reef Aquarium lighting
• Filtration system
• Heater and Chiller if needed
• Live rock and substrate or starboard
• Tank additives, including sea salt mix
• Saltwater aquarium test kits and refractometer
• Supplemental vitamins and foods
• General maintenance and care supplies

Choosing Your Coral

    Although there is no “easy” coral, there are some that may be easier to handle as a beginner. One of the most important things to keep in mind is that all coral needs a stable environment. If your corals are to thrive in your home aquarium, you’ll need to pay careful attention to temperature, cleaning, maintenance, and much more.

If you’re lost on where to start looking for beginner coral for sale, here are a few types of coral to start with:/p>

• Zoanthids (Zoas)
• Stylophora (Stylos)
• Seriatopora (Birdsnest)
• Pachyclavularia (Star Polyps)
• Clavularia (Clove Polyps)
• Knopia (Daisy Polyps)
• Rhodactis (Mushrooms)
• Discosomma (Mushrooms)
• Montipora Caps (Caps)
• Favites (War Corals)
• Leptoseris
• Leptastrea
• Cyphastrea
• Acan Echinata (Echinatas)
• Pavona
• Turbinaria (Scroll Coral)
• Psammocora (Psammos)
• Acan Bowerbanki (Bowerbankis)
• Echinopora (Echinos)

Prepare for Your New Tank Mates by Consulting with the Experts

We admit, there is only so much you can learn from an online saltwater coral guide for beginners. One of the best steps you can take if you’re a beginner and want to add coral to your aquarium is to talk with someone with experience. Whether that’s a friend or family member, a local reputable aquarium store, or our team here at World Wide Coral, getting some insider information may save you from the uncertainty and stress of beginning your tank. And of course, if you have already started a saltwater aquarium, but would like some pointers on how to help it thrive, we have experts here at World Wide Coral who would love to help.

Give us a call or come visit one of our store locations to talk with a coral expert.