Starting your first reef tank and adding corals is one of the most exciting milestones in the hobby. This beginner coral care guide will walk you through the essentials so your new reef grows, colors up, and stays healthy for the long term.

Choosing Beginner-Friendly Corals

Before you buy anything, focus on hardy, forgiving species that tolerate small mistakes while you learn. If you’re still cycling or dialing in your tank, check out our Getting Started with Your First Saltwater Tank guide first.

Great Starter Coral Types

• Soft corals: Zoanthids, mushrooms, leathers (like toadstools) – very forgiving and low demand.
• LPS corals: Hammer, frogspawn, candy cane, and Duncan corals – moderate light and flow, easy to feed.
• Photosynthetic gorgonians: Wavy movement, moderate care level, great for adding height.

Hold off on demanding SPS corals until you have several months of stable parameters and some experience under your belt.

Water Parameters and Stability

Corals thrive on stability more than perfection. Aim for consistent, reef-safe ranges and avoid big swings. For a deeper dive into chemistry, see our Reef Tank Water Parameters Guide.

Target Ranges for a New Reef

• Salinity: 1.025–1.026 specific gravity
• Temperature: 77–79°F (25–26°C)
• Alkalinity: 8–9 dKH
• Calcium: 400–450 ppm
• Magnesium: 1250–1350 ppm
• Nitrate: 5–15 ppm
• Phosphate: 0.03–0.1 ppm

Tip: Test weekly, log your results, and only change things slowly. Big, fast corrections often cause more harm than the original issue.

Light, Flow, and Feeding

Most corals host symbiotic algae and rely heavily on light, but they also benefit from good flow and occasional feeding.

Lighting Basics

• Use a reef-capable LED or T5 fixture designed for coral growth.
• Start with a moderate schedule: ~8 hours of full intensity with ramp-up and ramp-down if your light allows.
• Place new corals lower in the tank and move them up slowly over 1–2 weeks to avoid light shock.

Flow and Placement

• Aim for gentle, random flow that keeps detritus suspended without blasting tissue.
• Soft corals usually like low–moderate flow; many LPS prefer moderate, indirect flow.
• Leave room between colonies; some have long sweeper tentacles that can sting neighbors at night.

Feeding Corals

• Many beginner corals do well with just light and a lightly fed fish population.
• Target feed meaty foods (mysis, reef-specific foods) to LPS once or twice a week.
• Turn off pumps briefly while feeding so food can settle on the polyps.

For more day-to-day guidance, our Reef Tank Maintenance Checklist covers simple routines that support healthy coral growth.

Reading Coral Health and Common Mistakes

Learning to “read” your corals is a key skill. Healthy corals generally show good polyp extension, steady growth, and consistent coloration.

• Stressed signs: Receding tissue, closed polyps for days, bleaching (turning pale/white), or sudden color loss.
• Likely causes: Parameter swings, too much or too little light, aggressive neighbors, or pests.

Beginner mistakes to avoid: adding too many corals too fast, chasing “perfect” numbers daily, skipping quarantine/dips, and overreacting to minor issues.

Caring for corals is a learning process, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Start with hardy species, keep your water stable, make gradual changes, and observe your reef closely. With patience and consistent care, your beginner corals will grow into a thriving, colorful centerpiece you can enjoy for years.