confusion and help

[daddy01]

Hi All,
I am new to reefing, and I am also behind the times..I started a saltwater in the 70's but then saltwater was a new field and I threw a couple of hundred $$ down the toilet in a month so got out.
Any way the hobby has gone though some drastic changes since then, so I started again in Aug.
I have a book "Marine Invertabrates" and have started a saltwater FOWL but now I am changing to softies and LPS' my tank has been running since Aug 4,2006.
My tank is 30X12X21 inches with live rock which brings it to apporximately 24Gal tank +-.
The inhabitants are Clown Damsel and FireGobie and a Frogspawn. I have compact flourescent (Aqualife) 130W light fixture. All my parameters except for Nitrate are good my nitrate isat about 25PP using salifert tests.
The livestock I want to have the book says my tank isn't sufficient size wise, yet I read here that some people have smaller tanks and have them?
What exactly can I have?
Here is what I am thinking of
Pearl Bubble
Brain coral
Frogspawn (I have)
sun coral
Ricordia
and some other of these types is it feasable?
Jim

[Farrmanchu]

It's all possible, with the right light and flow. Your Nitrates are pretty high for Corals, and the feeding required for a Sun Coral will make the nutrient issue worse. Do them all, except the Sun, they're sturdy starter Corals. If you can get the Nitrate under control, then try the Sun Coral.

[christyf5]

How often do you do water changes? I would imagine you could keep any of those in your tank but like Farrmanchu said, get those nitrates under control first

[daddy01]

Hi Christ5,
I have been doing quiite a lot of water changes lately and my filtered water wasn't that good so I changed filters (brands). I changed 15% wvwry 3 days for four weeks, that is when my nitrate climbed. The reason I done the changes was high Phosphate level. But that is now down to acceptable levels.
I added some chaloupra the other day so maybe that will lower NItrate levels. I am getting impatient.
Thanks for Replies
Jim

[Farrmanchu]

Maybe try some Waving Hand Anthelia to start. It's easy, and takes up the Nitrates. It is invasive though, and you will want to keep it secluded to one rock, away from others. Then maybe some Shrooms, Ricordia included, allthough pricey. The Softies can handle higher nutrients. Make sure your source water is nutrient free, and if you can get the Nitrate down below 10ppm, proceed with the Stony Corals. How's the Frogspawn doing? If it's growing, that's a good sign, no matter what your test kit tells you.