Stony Coral Prop Tank

BrianC

Membership Expired
I haven't been in the hobby for a little while. So, please excuse me if any of this seems dumb/ outdated. If I wanted to do say a prop tank built around Montipora, Digitata, and Birdsnest prop what equipment would I need? Would there be fish? Live rock?  I remember the argument about not skimming a coral prop tank because it skimmed the calcium. Is that true? If so do you lightly skim or no skim? What tank dimensions work best? What lighting works best with which depth?  I'm guessing you need live rock for "bugs" but, does it need to be in the display or can the corals suitably grow on sand? If so how much sand (4 inches)? Is there a fish that is suitable for helping to maintain these types of coral? I once read that some marine biologist considered some angels and even some butterfly fish beneficial for stone corals because they would attack diseased spots - not sure if that is true. If not fish what invertebrates are preferred ( I'm guessing you still need some kind of algae eater)? 
 
Top