Freshwater Corals: Understanding Their Existence in a Nutshell

If you are very familiar with the aquatic world, you must know by now that corals are naturally common in water. Moreover, as much as corals look beautiful beneath the deep, they serve a very important purpose to aquatic life.

There are certain key roles that these marine organisms play to improve the longevity of aquatic animals, especially fish. The main purpose of this post is to provide insight into what a freshwater coral is, whether it exists or not, and how to keep it alive. 

The piece of information here isn’t just for anyone who’s enthusiastic about marine life. If you intend to have an aquarium in your home, you must understand how to keep corals in the best possible condition.

Just like fish, corals can die in water if the condition is not right. This post will do well to answer all your questions concerning this. 

Is There Any Fresh Water Coral?

You may have heard or seen the term “freshwater coral” repeatedly. But surprisingly, there’s no such thing as freshwater corals. They basically don’t exist anywhere on the planet.

There are only corals in salt water. This is why the sea looks stunning with different species of corals.

No one has ever found a live coral naturally growing in freshwater. This phenomenon has also been backed by many fishkeepers who claim that freshwater coral is simply fictional. 

Apparently, what this implies is that it’s very difficult to have live corals in your freshwater aquarium. Sometimes all you can do is decorate your fish tank with plastic corals just to improve the aesthetic of the aquarium.

Nevertheless, there have been cases of fish keepers adding corals to freshwater aquariums after making the water excessively soft and acidic. 

Can You Add Corals To Your Fresh Water Aquarium?

Due to the fact that freshwater corals don’t exit, adding corals to your freshwater aquarium is certainly not a wise choice. Corals are living organisms and if their environment is not habitable, they won’t survive.

They can only thrive and live in a different water parameter. It’s better you have a saltwater aquarium that can accommodate both the corals and saltwater fish. 

On the other hand, if you are quite concerned about how your fish tank looks, there’s no shame in using plastic corals. You can speak with the team in charge of creating and installing your aquarium, sharing your thoughts about wanting corals in your tank.

They would probably recommend going for plastic as long as it doesn’t affect the condition of your freshwater fish. 

What Happens When You Add Corals To Your Fresh Water Tank?

There’s no denying that adding corals to your freshwater aquarium is probably the easiest way to kill them (the corals). Now, here’s the thing. When introducing fish to a different body of water, they can survive as long as you adjust the water parameters ideally.

Gradually modifying the temperature, pH, ammonia, and hardness of the water can make it habitable for the fish. 

But sadly, when it comes to adding corals to freshwater, it’s a completely different ball game. You have no control over the pH level, temperature, ammonia, and hardness.

The big question is, “What happens when corals get into freshwater?” The answer is simple – they won’t survive. 

Aside from the corals not surviving, they can also harm your freshwater fish. Some species of corals often emit toxins, but these toxins may not be harmful to saltwater fish since they all reside within the same environment. But in the case of freshwater fish, they could be in danger. 

Preferable Water Quality For Corals

If you want to have live corals in your fish tank, then you must prioritize the condition of the water at all times. Achieving the ideal water quality for corals is key. It helps them to feed, digest food, and grow healthily under your care.

Failure to maintain the right quality of water would eventually kill the coral and perhaps affect the fish you have in your aquarium. 

More importantly, bear in mind that most corals prefer an average of 25 to 28 degrees Celsius in water temperature, 1250 to 1350 magnesium PPI, 410 to 440 calcium PPI, and almost zero ammonia level.

These are specifics you shouldn’t ignore if you intend to have live corals in your fish tank. Companies that build aquariums know that having freshwater coral is unrealistic. Hence, they would often recommend maintaining these requirements to have the perfect water quality for corals in a saltwater aquarium. 

Unstable water parameters 

Usually, you can look after your fish and keep them alive as long as their water chemistry requirements are met. Of course, these requirements include the pH level, temperature, and water hardness. Notwithstanding, changing water parameters has to be done gradually.

Fish are quite sensitive to the condition of the water they live in. So when the changes are instantaneous, the health of the fish could be at stake. Since drastic changes can harm your fish, adding corals automatically becomes a bad idea. 

When you add an entire piece of coral to your aquarium, it’s impossible to keep the water parameters under control. You won’t be able to gradually adjust the degree, pH, hardness level, and whatnot.

Occasionally, some aquarium experts do add crushed corals to raise the pH of acidic water. However, this is done in a cautious and controlled manner to minimize the risks involved. 

If you want to learn more about the ideal water parameters for your fish or corals, it’s important you speak with someone with a wealth of experience in this field. Perhaps you can consult with an aquarist. 

FAQs

Conclusion 

Generally, adding corals to a freshwater tank is a bad idea. They are clearly dangerous to your fish due to the toxins they emit as soon as they get into the water. But even when you find fish that thrive in hard water, you may have to support the condition of the water by adding crushed corals in small quantities. It’s not even advisable to do this solely on your own. You should follow recommendations from an aquarist, preferably the one who built your fish tank. 

Hopefully, this article has addressed your concerns and answered questions you may have about freshwater coral, pH levels in freshwater tanks, and fish that thrive in hard water.