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Can anyone tell me what are some good corals or anemones for a beginner?

I want to start a mini-reef type set up.

right now I have a 55 gal with live rock, 3 damsels, a bicolor blenny, a coral banded shrimp, chocolate chip star, hermit crabs and snails.

I have a AGA HO Compact at 110 watts putting me at 2 watts per gallon.

Is this not going to be enough lighting?

Ive seen the prices for 48'' Compact systems and I'm not crazy about upgrading because the 110w fixture is only about 3 months old.

my other option is to swap my 30 Gal XH freshwater tank and 55 gal marine tank, because the 30 gal system has a DUAL SAT. system that gives me 3 wats per gallon. I could then put my freshwater plants in the 55 gallon tank at 2 watts per gallon.

yeah...I think too much about this stuff...

thanks for anyone's insight

mushrooms, green star polyps, and encrusting pink gorgonian would all probably be ok if you put them up high-ish on the liverock -- but I'd worry about the choc-chip star eating them - I've seen a choc chip eat half a shroom within a few hours of putting the shroom in the tank...

You absolutely want to evict the starfish if you are going to try corals of any kind, or find a friend with a harlequin shrimp. Like Redpaulhus said, Mushrooms, Polyps, Leathers, even some brains would be ok.

-TheFishGuy

this is why God made credit cards...

just buy what you need, 4-7 watts per gallon (from Uncle Ned's)
CUR 48” DUALSAT 4x65W PC STRIP $250
CUR 48” ORBIT 4x65W PC STRIP $290
CUR 48” ORBIT EXTREME 2x130W PC STRIP $320
CUR 48” ORBIT 4x96W PC STRIP $575
CUR 48” ORBIT EXTREME 4x130W PC STRIP $750
(the Orbits are on special, ask Ned for a discount)

live a little

and put whatever corals you want in it

Ned, can I have a discount?

Yes.

do i need to buy anything to get a discount?

Yes.

hmmm.....

now are all stars problematic with corals?
How about some species of brittle stars?

cocolate chip and all their relatives eat corals

brittle stars and serpent stars do not eat corals,
but they eat fish when they get really big

Linkia and fromia and Knobby starfish are the best for reef tanks
but are sometimes not easy.
Linkia and fromia should be at 1.024 minimum salinity
and need to be well under 80 degrees F.

Most corals prefer those water conditions also.