Acropora vs other SPS

[BoomCorals]

I am actually in the process of categorizing corals on my website beyond just the SPS, LPS, Softy that I have now. I actually agree with this take on acros vs encrusting type coral such as montiporas, etc. I'd like to help this trend by categorizing my site as well. So my thought is I have the SPS category, and then sub category is Acropora, Montipora/Encrusting, and maybe a 3rd. Ideas and thoughts?

 

[mic209]

I am actually in the process of categorizing corals on my website beyond just the SPS, LPS, Softy that I have now. I actually agree with this take on acros vs encrusting type coral such as montiporas, etc. I'd like to help this trend by categorizing my site as well. So my thought is I have the SPS category, and then sub category is Acropora, Montipora/Encrusting, and maybe a 3rd. Ideas and thoughts?

That would be awesome! I think how you have it planned already is perfect. Will be sweet clicking on a website and seeing the Acros only and not having to scroll through birdsnest, monti’s, etc.

 

[BoomCorals]

That would be awesome! I think how you have it planned already is perfect. Will be sweet clicking on a website and seeing the Acros only and not having to scroll through birdsnest, monti’s, etc.

Do birdsnest get their own category then? So basically, Acropora, Monti/Encrusting SPS, and Birdsnest/Stylo SPS?

 

[mic209]

Why does it annoy you if someone says nice tank of sps and not nice tank of acropora ? If you have only pseudanthias tuka and people come home and say - Nice tank of anthias ? Would that make you angry ? If you have kept anthias, you would know they are one of the most difficult to keep among anthias and fishes in general and on a whole different level.

Its just hobby !!! So enjoy it without getting caught up in hard vs easy ones.

My wife still calls my acropora tank with randall's anthias as fish tank with saltwater goldfish
It doesn't matter to me what others think or call my tank - I do the hobby for myself , not for anyone else. So , doesn't matter fi someone thinks I keep the easiest coral or hardest fish ..

Regards,
Abhishek

It’s 2017, I can be annoyed and offended by anything I want, lol.

 

[zsuzsu]

The first acro i ever bought bleached perfectly brilliant white. My wife says to me " what's that white coral you've put in your tank? It's the best coral you've ever bought".

:mad:[/QUOTE]Sounds like my little Buttercup too

 

[BoomCorals]

I've split up my SPS into 3 categories:

Acropora and Efflo
Birdsnest
Montipora, Pavona, Encrusting

 

[mic209]

Or even acros, monti’s and all other SPS.

 

[2Wheelsonly]

I get more annoyed by people who match their desirability to their difficulty level/price.

I personally would rather have a nice strawberry shortcake or red planet over a walt disney any day of the week. I'll take a bird of paradise over most "difficult" acros too. It's all about personal preference!

 

[jda]

Here is my general breakdown for non-SPS reef-keeling folks when talking about the differences.

Acropora: Most are on a different level from below, but I put a limit on stags since they grow so fast and take over too.
Birdsnest: Dragon Eye Zoas - people like them at first, but now they just take up space that you wish that you had back.
Montis: Mushrooms - most of them will make you crazy after a while when you get sick of them. However, there are some really awesome ones that people covet (Leng Sy for me).
Poci: Blue Clove Ployps - even though people warn you not to get started with these, if you are any good, they will spawn and take over your whole tank. You will be killing baby Pocis for the rest of your days.
Stylophora - Candy Cane coral - really easy and will get big and also eat up space. Some people love and keep them around forever. Some just take them all out.

I just call them Acros and MBP&S.

 

[XNavyDiver]

Here is my general breakdown for non-SPS reef-keeling folks when talking about the differences.

Acropora: Most are on a different level from below, but I put a limit on stags since they grow so fast and take over too.
Birdsnest: Dragon Eye Zoas - people like them at first, but now they just take up space that you wish that you had back.
Montis: Mushrooms - most of them will make you crazy after a while when you get sick of them. However, there are some really awesome ones that people covet (Leng Sy for me).
Poci: Blue Clove Ployps - even though people warn you not to get started with these, if you are any good, they will spawn and take over your whole tank. You will be killing baby Pocis for the rest of your days.
Stylophora - Candy Cane coral - really easy and will get big and also eat up space. Some people love and keep them around forever. Some just take them all out.

I just call them Acros and MBP&S.

My tank calls them Cannon Fodder and MiserablePeasantsIAllowToClingToLife.

 

[ShaunRobinson]

Pah! They're all just corals right?!

 

[Macdaddynick1]

Am I the only one who thinks we need to stop grouping Acropora with other SPS like monti’s, stylos, seriatopras etc? In my opinion Acropora are on a totally different level compared to other SPS in terms of care and aquarium setup. Like in my case, I have nothing but acros in my tank and I find it kind of annoying when somebody says I have a nice collection of SPS, no there are no montis, pocilopora etc, it’s all acros.

Post up your thoughts.

#humblebrag. Lol
So we should not consider acropora a Small Polyp Stony Coral anymore? IMO If you have a nice collection of acropora you have a nice collection of SPS by default. Also, just because someone owns a garden of scolymia which can be challenging to keep for some people does not mean that scolymia should not be considered an LPS.

 

[Flippers4pups]

I find all of this "silly" talk! Lol

 

[Big E]

Coral care should be defined by species imo. Acroporas for the most part have different demands than other Sps and within those species of Acropora some thrive better under certain flow and lighting conditions.

As another example, I put chalices in a separate catagory because for the most part they need very little light or flow to thrive in comparison to other LPS corals.

If you know the species you can provide better care---

Veron's books are great and this site is also very imformative-

http://coral.aims.gov.au/info/factsheets.jsp

 

[Sea MunnKey]

In my world .... there's actually no preferable references to high or "sub par" end sps/acroporas, lps, softies or azoox corals. They're almost the same with certain pedigree of different needs & requirements essential to their growth and well being.

Back in the days when sps/acro enthusiasts would "look down" on lps & softies reefers and thereby deem themselves as the "Untouchables high end reef keepers" ... lol

In my situation ... if I can't keep either one of the different category of corals alive and thriving in my system, I ain't no high end reef keeper ... period!

 

[mic209]

#humblebrag. Lol
So we should not consider acropora a Small Polyp Stony Coral anymore? IMO If you have a nice collection of acropora you have a nice collection of SPS by default. Also, just because someone owns a garden of scolymia which can be challenging to keep for some people does not mean that scolymia should not be considered an LPS.

Scientifically there is nothing that defines what makes a coral an SPS or an LPS, they’re all
just cnidarians.

 

[Macdaddynick1]

Scientifically there is nothing that defines what makes a coral an SPS or an LPS, they’re all
just cnidarians.

Agreed, 100%. Majority of the people in our hobby commonly use abbreviations such as SPS (small polymer stony) and LPS (large polyp stony) . If I tell you to imagine a big dog you wouldn’t imagine a tea cup chihuahua, and if I tell you to imagine a small dog a full grown mastiff won’t come to your mind. Scientific definitions have nothing to do with it.

 

[dougers31]

My acros(torts/tenuis/etc) generally do better than my montis, lps, etc. Apparently they like a tank with no skimmer, very few water changes, reasonable flow, with live rock, macro, and an old whisper filter cartridge for filtration Also, I think it's been almost 2 years since I tested mag/alk/cal(just laziness on my part). The less work I've put into it the better they look/grow. Weird huh. My opinion is some acros are difficult and some are much less so, same goes for many other types/species. I honestly don't know the last time I lost an "sps" coral but I've lost several acans/zoas and almost lost an orange monti cap which thankfully is making a comeback.

 

[larangcon]

How about calling it

High Flow Corals
Mid-Flow Corals
Low Flow Corals

Example: man, I just love your high flow tank! Hahaha

 

[jda]

In the olden days, SPS meant Small Polyp Scleractinia.

They are all in Animalia... so we, as humans, are the same as a ORA Frag, after all.