Are all softies like weeds

[WhiteRaven]

Mushrooms, Xenia, leathers, and gsp. All I hear is don't get them because they overtake everything.

I don't care much for the toadstools.

I love the zoas but won't try them while I have young kids joining me with this tank.

I like recardia (spelling?) a lot. I haven't heard bad things about them, but I'm a little scared to look at this point. I know I can do islands, but I can only for so many.

I finally just jumped and got a couple of mushrooms.

I'm willing to do one big softie island. What would work together there without one overtaking all? Ideally, I'd like some gsp, pulsing Xenia and larger variety of mushrooms and recardia. Would that work together? Could I add anything else?

 

[James M]

Spelling :ricordea mushrooms
You could also put Kenya trees, leather coral , Yumas
If would add the Xenia and gsp last because they tend to grow quicker than other coral .

As as for them grown like weeds it depends on your system . Soft corals thrive in water that has more nutrients.

 

[Katrina71]

They are beautiful. All of them. Look at Mike C's softie tank. Don't let other people dictate what goes in your tank. I would give gsp and Xenia an island rock each only for ease of control. They are fantastic to watch.

 

[Katrina71]

I also believe the most expensive Coral ever featured on the forum is a mushroom. FWIW

 

[WhiteRaven]

How fast does grow like weeds means? Would I be trimming them back monthly? Weekly? I'm used to trimming my planted tank twice a month.

 

[WhiteRaven]

They are beautiful. All of them. Look at Mike C's softie tank. Don't let other people dictate what goes in your tank. I would give gsp and Xenia an island rock each only for ease of control. They are fantastic to watch.

Do you have a link to a photo or video of his tank?

 

[WWIII]

Ricordea don't seem to multiply as fast as the other corals you mentioned. They do have a heck of a sting (towards other corals) and slowly kill their neighbors. That's the case with many corals, but ricordea seem to be pretty strong in my experience.

 

[FishLipz]

Do you have a link to a photo or video of his tank?

I love soft coral tank. So much movement and ease of maintenance compared to many other types of tanks. Here’s a link to Mike C’s. Love this tank!

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/mikecs-softy-tank.209718/

 

[norfolkgarden]

Not all soft corals are future weeds.
Lol, but most are.

Neon green Kenya tree, pink Japanese nepthea, corky finger gorgonian (briareum, vertical purple/brown cousin to GSP), Palau neon green nepthea, Japanese neon green toadstool, Giant Bali pompom xenia, neon green cabbage leather.

Lol, hope you like green.
[emoji6]

We all wish the above were weeds and they were considerably cheaper.

 

[Subsea]

How fast does grow like weeds means? Would I be trimming them back monthly? Weekly? I'm used to trimming my planted tank twice a month.

For certain, grow like weeds is relative. It bores me to hear the same rhetoric after so many years in this hobby. IMO, SPS grow like weeds that resemble colored sticks. It’s your display. Grow what works for you. Monthly pruning would be more than adequate. In 5 years, tennis ball size GSP covered back wall of 75G display.


https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/2...m-on-top-with-30g-ecosystem-mud-macro.421526/

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/wet-salty-for-christmas-2017.428100/

 

[Subsea]

How fast does grow like weeds means? Would I be trimming them back monthly? Weekly? I'm used to trimming my planted tank twice a month.

For certain, grow like weeds is relative. It bores me to hear the same rhetoric after so many years in this hobby. IMO, SPS grow like weeds that resemble colored sticks. It’s your display. Grow what works for you. Monthly pruning would be more than adequate. In 5 years, tennis ball size GSP covered back wall of 75G display.


https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/2...m-on-top-with-30g-ecosystem-mud-macro.421526/

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/wet-salty-for-christmas-2017.428100/

 

[Retro Reefer]

I’m a sucker for softies and can’t seem to learn my lessons even after 30+ years of reefing.. one of my more recent tanks I added GSP, Kenya tree and a pulsating Xenia. Within a few months they all started becoming a problem.. some of them you can’t isolate to keep them in check such as Kenya trees, they will drop babies that spread all over the tank

This Kenya came in on a frag

A few months later it’s taking over and dropping babies left and right..

 

[Subsea]

I’m a sucker for softies and can’t seem to learn my lessons even after 30+ years of reefing.. one of my more recent tanks I added GSP, Kenya tree and a pulsating Xenia. Within a few months they all started becoming a problem.. some of them you can’t isolate to keep them in check such as Kenya trees, they will drop babies that spread all over the tank

This Kenya came in on a frag

A few months later it’s taking over and dropping babies left and right..

Looks beautiful. We should all be so fortunate.

 

[norfolkgarden]

I’m a sucker for softies and can’t seem to learn my lessons even after 30+ years of reefing.. one of my more recent tanks I added GSP, Kenya tree and a pulsating Xenia. Within a few months they all started becoming a problem.. some of them you can’t isolate to keep them in check such as Kenya trees, they will drop babies that spread all over the tank

This Kenya came in on a frag

A few months later it’s taking over and dropping babies left and right..

Lol, you gotta get the 'right' Kenya tree.

Neon green and pink nepthea (same difference) are expensive.
Lol, you want to feel silly try spending $40, $60, $90 on 2" Kenya trees.

still waiting for them to shed babies everywhere.
[emoji6]

 

[Retro Reefer]

Lol, you gotta get the 'right' Kenya tree.

Neon green and pink nepthea (same difference) are expensive.
Lol, you want to feel silly try spending $40, $60, $90 on 2" Kenya trees.

still waiting for them to shed babies everywhere.
[emoji6]

That Kenya actually came in as a hitch hiker on a Zoa frag, it was a tiny little thing smaller than the zoa’s when I got it and I didn’t even notice it at first. it’s been out of tank for a long time and I’m still finding babies.. lol

 

[landlubber]

I also believe the most expensive Coral ever featured on the forum is a mushroom. FWIW

unfortunately for my bankroll the bounce I have sure isn't spreading like the other mushrooms I have in my system.

 

[Subsea]

I have always been drawn to softies for vibrant colors with branches undulating in the currents. Mix in red & green macros and it is Christmas color theme all year.

 

[theKoolAidMan]

None of them are actually like weeds at all. Weeds grow a LOT faster than even the most aggressively growing softie.

Now, there are some that have been known to grow quickly for a coral, and take over a tank to some extent. The most common are Xenia, Kenya Tree, and Green Star Polyps. However that doesn't mean you should avoid them. First off, many people like large amounts of these corals for the movement or color they provide. There is no rule saying you have to have extreme bi-diversity in your coral and have 100 different species. Trust your aesthetic judgement. Second, you can absolutely keep these fast growers without them "taking over". It's all about placement. Place them on an "island" rock on the sand that isn't touching the main rockwork if you like and they will generally keep to that. If they spread onto the sand that's easy enough to prune back. Kenya trees reproduce by dropping branches which are swept away by the current and latch on elsewhere in the tank. When you do water changes give the tank a good look over and see if you have any spreading. if you do you can easily pluck off the ones you don't want.

Other sofites like Mushrooms, Zoas, Leathers, imo get a bad rap because they can get lumped in with the softies that do spread like wildfire. However, it really isn't difficult to manage their spread provided you pay attention to the tank and act when you feel things are progressing too quickly. We've all seen the threads where someone complains that their tank has been taken over by Xenia or something and they post pictures and it indeed has had nearly every inch of rock covered. Thing is...that takes time...even for a fast grower, it takes a lot of time. You don't just suddenly wake up one morning to find Xenia everywhere. Pay attention to the tank and you'll be fine.

 

[lapin]

The term weed is used for an unwanted plant. I dont see where any of these would be unwanted unless you dont like them. I dont like Zoanthids or Palythoas. Are they weeds? Depends on what you want your tank to look like and how much maintance you want to do. The hair alage in "my tank" is not a weed.