Does having a reef packed with corals take up fish space?

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Ok, so at first brush this question may seem like it has an obvious answer. Still I wonder how many of us have given thought to this. We know that fish need a certain amount of swimming space (how much per species is certainly up for debate), so when we start packing corals into a tank, should we be factoring this in? At what point does it become something we need to worry about? As corals grow, they take up more and more space. We've all seen those reef tanks that are packed to the brim with coral colonies, was there a sacrifice made there to balance livestock (i.e. less fish, smaller fish, less active fish, etc.)? I'm hoping this might be a fun topic for our discussion today. So...

1) Do coral take up fish space in our reef tanks?
2) At what point(s) should this factor into our reef planning?

Photo of @glennf's beautiful packed reef! (You can check out his build thread HERE)

 

[polyppal]

In 99% of tanks I vote #3, not an issue most will ever deal with. I think fish would much rather have some larger corals to hang around all day than the inside of a PVC pipe. It could certainly become a problem if dealing with large aggressive things like carpet Anemones though

(these are problems I wish I had)

 

[Unitylover]

True, so what i am planning to do is to just add like 2-4 corals in my 10 gal.

 

[fish farmer]

Depending on what fish you have and what type of corals, the corals may actually become the place they take refuge.

 

[Unitylover]

Depending on what fish you have and what type of corals, the corals may actually become the place they take refuge.

VERY TRUE, as clownfish host corals sometimes.

 

[atoll]

If you start with a plan for your tank as you should then space should never be a real problem. Choose your corals or better still your fish and space will be fine. All to often people change their plan, don't have one or fail to recognise the requirements of their fish or corals.

 

[MnFish1]

Seems like for the most part - the fish adapt. But - it sometimes surprises me to see people putting 30 frags in a 100 gallon aquarium. If they all grew to the size they should - there would literally be no room . But - as others have said - I think the fish overall appreciate the 'hiding spaces' in most tanks.

 

[Pntbll687]

voted number 3

It can be an issue, especially if keeping a larger fish in a tank that is slightly too small. @FishOfHex has many videos on his youtube channel about the vlamingi tang that breaks off colonies of sps.

For most people, it won't be an issue, and more coral will actual lessen aggression because there are less direct lines of sight for fish to have. It can also provide habitat for fish. If you have seen chromis out on a reef, there are thousands of them together and they dive in and out of acros all day. We rarely get to see this behavior in our aquariums.

 

[Schraufabagel]

The benefit can outweigh the space taken up. A lot of fish and inverts like hiding spaces or host in some corals. However, if your coral is growing like a weed it can take up too much space

 

[Radman73]

Voted #3, and I hate Glenn in the nicest way possible lol! Beautiful tank.

 

[NDIrish]

I believe it would be for the larger fish. The smaller ones will usually live in amongst the corals.

 

[Peace River]

There are many things to consider when thinking about fish space, In addition to the needs of different fish and the various types of structure provided by the corals, there is a difference between water volume and swimming space.

 

[stephj03]

Nobody keeps the same tank long enough to find out anymore.

There's a greater number of tanks that never end up with enough water in them for fish to be added than tanks with so much coral growth that fish can't swim.

 

[Hermie]

Honestly... Nano tank + success + too much starter rock gets crowded fast.

Not only does it reduce fish swim-space but the coral aggression becomes a problem.

 

[i cant think]

If the tank is over run by coral then wouldn’t that show time to get the clippers? I feel like yes given time they can take up swim room but I doubt unless you get a HUGE colony you would wind up with no swim room instantly. Yes it’s a thing out there but I don’t think a reefer should worry about it too soon - If it’s an SPS coral like the Staghorn that have HUGE gaps between their arms then swim room being taken up shouldn’t be an issue unless the arms start to grow in the way of the fish.

 

[vetteguy53081]

While it can have an impact on total water volume, it is not a critical factor in tank planning especially with many like myself that tend to add a nice coral or colony on occasion

 

[elysics]

Shouldn't the question rather be whether open water fish take up valuable space where corals could be instead? As for smaller reef fish, i'm sure they'll appreciate having more coral thickets to live in as opposed to open water

 

[LA Reef Addict]

Great topic Daniel. I am currently dealing with this issue in my 8 footer. Up until recently i had it packed with rock and coral because most of my fish are rock dependent. They either cruise and pod hunt (copperband and wrasse), algae and sponge hunt (regal angel) or use it for security and sleep in it (firefish and basslet) but now i have a pbt coming from tsm so i am having to open up swimming space but keep my current inhabitants happy as well. Not an easy balance to keep but with the use of pvc and eggcrate, i am creating tunnels and swimthroughs behind and under the rock in hopes of keeping everyone happy.

 

[BradB]

You aren't stuffing a can of sardines. Fish need a bigger tank so they have room to swim.

How many laps around an empty gym is a mile? Throw a basketball game in the middle, some left over gym equipment around, it is still the same distance until the room gets very full - and then you are going around obstacles and it might even be fewer laps to run a mile.

 

[unchaotic]

Voted #3, and I hate Glenn in the nicest way possible lol! Beautiful tank.

I enjoy when he posts a question on FB like he doesn't know the answer and baits people into saying what he does is impossible. And then they try to argue with him like he's a moron.