How balanced or lopsided is your reef tank?

[elcapitan1993]

I'd say my tank is fairly evenly mixed between sps/lps/zoas and I have a few soft corals that I added first that I wish I wouldn’t have. I'm not into any one specific group of corals, so as I buy more I just add what I like the looks of.

That’s what I do to, if I like it I buy it I don’t really care if it is lps sps or softie but I will say I like the look of soft corals more

 

[elcapitan1993]

Who said you can’t keep them together? You absolutely can. I currently have a maxi mini and a rock flower (currently only have a nano), but in the past I’ve had pretty much all of the most popular species. You have to be careful with them moving around and be prepared to move corals if need be, but some corals don’t seem that bothered by some anemones (for example I used to have a few bubble tips that lived right next to and were in constant contact with a big toadstool, zoanthids, and a Sinularia, all soft corals, but they were all fine, maybe a little irritated occassionally, but fine). But I’ve never heard that they can’t be kept together.

I have seen it in a few videos from major reef channels saying that it’s a bad idea and also have been told on here as well

 

[elcapitan1993]

Soft corals for the win!

YES!!!!!!!!!

 

[elcapitan1993]

I have a 1.5 months old tank with 10 frags - 30% SPS and 70% LPS. So, it's too early to tell. Overall trying to avoid aggressive corals like softies and euphyllias, entirely.

My tank is designed in three sections (longitudinally) -

1. High Light, High Flow: roughly 6 ft × by 1 ft (width) x 2 ft (height) where I have high lighting ( 3x 6 ft ReefBrite XHOs - 2x Blue, 1x 50-50) and high flow (1 Wav)
2. Low Light, Low Flow: roughly 6 ft x 0.75 ft (width) x 2 ft (height) where I have lower lighting (2x 6ft ReefBrite XHOs - 1x Blue, 1x 50-50), and low flow ( in-tank Tunze Filter)
3. Frag area: roughly 5 ft x 0.25 ft (width) x 2 ft (height) that receives sunlight for 10 hours in a day ( during summer), 8 hours in a day (during winter).

Because of my tank's newness, the light penetration is really high, and the frags can't handle the ReefBrites even at 15%-20% intensity. Sunlight is the only thing that they like.

How are softies aggressive? Lps are way more aggressive than anything in my opinion

 

[Buckster]

I purchased some sps too early and they did not survive. I then bought leathers and they did great. Now I have 3 torches and several hammers, acans, a grouping of birdsnest, paly's, zoa's, mushrooms, GSP, chili coral and three blastomussas. I guess that's a mixed reef!

 

[DeniseAndy]

How are softies aggressive? Lps are way more aggressive than anything in my opinion

Aggressive in a different way then lps. Lps send out stinger tentacles and like to be territorial in a very aggressive way. Leathers tend to use toxins to defend themselves and when they shed it can bother other corals. They do not seek out to hurt as much as lps do. FMO

 

[fluked]

1. Do you prefer one type of coral over the other and why?

LPS would be the preference, favourite corals are Elegance / Torch / Acans / Zoas. Movement and colour is unreal. Also I struggle to keep sps that aren't encrusting montis.

2. If you were to break down your tank into a percentage graph what would the numbers look like?
I did the breakdown! 49% of my corals are LPS, 19% Softy, 12% SPS, 20% Zoas. Though that is counting the quantity, the volume of the corals would be much heavier lps.

 

[mochaclownlover]

1. Do you prefer one type of coral over the other and why?
I prefer LPS, mainly because they are on the easier side of corals to keep, grow fast, add a lot of motion to the tank, and are fairly forgiving with slight parameter fluctuations (If nems were on the list they would actually be first tho XD). If I had the time and money I would love more SPS as that was what I initially wanted when I started my current tank, but just not feasible atm with school and such

2. If you were to break down your tank into a percentage graph what would the numbers look like?
SPS: ~10%, LPS: 35%, softy: 15%. The last 40% is nems (I know, not a coral, but still takes up significant area)

 

[rusgum]

Wow........AMAZING! The second picture, the blue SPS, what is the name of that coral? That is my next purchase. Gorgeous specimens!

thank you. Pearlberry Acropora

 

[Marine Reefer]

My tanked still young at 4 months, but I have:

1- Eagle Eye Zoa
1- mushroom (dude just roams around)
1- Pulse Xenia
1- Rainbow bubble nem
1- GSP

 

[Gogol_frag]

How are softies aggressive? Lps are way more aggressive than anything in my opinion

Softies are fast growing and starve the competition of real estate and to a certain degree nutrients - Nitrates and Phosphates.

They also usually actively partake in Chemical warfare. In my previous reefing life I had mushrooms in my tank and ricordias that tried to digest each other. I am not saying that similar things do not happen with other corals ... but per my experience softies were the primary offenders. Euphylias are also pretty bad in that regard.

 

[Ardeus]

2 years ago, my tank began as lopsided anemone tank, but the sps have been conquering the tank. Milkas win vs BTA's.

I have 3 anemone "shepherds" (3 filefish) that keep the anemones tightly packed in their colony. I can't remember the last time I found a rogue anemone.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Lopsided! Tilted. Im always on the lps corals. I love them. Id say most of my reef tanks end up being 75%lps. 10% softies. 15%sps.
I swear before i would just fill in space with "filler" coral. Not this time!
Lol
D

 

[Viking_Reefing]

1.
I definitely prefer sps and I have a bunch of fish that aren’t great with most lps.
I am however looking to add some cool torches down the line since I find them fairly cool and the wife loves the “wavy” look.

2.
I’d say that it’s about 80/20 in favor of sps vs lps, I dont have any soft corals.

A couple of LPS tucked away in the corner

 

[bReefedBaker]

I've always loved and always will prefer a mixed reef tank over any one type of coral dominated reef tanks. That being said sometimes without noticing my tank begins to shift or become dominated by one type of coral either because I've had better success with one type or I've started to like one more than the other. With that in mind let's talk about the coral balance of your reef tank!

1. Do you prefer one type of coral over the other and why?

2. If you were to break down your tank into a percentage graph what would the numbers look like? (Example: 60% SPS, 25% LPS, 10% Zoas, 5% Soft etc.)

Top down farm tank from @WWC

Other: I have no clue what direction I'm heading. Currently progressing slowly with two clowns and one BTA. Everyone repeats the word patience, so I'm trying my best. 4mo. young tank.

 

[Clownfish_Boy]

Balanced fish-only aquascape of dry rock and dead corals.

 

[thermoJoe]

Two of my tanks are heavy on the SPS side, but one tank is dedicated to "The Brain", which is now bigger than most peoples head (surprisingly, not a option in the pole, lol)

 

[bruce53]

I heard your not supposed to keep anemones with corals,have you had any problems with it? Also what kind of nem is it?

I keep the coral up high where the anemone can't reach me

 

[Karen00]

This is my tank. It is hard to say how many SPS or LPS but definitely I prefer Mixed Reef.

Wow, wow, wow!! This is so beautiful to look at that I can't stop looking!! Well done!

 

[Karen00]

A cluster of a mixed reef as I like all types of corals, but honestly love fish more especially triggers.

This is beautiful under the whites! I love the look of it!