looking for advice with corals atypical placement and quantity

[Sean_B]

I'm looking for any/all advice with a set-up that is nearing fruition.

I have read posts regarding quantity and they all weigh on the side of "how much is too much".

Well my inquiry is just the opposite, can you have too little coral in a large tank without impeding health, longevity and growth of the corals?

And secondly, I have read basics about coral compatibilities but is there any problem with positioning corals of the same species next to each other? e.g. diseases, greater possibilities of pests management etc.

advice is greatly appreciated, thank you in advance.

Tank dimensions will be 72" x 48" @ 30" tall

 

[Eoka]

Corals need alk, calc, mag, no3, phos, and other trace elements so if you keep these all balanced you can have as many corals as you can fit in the tank. Corals of the same species will not sting eachother. Most corals don't have that potent of a sting. Soft corals really don't sting at all so they can go next to eachother. Sps corals sting the most and have a strong sting. For disease just dip your corals. For pest get a wrasse. I dipped my monti and still ended up with monti eating nudi but I've heard of people wiping them out with wrasses like leopards, yellow coris, etc.

 

[Sean_B]

I should have noted my goal:

I'm not interested in producing a "busy looking" tank.

Rather I am looking for lots of open spaces with clusters of more natural looking coral colonies. I'm educated in Horticulture which lends me to make parallels (correctly or incorrectly is my concern) with corals regarding heath/pest management and proximity with other corals.

 

[Eoka]

I should have noted my goal:

I'm not interested in producing a "busy looking" tank.

Rather I am looking for lots of open spaces with clusters of more natural looking coral colonies. I'm educated in Horticulture which lends me to make parallels (correctly or incorrectly is my concern) with corals regarding heath/pest management and proximity with other corals.

Yea I kinda went over that is there a more specific question that you have for health and pest. Also proximity is dependent on the coral your keeping for example torch corals have a nasty sting and long polyps so you would want to keep them so there polyps don't touch other corals

 

[Waters]

No, having a limited amount of coral won't affect anything (other than maybe keeping algae growth at bay). Yes, you can have multiple colonies of the same coral touching without any additional problems.