Mixed reef?

tmccaff · Jan 8, 2023

Hope not a stupid question here. What is a mixed reef? I am guessing LPS; Soft corals and some SPS am I wrong? For a mixed reef what is suggested parameters? SPS should be lowest as far as Nitrates/Phosphates that is why I would think mixed reef may not include SPS.

fishski13 · Jan 8, 2023

So yes a mixed reef is a combination of sps, lps, softies, etc. Usually mixed reefs have sps from mid to top while lps and softes from mid to bottom.

Since each of these corals thrive best in there own conditions, this is what makes mixed reefs particularly difficult. Usually people try to find a sweet spot. I have heard people run nitrates around 5-10 and phosphate around .05 for mixed reefs and it works well. Recently more and more results have been seen by running nutrients slightly higher with sps than compared in the past.

CasperOe · Jan 8, 2023

tmccaff said:
Hope not a stupid question here. What is a mixed reef? I am guessing LPS; Soft corals and some SPS am I wrong? For a mixed reef what is suggested parameters? SPS should be lowest as far as Nitrates/Phosphates that is why I would think mixed reef may not include SPS.

You're absolutely right- and there is no stupid questions apart from the ones not asked!

Salinity. 33–35 ppt.
K. 360–400 ppm.
Ca. 380–460 ppm.
NO3. 2-5 ppm.
Mg. 1180–1460 ppm.
PO4. 0,01-0,05 ppm.
KH. 6.5–8,0 dKH.

You'll have tons of opinions on above; aim for stability in stead of chasing numbers! Above recommendations comes from the maker of the salt that I am using (Aquaforest)