Moving from an lps dom tank to... softy?

[Bryce M.]

I've been in this hobby for almost 2 years now I am NO where near being advanced at all but I don't consider myself a beginner either, I do have knowledge and reef know how. Recently I had a chalice crash(?) where only my chalices died. My plan was an lps (mainly chalice) dominated tank but after these chalices I have seen zoa reefs and I can't get my mind off of it! I'm keeping my blasto, favia, sps and my wall hammer but I'm thinking of going mainly for softies if not all eventually. How do you feel of a softy reef?

 

[Sailingeric]

I have a 3 hammers and the rest are mushrooms and softies. I like that they have movement and I am not a slave to my tank worrying about alk and other elements.

 

[mfinn]

My 233 is a mix of softies and some lps. With a emphasis of green leathers.
I've been in the hobby since the early 80's and my preference is softies.

 

[sfin52]

Been in the hobby since 14. I'm a leather guy. Just got into zoa/paly.

@Katrina71. MikeC has a great softie tank. I can't find the build. HELP!!!!!

 

[sfin52]

MikeC's SOFTY TANK

MikeC's SOFTY TANK I must say I couldn’t be happier with my decision to convert to softies. After having my sps dominant tank for 2 years and loosing it to flatworms :( needles to say I was pretty bummed out. I made up my mind to start over with a upgrade(because that was the excuse I had...

www.reef2reef.com

Mines is an all softie tank

We have 4 AI lights, two older version and two newer. Our corals do ok for a while then just fade. Except the leathers. Here’s our tank. We are trying a few SPS to see what corals like our water and methods better. We can’t keep hammers or zoas the both melt or bail. Thanks for sharing about your lights.

Some examples of soft tank. The best one is the link I posted to mjc build thread.
This is my soft tank

 

[sfin52]

Been in the hobby since 14. I'm a leather guy. Just got into zoa/paly.

@Katrina71. MikeC has a great softie tank. I can't find the build. HELP!!!!!

Thanks I found it. Can you post some of your zoa. You really have some nice ones

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

I've been in this hobby for almost 2 years now I am NO where near being advanced at all but I don't consider myself a beginner either, I do have knowledge and reef know how. Recently I had a chalice crash(?) where only my chalices died. My plan was an lps (mainly chalice) dominated tank but after these chalices I have seen zoa reefs and I can't get my mind off of it! I'm keeping my blasto, favia, sps and my wall hammer but I'm thinking of going mainly for softies if not all eventually. How do you feel of a softy reef?

Easy peasy,, comrade. I love softies. .......Hahaha

1 of 32 carnation corals, dendronephthya sp. Not counting frags (15?)

 

[sfin52]

Where do you get a your nps.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

I was getting from guy directly Tonga. He flaked out on me for second box order. Bummer. He burned his bridges. Aqua Locker I order from them too. They just started getting again, they had 130 of them 2 weeks ago, now 3 maybe. Keep eye on them. Thx

1 of 32 carnation corals, dendronephthya sp.

 

[lapin]

I have a 600g with mostly softies. I like movement in my tank. You get good color with sticks but they dont move like nems and other things with tentacles.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

I have a 600g with mostly softies. I like movement in my tank. You get good color with sticks but they dont move like nems and other things with tentacles.

Any pics, comrade

 

[ca1ore]

I think softie tanks are awesome. One of my all time favorite personal tanks was all softies back when SPS was mostly unobtainium. I’ve thought about doing one again, I just don’t have space in my life for another tank.

 

[Bryce M.]

Thanks for the replies! that's why I enjoy my hammer, wonderful movement, think I might do a mostly zoa tank. I saw a video on reddit of a clown swimming through a forest of zoas and I loved the motion of it, plus I love mine too

 

[Scorpius]

I wish this hobby would stop glorifying lps/sps tanks. Like your supposed to end up with a high end Acro tank once you've "arrived". Hogwash. I'm redoing my entire system next week and I'll be sticking to softies. Slave to my tank no longer.

 

[TracyLynn]

I guess my tank would be considered a softy tank, mostly because all the LPS/SPS I’ve ever had loose their life. I do want to add different colors than what I have. Thanks for posting this question -I’ve just made a firm decision to stay “soft”

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

I guess my tank would be considered a softy tank, mostly because all the LPS/SPS I’ve ever had loose their life. I do want to add different colors than what I have. Thanks for posting this question -I’ve just made a firm decision to stay “soft”

I see a tube anemone. Nice tank, thanks for sharing, comrade

 

[fish farmer]

I've been in the hobby since 2000, never could keep any sps happy, except for a rescue porites and I do have a few polyps of monti hanging on.

I do have some hammers and I like brains but most of my 29 is covered with shrooms, palys, nepthia and colt coral.

Be careful what you wish for.....I've had the same mushrooms and brown palys for 19 years...even a major heat wave crash didn't kill them. Choose wisely.

I'm considering adding a nicer variety of xenia to where sps were supposed to go.

I will say that softies are generally easier, but I've had a sinularia close up for a month when my alk dropped way down. When I started adding reef builder...it opened back up. Xenia also pulsed better for me with higher calcium.

 

[Jay Z]

Nothing wrong with a softie tank, if it makes you happy, go with it.

I'm in slow process of clearing out my main to redo it. I started re homing all my lps and left the softies. Now Im all softies in that tank. Im actually really happy with it now, so when it gets redone, will be softies only.

But my kitchen tank is lps and I have a pair of spa 40's that will be getting started in november or so.

To each there own, you like softies, go with it.

Don't ask opinion on the internet! Half will always complain or say you're wrong. End of the day its your money and is suppose to be fun for you.

 

[Mayerlyn A]

Do what you enjoy. I love movement so I stick with that and fleshy lps.

 

[ZoWhat]

Dear God, IMO dont put SPS Acros in your tank. Many ppl have quit the hobby investing thousand of dollars in SPS Acros only for STN to breakout due to water chemistry changes and they LOSE EVERYTHING.

IMO. Leave Acros at the LFS and let them slowly kill them. Lmbo.


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