Sps, lps, soft corals?

[ndz98]

I'm new to this so I'm not really sure of the difference between sps, lps, and soft corals. I've tried to look it up on the internet but I feel like the examples given are either too vague or too confusing. The most I've really gathered was that sps is a little easier than lps and lps have like a hard skeleton base? Not completely sure. This might seem pretty bad but I have some zoas and I think they're sps but I'm not sure like I said I'm new to this stuff. I'm learning bits and pieces as I go.

 

[ermartin]

Zoa's are Soft corals

SPS (
Small Polyp Stony Corals)
are hard corals like Acro's

LPS (
Large Polyp Stony Corals)
are hard corals with soft tissue like Frogspawn Brain corals , Acans etc

 

[California Reef Co.]

There are lots of coral groupings. You can be scientific about it and look at coral classification and see what order, family, and genera each coral group falls into or you can use the common coral groupings that hobbyists collectively created.

Three Basic Groups of Corals Terminology used in this hobby: Soft Corals, LPS, SPS.

Soft Corals
-Lack a skeleton. They're squishy. You could literally squish them into nothing.
Example: Zoa (Zoanthid)

• Each of those circular openings is a polyp. At the very middle of each 1 is a small opening where the mouth is.
• The second picture shows two of the polyps closed up. We just fed them some food, their feeding response was to close up.
• What makes these a soft coral is they lack skeleton. Zoas grow by extending and attaching their flesh onto a substrate for attachment and new polyp development.

Large Polyp Stony (LPS)
-Corals possessing a hard skeleton with large polyps.
Example: Acan (Acanthastrea)

• See how it's just one large polyp? Underneath this flesh there is a skeleton which the flesh can retreat into.
• You can even see the mouth at the very middle of the polyp. Looks like a pair of blue lips.

Small Polyp Stony (SPS)
-Corals possessing a hard skeleton with several small polyps.
Examples: Acropora

• See the red circle in the picture? That is 1 single polyp. They're much smaller than the polyp of a zoanthid or an acan.
• There are probably several hundred polyps on this acropora colony.

These are just some examples of the corals in each category but that pretty much sums it up. Any questions feel free to post more questions. Lots of helpful people here on reef2reef.


In taxonomy, the terms "LPS" and "SPS" aren't even used. Stony corals all fall under the Order Scleractinia. While what we consider soft corals (anemones, zoanthids, corallimorphs) are all under their own different orders.

 

[ndz98]

There are lots of coral groupings. You can be scientific about it and look at coral classification and see what order, family, and genera each coral group falls into or you can use the common coral groupings that hobbyists collectively created.

Three Basic Groups of Corals Terminology used in this hobby: Soft Corals, LPS, SPS.

Soft Corals
-Lack a skeleton. They're squishy. You could literally squish them into nothing.
Example: Zoa (Zoanthid)

• Each of those circular openings is a polyp. At the very middle of each 1 is a small opening where the mouth is.
• The second picture shows two of the polyps closed up. We just fed them some food, their feeding response was to close up.
• What makes these a soft coral is they lack skeleton. Zoas grow by extending and attaching their flesh onto a substrate for attachment and new polyp development.

Large Polyp Stony (LPS)
-Corals possessing a hard skeleton with large polyps.
Example: Acan (Acanthastrea)

• See how it's just one large polyp? Underneath this flesh there is a skeleton which the flesh can retreat into.
• You can even see the mouth at the very middle of the polyp. Looks like a pair of blue lips.

Small Polyp Stony (SPS)
-Corals possessing a hard skeleton with several small polyps.

• This is an acropora. See the red circle in the picture? That is 1 single polyp. They're much smaller than the polyp of a zoanthid or an acan.
• There are probably several hundred polyps on this acropora colony.

These are just some examples of the corals in each category but that pretty much sums it up. Any questions feel free to post more questions. Lots of helpful people here on reef2reef.


In taxonomy, the terms "LPS" and "SPS" isn't even used. Stony corals all fall under the Order Scleractinia. While what we consider soft corals (anemones, zoanthids, corallimorphs) are all under their own different orders.

Thank you so much! I really appreciate you going more in depth about it. Are those corals you used as examples all yours?

 

[California Reef Co.]

Yes those are some of the corals we have.

Advice I always give to new hobbyists is to keep this hobby fun, affordable to your own budget, and always ask questions.

There are a lot of things that can go wrong with a reef tank fast, so knowledge is definitely power.

 

[ndz98]

Those are some really nice looking corals!

I try to read up on other peoples situations on here and gain some knowledge from it so I can try and not make the same problems. I haven't had any problems this far (and hopefully it stays that way). I really do enjoy getting new things to add to my tank. I feel like I'm constantly trying to go to the store to go check out if they have gotten anything new that I can buy. It's almost like an addiction lol.

I have a question about my fire and ice zoas. They are my only coral in the tank right now and I want them to multiply quickly but I also want to make sure they are healthy. I know they can produce food from the light but in your experience is there other things I can feed them or put in the water to help them grow better such as zooplankton or iodine? Also I've been keeping my lights on for about 9 hours a day. Is that about enough light for them or should I give them a little less?

 

[ndz98]

@California Reef Co.

 

[justjes45]

I am new to this hobby as well and that was one of the best answers descriptions and examples I have ever been able to get! Thank you so much

 

[California Reef Co.]

@California Reef Co.

Not many people dose iodine any more. That was something people use to do in the early days of this hobby.

Find yourself a salt mix that is designed for reef tanks so that you have the appropriate calcium, alkalinity, magnesium, and trace elements just from doing basic water changes. There are salt mixes that have low calcium and alkalinity levels because they are designed for fish-only tanks.

As for feeding zoas, sometimes all they need is time to grow. Some zoas and palys will readily eat food. You can try feeding them a plankton-based powder food like Reef Roids.

Be careful though its very easy to overfeed a tank. You might cause a nasty pest algae outbreak. I prefer to spotfeed each coral at home rather than broadcast feeding the entire water column.

9 hours of lighting sounds about right. Most people have a light schedule that lasts about 8 to 10 hours.

Manage your nutrients.
Feeding = Nutrient Input.
Water changes/skimmer/etc. = Nutrient Export

 

[ndz98]

Not many people dose iodine any more. That was something people use to do in the early days of this hobby.

Find yourself a salt mix that is designed for reef tanks so that you have the appropriate calcium, alkalinity, magnesium, and trace elements just from doing basic water changes. There are salt mixes that have low calcium and alkalinity levels because they are designed for fish-only tanks.

As for feeding zoas, sometimes all they need is time to grow. Some zoas and palys will readily eat food. You can try feeding them a plankton-based powder food like Reef Roids.

Be careful though its very easy to overfeed a tank. You might cause a nasty pest algae outbreak. I prefer to spotfeed each coral at home rather than broadcast feeding the entire water column.

Manage your nutrients.
Feeding = Nutrient Input.
Water changes/skimmer/etc. = Nutrient Export

Would it be alright to use Instant Ocean Reef Crystals? That's about the only choice I have around where I live unless I order online. And when you say spotfeed do you mean put some food into a cup with some water and then use like a turkey baster and give it directly to the zoas?

 

[vic5hands]

Watch your PH levels when using Instant Ocean always check your new water. PH will be low.

 

[California Reef Co.]

Would it be alright to use Instant Ocean Reef Crystals? That's about the only choice I have around where I live unless I order online. And when you say spotfeed do you mean put some food into a cup with some water and then use like a turkey baster and give it directly to the zoas?

Spotfeeding is target feeding. Essentially youre choosing how much to feed and which coral to feed. Some people use turkey basters some people use syringes.

Broadcast feeding is putting food into the water column and letting the flow push the food all around the tank.

Your zoas may or may not eat. Some of our zoas will eat brine shrimp and small mysis, while some will only eat small plankton particles like in Reef Roids. While some will not show any feeding response at all.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Watch your PH levels when using Instant Ocean always check your new water. PH will be low.

Why do you think that?

pH of aerated seawater is determined solely by the alkalinity and the CO2 level of the water the salt mix is aerated with. Normal IO and Reef Crystals definitely do not have low alkalinity (some complain they are too high), so if you have low pH with either one, it is from excess CO2 in your air.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Would it be alright to use Instant Ocean Reef Crystals? That's about the only choice I have around where I live unless I order online.

Yes, it is a fine choice. It is one of the more popular mixes for reef tanks. I prefer normal Instant Ocean because I do not care for some of the organic additives in Reef Crystals (metal chelators and vitamins), but many people use Reef Crystals.

 

[ndz98]

Yes, it is a fine choice. It is one of the more popular mixes for reef tanks. I prefer normal Instant Ocean because I do not care for some of the organic additives in Reef Crystals (metal chelators and vitamins), but many people use Reef Crystals.

Are some of the organic additives not necessarily a good thing always? I use the regular one now but was told I should get the reef crystals one since I'm starting to add coral.

 

[ndz98]

Spotfeeding is target feeding. Essentially youre choosing how much to feed and which coral to feed. Some people use turkey basters some people use syringes.

Broadcast feeding is putting food into the water column and letting the flow push the food all around the tank.

Your zoas may or may not eat. Some of our zoas will eat brine shrimp and small mysis, while some will only eat small plankton particles like in Reef Roids. While some will not show any feeding response at all.

If I plan to target feed would two or three times a week be good? And does it matter what time of the day?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Are some of the organic additives not necessarily a good thing always? I use the regular one now but was told I should get the reef crystals one since I'm starting to add coral.

IMO, they are undesirable in a setup like mine where I make and use a large batch of seawater over a month. Organics may drive bacterial growth in the mixing barrel.

 

[Chefbill]

To further elaborate on your original question. SPS in general or higher light higher flow. LPs are in the middle, while softies usually are low light and lower flow. For practical purposes LPS are middle road while softies are very easy to care for and SPS can be a bit trickier

 

[dreamsr]

To further elaborate on your original question. SPS in general or higher light higher flow. LPs are in the middle, while softies usually are low light and lower flow. For practical purposes LPS are middle road while softies are very easy to care for and SPS can be a bit trickier

So then they can’t all grow in one tank together? Or are there ways to shield some areas from flow? Lighting different sectors seems easy enough—just flicking switches (or having the digital assistant do it), but different flows seems harder to do, especially in a smallish (<100 gal) tank.

Iow, if I want jellyfish, can I do any corals other than soft?

 

[dreamsr]

Yes those are some of the corals we have.

Advice I always give to new hobbyists is to keep this hobby fun, affordable to your own budget, and always ask questions.

There are a lot of things that can go wrong with a reef tank fast, so knowledge is definitely power.

Your descriptions with pictures are very helpful—thank you.
People on this site refer to tanks by these three names, as if each tank were just one of them. Can they all grow in one tank? If yes, what are some good ways to do that? If not, can you tell a little bit more about what else goes in a tank with each of them, please?