Successful Mixed reef setups?

[AdamB]

Curious to find out what lessons learned for creating a successful mixed reef setup as well some of the mistakes made getting to that point?

 

[jsker]

I have had the good and the bad.

I am now working on getting the reef back to good.

 

[Tiki Reef Joshua]

The hardest thing to master IMO with a mixed reef is flow, followed by lightning. I run a 100 shallow and that compounds the problem. Not a ton of par variation and flow is less adjustable. That said... it can be done. Your pumps and light have to be tinkered with until perfect. I light on the low side to start and ramp SLOWLY until sps just starts coloring up. Then I wait. If I need more color on sps... bump it up more. It really is about finding the sweet spot. I have found a combination of gyre style pumps and high turnover return flow give a very adjustable flow situation. Specifically, I off-center (left to right) the gyre pumps and run them fairly high. Then I create flow interruptions with the proper aiming of return flow. I’ve been able to achieve heavy flow on the top and lighter flow on the bottom. The point is.... you have to tinker to get it dialed in. I run Alk 8.5 and cal 440.

 

[AdamB]

I have had the good and the bad.

I am now working on getting the reef back to good.

Same here. Trying to find right placement for the mixed stock . I have several mixed frags coming in this week and trying to layout ahead of time .

 

[jsker]

Same here. Trying to find right placement for the mixed stock . I have several mixed frags coming in this week and trying to layout ahead of time .

Post a picture of your tank and we can help with placement of the frags.

 

[fish farmer]

Define mixed reef?

Heavy on sps with lps and maybe a mushroom or two? Mostly softies with an lps and an easy sps?

My first reef tank years ago was mixed softy/lps, both grew extremely well. I rescued a porites frag from a live rock bin and it grew really well before I broke the tank down. So would that be considered a successful mixed reef?

I could say the same of my current setup, mostly softy and lps with a couple of easy montipora that are growing. I won't consider it a success until the montipora overtake significant real estate.

 

[AdamB]

Post a picture of your tank and we can help with placement of the frags.
[/QUOTE
Headed out with wife but will make detailed stocking list and tank setup .
Thanks !
I’m a landscape designer and contractor and realize placement means everything and knowing your plant(coral) determines success or fail of sustainability

 

[AdamB]

Define mixed reef?

Heavy on sps with lps and maybe a mushroom or two? Mostly softies with an lps and an easy sps?

My first reef tank years ago was mixed softy/lps, both grew extremely well. I rescued a porites frag from a live rock bin and it grew really well before I broke the tank down. So would that be considered a successful mixed reef?

I could say the same of my current setup, mostly softy and lps with a couple of easy montipora that are growing. I won't consider it a success until the montipora overtake significant real estate.

 

[DxMarinefish]

Tank set up from 2007.

I go for stability of parameters and feed for high nutrient cycling and recycling.

What I have learned is that Tank design will influence Flow, lighting, placement and livestock you can have.

For livestock I have a philosophy - i do as much research to improve survival, place in tank and if it survives it stays.

I won’t change the system to suite just one coral/fish.

Biodiversity is also key. Corals need other corals, that’s how they have evolved the most intricate and symbiotic ecosystem on the planet.

Mixed reef should be MIXED.

I won’t change the system to suite just one coral/fish.
Design and plan for the long term, that means take it real slow.
Real slow.
Real slow.
Real slow.

(the above was not a repeat typo )

Dx

 

[AdamB]

My 80 gallon deep blue rimless is lit by 2 hydra 26’s( snapshot of settings attached )
I have a eshopps rs 300 sump with refugium (chaeto/ macro)miracle mud base
Running a 1050 eflux return pump
2 1050 eflux wave maker + 1 other
Eshopps s series skimmer
GHL doser ( 2 part B Ionic / acropower )

Alk 8.3
Cal. 430
Ph 8.3-.4
Nitrate 0-5 haven’t checked lately
Mag. 1380
Phos. 0 to a trace


My newest coral addition stock list . including frags which are not glued down .
Ultron favia on plug 1 month in tank
GI joe favia on plug 1 month
Captain America favia on plug 1 month
JF top fuel favia on plug 3 weeks
RR Spice lime favia on plug 3weeks
JF fender bender 3 weeks
Watermelon psammacora 3weeks
Several(15) zoa plugs (. bam bam /scRambled eggs / etc

Corals coming Tuesday
JF Burning banana
JF red eyes porities
JF strawberry cyphastrea
Alien pox and meteor shower cyphastrea
Jack o lantern lepto
Orange crush chalice


Existing stock

Male lyretail anthias
1 Lubbock’s wrasse
1 melanurus wrasses
1 firefish
1 o. clown
1 clown goby
1 coral beauty that has behaving pretty wee ( fixing to give to friend)
Cleanup crew emeralds/ hermits / snails
Copepods in fuge





Misc favia
3 BTA ‘s

Plating montipora colony growing well
1 digitata monti
bubble gum “struggling “
Nepthea 2 years old
Troublesome mushrooms (which I had never introduced )
Open Brain misc . 1 year
2 mystic sunset ( struggling )
Giant paly’s 2 years
1 blasto 2 years
1 purple stylo...?
Misc montipora encruster

 

[AdamB]

Tank set up from 2007.

I go for stability of parameters and feed for high nutrient cycling and recycling.

What I have learned is that Tank design will influence Flow, lighting, placement and livestock you can have.

For livestock I have a philosophy - i do as much research to improve survival, place in tank and if it survives it stays.

I won’t change the system to suite just one coral/fish.

Biodiversity is also key. Corals need other corals, that’s how they have evolved the most intricate and symbiotic ecosystem on the planet.

Mixed reef should be MIXED.

I won’t change the system to suite just one coral/fish.
Design and plan for the long term, that means take it real slow.
Real slow.
Real slow.
Real slow.

(the above was not a repeat typo )

Dx

That makes total sense .I’ve done this for 4 or 5 years now and this new tank with hydras led and refugium has been more challenging for me on mixed reef .

Tank set up from 2007.

I go for stability of parameters and feed for high nutrient cycling and recycling.

What I have learned is that Tank design will influence Flow, lighting, placement and livestock you can have.

For livestock I have a philosophy - i do as much research to improve survival, place in tank and if it survives it stays.

I won’t change the system to suite just one coral/fish.

Biodiversity is also key. Corals need other corals, that’s how they have evolved the most intricate and symbiotic ecosystem on the planet.

Mixed reef should be MIXED.

I won’t change the system to suite just one coral/fish.
Design and plan for the long term, that means take it real slow.
Real slow.
Real slow.
Real slow.

(the above was not a repeat typo )

Dx

My current newest coral stock list including frags which are not glued down .
Ultron favia on plug 1 month in tank
GI joe favia on plug 1 month
Captain America favia on plug 1 month
JF top fuel favia on plug 3 weeks
RR Spice lime favia on plug 3weeks
JF fender bender 3 weeks
Watermelon psammacora 3weeks
Several(15) zoa plugs (. bam bam /scRambled eggs / etc

Corals coming Tuesday
JF Burning banana
JF red eyes porities
JF strawberry cyphastrea
Alien pox and meteor shower cyphastrea
Jack o lantern lepto
Orange crush chalice




Misc favia

Plating montipora colony
1 digitata monti
bubble gum “struggling “
Nepthea 2 years old
Troublesome mushrooms (which I had never introduced )
Open Brain misc . 1 year
2 mystic sunset ( struggling )
Giant paly’s
1 blasto 2 years
1 purple stylo...?

 

[1guydude]

Its hard to keep all your animals happy in a mixed reef. Not impossible. Vs a softy or sps only tank.
Lps kinda are like softysm they like med low flow and little dirtier water some of them but have stony skeletons that require the cal and alk the sps do.
I think most reefs end up mixed.
D

 

[AdamB]

Its hard to keep all your animals happy in a mixed reef. Not impossible. Vs a softy or sps only tank.
Lps kinda are like softysm they like med low flow and little dirtier water some of them but have stony skeletons that require the cal and alk the sps do.
I think most reefs end up mixed.
D

Yes . I think you are spot one. Very challenging in keeping everyone happy . I notice that in the past my coral will move to a more desired location and I truly amazed

 

[Nano sapiens]

I think most reefs end up mixed.

That may be true, but I don't know the percentage of people starting out with a mixed reef in mind vs. how many just end up that way over time.

My last two reef aquariums over the last 20+ years have been complete 'mixed reef' (everything except Gorgonians). Some say flow is the toughest, but I found lighting to be more difficult (especially in shallow tanks).

Knowing about and selecting the correct organisms that can potentially adapt to a particular system is 3/4 of the battle, IMO.

 

[X-37B]

My 120 is mostly sps.
I do have gorgonians , goniopora, and around 5 lps.
Placement is difficult but can be done.
All lsp are on the bottom.
I run MH at 8hrs.
Orphek OR3 blue plus for dawn dusk and only on a total of 3hrs.
14 fish.

Alk 7-7.5 7.2 is my target.
Ca 430
Mag 1350
No3 5-10
Po4 .02-.1 typically .06
I carbon dose to keep nitrate in range
I dose trace daily
Carx manmade media for alk and ca only.
Carbon at 1 cup changed every month and run 24/7
10 gallon water change every 4 months.
Thats about it.
Coral warefare is ongoing once tank grows in.
Gorgonians are new at 1 week and doing well.

 

[Tastee]

My 2c worth is that some leathers don’t mix with SPS. I have a mature (3 1/2 yo) 65g LPS and Softie tank with the main coral being a Neon Green Sinularia. Due to the toxins this coral releases I have not been able to keep a single SPS alive in the tank. Mushrooms, Zooranthids, Goni, LPS all going great guns however.

My newer 130g tank however has no issues with SPS. I’ve already moved some Zooanthids into this but the Sinularia is coming nowhere near this tank!

 

[DxMarinefish]

That makes total sense .I’ve done this for 4 or 5 years now and this new tank with hydras led and refugium has been more challenging for me on mixed reef .



My current newest coral stock list including frags which are not glued down .
Ultron favia on plug 1 month in tank
GI joe favia on plug 1 month
Captain America favia on plug 1 month
JF top fuel favia on plug 3 weeks
RR Spice lime favia on plug 3weeks
JF fender bender 3 weeks
Watermelon psammacora 3weeks
Several(15) zoa plugs (. bam bam /scRambled eggs / etc

Corals coming Tuesday
JF Burning banana
JF red eyes porities
JF strawberry cyphastrea
Alien pox and meteor shower cyphastrea
Jack o lantern lepto
Orange crush chalice




Misc favia

Plating montipora colony
1 digitata monti
bubble gum “struggling “
Nepthea 2 years old
Troublesome mushrooms (which I had never introduced )
Open Brain misc . 1 year
2 mystic sunset ( struggling )
Giant paly’s
1 blasto 2 years
1 purple stylo...?

For most softies, especially for a variety that is new to me I place on a small rock first at the bottom.
I then observe for a few weeks and adjust height and location based on the corals response and behaviour.

once I find a spot the animal likes, I either leave or glue as needed.

 

[AdamB]

My 2c worth is that some leathers don’t mix with SPS. I have a mature (3 1/2 yo) 65g LPS and Softie tank with the main coral being a Neon Green Sinularia. Due to the toxins this coral releases I have not been able to keep a single SPS alive in the tank. Mushrooms, Zooranthids, Goni, LPS all going great guns however.

My newer 130g tank however has no issues with SPS. I’ve already moved some Zooanthids into this but the Sinularia is coming nowhere near this tank!

I think that’s worth more than 2 cents . I actually forgot I have a leather toad stool in back of tank that I had threw in at first from my old tank ! That might be the reason some of my sps and others are suffering ! I have a buddy coming over today that I was going to give him some frag pieces for his new tank . My mistake was allowing any mushrooms in my new tank !

 

[fish farmer]

I think that’s worth more than 2 cents . I actually forgot I have a leather toad stool in back of tank that I had threw in at first from my old tank ! That might be the reason some of my sps and others are suffering ! I have a buddy coming over today that I was going to give him some frag pieces for his new tank . My mistake was allowing any mushrooms in my new tank !

Mushrooms are IMO harder to eradicate than aiptasia. I estimate that 40% of the real estate in my 29 gallon are red and green striped mushrooms. They constantly bud off and wind up anywhere, tucked in crevices or mixed with zoas.

I used to have finger leathers/toadstools in my first tank, but due to the slime factor and the desire to try more hard encrusting corals I'm holding off.

 

[IslandLifeReef]

Other than the obvious that some corals just won't get along, I find the most challenging aspect is mixing corals with flow. SPS corals love high flow, while a lot of LPS and most softies like medium to low flow. It is hard to find that right mix in a box of water, especially as that box gets smaller.

The other aspect I would look at is light. Rent a PAR meter and map out you tank to find areas of higher and lower light. It may surprise you to find areas that you thought were lower light that are actually around 200 PAR. Just realize as corals grow, they will shade areas around them.