Sun coral or Fathead Dendro question

[monicalooze]

I have an NPS/sessile filter feeder nano tank with gorgonians, mushrooms, sponges, and a toadstool. My nutrients stay high because of all the feeding, which doesn't bother the soft corals or gorgs (it helps them), but I want to try a fat head dendro or sun coral for more texture. I know high phosphates and nitrates can inhibit calcification, though. I do have coralline growing, but it took a while to come back after it disappeared from my live rock.

Any thoughts on whether they would be comparable with my system, knowing I will probably never get my nitrates under 25ppm or phosphates under 0.1ppm.

 

[blaxsun]

I think you'd be fine with either, to be honest.

 

[shootingstar_reef]

Yeah I think you're fine. There are people with ~0.2 PO4 who grow healthy sun corals. Like your other corals, they would really appreciate the dirty water, haha

 

[ukgeoff]

Hi, I got myself a 2-head sun coral about three months ago and my tank averages around 18ppm nitrate and 0.1ppm phosphate, which occasionally increases to 0.3 ppm after feeding reef roids. My sun coral seems quite happy with this elevated nitrate and phosphate level and has doubled in size since I got it.

I've been feeding it every other day with reef roids and so far I'm finding it quite easy to keep and really stunning at night when it opens up to feed. You need to spot-feed sun corals as they don't photosynthesis like other corals.

I'm glad I got it, as you don't really see them much and they're a very unusual-looking coral.