Coral Compatibility
- Thread starter Laverna
- Start date
Naturebatslast
New member
It's more finding literature that defines what is aggressive and whats not. A good Julian Sprung book will have more than could possibly imagine
ME2003
Premium Member
Life on a reef is a battle for space. Most corals have some type of
defense/offense to keep their space and aquire more. It is
like a rock,paper and scissors game. Some examples are sweeper
tentacles, fast growth rates that cover other corals and chemical
defenses. The list would be most corals. The best way to deal
with it is to understand each corals stratergy to take over the reef
and manage it. Here are some examples of issues and how to manage them. If people respond with their management techniques
we might be able to get a small list together.
Sweeper tentacles ex. Bubble Coral, galaxia and hammer corals
I keep lower in the tank and as far away from other corals as possible.
Fast growers ex Green star polyps,Xenia and mushrooms
They must be harvested from the tank. I place small pieces
of live rock or shells around colonies and remove and replace
as they are over grown.
Chemical warfare ex Many corals
Having 6 inches of area around an acro is recommended for growth.
This is a complex issue to manage. Some corals when they touch
it is a tie and you get a burn zone between the two. Others
one will win and the other dies. An example I have to deal with
if an acan touches a acro it kills the area it touches quickly and
you can lose the acro. I am very careful to prevent the acros from
tipping over and landing on a acan.
Another example of chemical warfare is corals that put chemical
in the water to suppress the growth of other corals. I believe
this is an issue with caulerpa (plant) and some soft corals.
defense/offense to keep their space and aquire more. It is
like a rock,paper and scissors game. Some examples are sweeper
tentacles, fast growth rates that cover other corals and chemical
defenses. The list would be most corals. The best way to deal
with it is to understand each corals stratergy to take over the reef
and manage it. Here are some examples of issues and how to manage them. If people respond with their management techniques
we might be able to get a small list together.
Sweeper tentacles ex. Bubble Coral, galaxia and hammer corals
I keep lower in the tank and as far away from other corals as possible.
Fast growers ex Green star polyps,Xenia and mushrooms
They must be harvested from the tank. I place small pieces
of live rock or shells around colonies and remove and replace
as they are over grown.
Chemical warfare ex Many corals
Having 6 inches of area around an acro is recommended for growth.
This is a complex issue to manage. Some corals when they touch
it is a tie and you get a burn zone between the two. Others
one will win and the other dies. An example I have to deal with
if an acan touches a acro it kills the area it touches quickly and
you can lose the acro. I am very careful to prevent the acros from
tipping over and landing on a acan.
Another example of chemical warfare is corals that put chemical
in the water to suppress the growth of other corals. I believe
this is an issue with caulerpa (plant) and some soft corals.
jessiesgrrl
In Memoriam
Bob Fenner and Anthony Calfo have a great website for researching corals and their various compatibilities- www.wetwebmedia.com . There are also various good reference books- I like Reef Invertebrates by Fenner and The Book of Coral Propagation by Calfo. They have kept me straight 99.9% of the time.
Laurie
Laurie
jessiesgrrl
In Memoriam
I was also just thinking, my best management technique is a good toothbrush against GSP and xenia... Everything else gets fragged and given away or traded to an LFS usually.
:lol:
Laurie
:lol:
Laurie
Great tips! Looks like I will head to Borders this weekend.
I do have a lot of GSP that would like to take over my tank. I think I will take it to Aquatic Concepts on my way to Borders ~ hopefully they will make a trade of some sort.
My Devil's Hand must have touched something because "he" (all my corals have been labeled with a gender ~ LOL) has an area that has turned almost completely white. Should this be trimmed away?
Thanks a bunch!!
I do have a lot of GSP that would like to take over my tank. I think I will take it to Aquatic Concepts on my way to Borders ~ hopefully they will make a trade of some sort.
My Devil's Hand must have touched something because "he" (all my corals have been labeled with a gender ~ LOL) has an area that has turned almost completely white. Should this be trimmed away?
Thanks a bunch!!
