Rules for lps placement

[Martini5788]

I am about to start cycling a 90 gallon and I am going to try my hand at a reef this go around. I will be doing softies and lps, and am wanting to know some general rules as to what can be placed next to each other and what can't. I have tried searching but I don't think I'm phrasing it right to get any results.

 

[Reef Frog]

That's a great question but a hard one to answer. There are so many variables involved. I'll take a crack at offering some general ideas.

Flow patterns can help to some extent certain corals from getting stung. Long stingers tend to extend downstream but not always. A powerhead isn't an antidote or reliable defends for poor placement however.

A few of the especially vulnerable corals include all SPS, scolys, fungia, acan lords and candy canes. Not sure about softies.

The trouble makers include certain favia brains, chalices, bubble coral & others.

Choosing the right location is key. You may want to figure out a temporary mounting scheme before you commit to lots of epoxy & glue.

Horizontal distance from the known bad boys and all others is important. Vertical height differences can help keep things safe.

Sometimes corals within the same family won't sting each other. I'm told an example is a frogspawn & a hammer.

There's a lot more to add I'm sure. Let's see what other folks have to say.

 

[rt67ghy]

Basically Reef Frog has covered most of the points. I'd just like to add that if you have softies such as xenia you need to be careful which corals you place near them and especially downstream from them because when these really take off they release a lot of chemicals which will harm your corals.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Adding to what Frog said, with the Euphyllia's you can put frogspawn and hammers next to each other but not a torch with them. The torch can be placed next to another torch without issue. There are examples of this in my thread link below.

As a general rule it's best to leave about 6" between dissimilar corals so they don't sting each other.

Take a look at my tank, I've got lots of pictures of my corals and many different types to give you an idea. Let me know what you think, and if you have any more questions don't hesitate to ask.

One more thing, it's addictive buying corals. LOL and you will always find one or two here and there that you have just got to have...

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2540376

 

[Martini5788]

I knew this one was going to be a complicated endeavor haha. I really like all the brain corals, favia and such, hammers, torch, frogspawn, Duncan, elegance, bubble, flowerpot, ricordia, zoas. And blasto are my absolute favorite but so expensive! I am going to spend a lot of time on the aquascape, so with those corals in mind do you have any suggestions as to the best way to scape it? A lot of ledges, tables, etc.

 

[DrewHaus]

I've got Frogspawn, torches, hammers, acans, candy canes etc. in my mixed reef. I'll attest to the above posters recommendation that frogspawn and hammers can be placed closely without issue (been doing it for some time now). They don't seem to bother each other. Species with longer sweeper tentacles need to be watched closely (at night you can usually spot them) and placed with adequate room around them. I almost lost an acan a while back from being too close to a hammer coral. After moving it, it recovered without issue.

Don't forget to consider flow and lighting, some LPS are more picky than others about placement in this regard. You may have to do some experimenting to see what works.

 

[homer1475]

Man I've been hoping my duncan will sting the h*ll out of my xenia, but they both coexist quite nicely. They've even started growing together.

 

[DrewHaus]

Man I've been hoping my duncan will sting the h*ll out of my xenia, but they both coexist quite nicely. They've even started growing together.

I had the same idea for controlling my GSP. Didn't work though, GSP is tough as nails :lmao:

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Sorry Homer, the Duncans are wimps when it comes to doing the sting battle. They lose every time.

 

[Martini5788]

When I finally get this thing set up and aquascaped, could I post a picture and get some input on placement from you guys?

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Absolutely! :thumbsup:

I'm waiting for you to give me some suggestions for my tank. PLEASE

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2540376

It seems that my Duncan colony got Brown Jelly, I don't know why my Duncan's get this. :hammer:

Guess I'll have to start dosing Iodine in my tank and see if it helps eliminate it from my system.

 

[jrkonzelman]

I have an almost exclusively frogspawn, hammer, torch tank. I have found hammers and frogspawn are always fine. Torches seem to depend on the individual piece. I have one aggressive torch that stings anything, but other torches bother nothing.

 

[Webmanny]

In my opinion, I would search for the corals you want to buy under http://www.liveaquaria.com/. They normally have some good information about every coral and it tells you if they are aggressive or not.

As far as light placement goes, I use the chart below and have not had any issues related to light and growth.

Good luck!

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Media/PDF/EcoxoticCoralPlanningMap.pdf