SPS Touching

[Thisseemsfishy]

I'm still a little new to the SPS world and was curious if anyone could sum up which SPS can touch and which cannot? I'm used to LPS where you want to give everything room, is it the same with SPS?!?

Also, do you find your SPS growing any faster if they have more room or will they grow at the same rate if they're touching another? ...assuming some can

 

[power boat jim]

Though the same species can touch without warfare starting, it is better NOT to let them touch. There will always be a winner and a loser in the battle. Leave a couple inches between them and things should be fine.

 

[Thisseemsfishy]

Will the same type (ie, Acro, Monti) fight?

 

[mushroom head]

Acropora and monti are not the same ? acro wins over monti.

 

[MammothReefer]

same deal, can't touch they will sting each other with the polyps, or try to grow over each other.

 

[Thisseemsfishy]

I should have been a bit more clear.... Will Monti's sting Monti's, Acros sting Acros?

 

[power boat jim]

I should have been a bit more clear.... Will Monti's sting Monti's, Acros sting Acros?

Yes, Acropora and montipora are general terms used to describe corals that have specific features. There are hundreds if not thousands of different species of each. THEY MUST NOT TOUCH or there will be a winner and a loser. About the only coral that Ive seen grow into each other are different types of pocillapora, they dont burn each other but one usually out grows the other. Im sure there are a few others out there that can grow together since there are exceptions to every rule.

 

[rmalone]

From what I have seen the fighting between sps is very unpredictable. For instance my monti digi encrusted right over my purple monster acro. Yet the same digi lost an entire brance in a day when it screwed with a tri-color valida. I have seen my monti setosa and my german blue polyp acro kind of find a truce, no dead branches just some back and forth encrusting. Overall montis do lose to acros, but not always. Red planet seems to murder any other sps it contacts. Overall the safest thing, unless you like those wars like I do, is to keep them from touching because there really is no way to predict the outcome. Typically in keeping with murphy's law the one you like or the rare expensive one loses to some piece of crap you wish you had never put in the tank.

 

[piusma]

Do you guys worry about the encrusted base touching each other? My millies has encrusted on the rocks and they're touch each other by the base.

Should I be worried?

 

[rmalone]

I wouldn't really worry about it, I mean what can you do beside tear it out and hack up the rock they are on. I would just watch and see what happens. There will be a few fireworks probably where they meet but two millies will likely just have a standoff.

 

[allsps40]

No matter what as they grow corals will get bigger and start to grow into one another. This is a natural thing. While there will always be a loosing coral it is rare that 100% of the coral will die, LPS vs SPS is a different story. IMO a tank that is grown in to the point where corals are touching makes it look natural.

 

[droth335]

Also, I think they can "sense" their neighbors and some corals make a point to grow so they don't have conflict (vs polyp to polyp warfare!). In this pic you can see the orange monti digi and the green slimer acro have grown sort of intertwined but have not actually touched or caused each other any harm. In the 2nd pictture you can see there is also a purple cap and a purple digi at the base of the orange digi and they all make it work without any damage. Also, the green birdsnest will be joining the fracas pretty soon!

 

[Reefaddict24]

Wow very nice colonies you have. I was also wondering this. I have a 400g 360 view tank with and center island overflow. Due to the overflow being in the dead center it is taking up a lot of my room for aqua scape. So i tried to attempt a minimalist look to surround the overflow. But still i am limited to space on all sides of my tank. and will the minimalist look i have even less rock and base for my sps. I have about a collection of 40+ SPS frags around all my rocks ATM. Only concern is that when it grows out i wouldn't be able to have nice size colonies and would have to trim so often to keep the balance in space for everyone to be happy.

 

[blakers82]

Wow very nice colonies you have. I was also wondering this. I have a 400g 360 view tank with and center island overflow. Due to the overflow being in the dead center it is taking up a lot of my room for aqua scape. So i tried to attempt a minimalist look to surround the overflow. But still i am limited to space on all sides of my tank. and will the minimalist look i have even less rock and base for my sps. I have about a collection of 40+ SPS frags around all my rocks ATM. Only concern is that when it grows out i wouldn't be able to have nice size colonies and would have to trim so often to keep the balance in space for everyone to be happy.

This isn't the worst problem to have. :bounce1: What are the dimensions of your aquarium? Even 50 frags could take a while to fill up 400 gallons.