First off, love the dimensions :thumbsup:
Care of the aforementioned Corals can differ greatly, however if a system is set-up correctly and one understands the Corals needs they can be kept together. Here is my little 'blurb' regarding the care of NPS coral:
"IMO there are three main "types/kinds/classes" (call it what you will) of "NPS" coral:
1.) Gorgonians/Sea Fans
2.) Soft Corals (Scleronepthya, Dendronepthya, etc.)
3.) Large polyp Meat Eaters (Dendrophylliidae, Flabellidae, etc.)
At the moment I'm stocking and keeping an eye out for strictly #3. I do love NPS gorgs, but these are a nightmare to care for. They require specific flow rates and current speeds in combination with multiple (very expensive) feedings a day, generally 4-12 feedings!
I want nothing more to have long-term success with NPS "soft coral", however that statement is almost an oxy-moron as we've discovered (only in the past couple years) that the majority of these Corals only live 2 max years in nature. These Corals also require a basically constant food source, but they're much more forgiving in regards to flow.
With any of the above "classes" I've designated, they do require pristine water, not as pristine as SPS, but the difference is negligible. These Corals can most definitely handle a parameter swing better than most SPS, but the constant food is a killer - don't feed 'em for a day and you'll wipe your tank. Which leads to the next problem, removing the nutrients that (in certain situations) we are constantly introducing due to feeding - not to mention the food necessary for our fish!
For any of the above coral a stong nutrient export system is an ablsolute must, which is why many NPS keepers run "bacterial driven" (probiotic) systems of some kind... Merriq and Yoka use ZEOvit on their system, and obviously it does one helluva job! I'm very glad to see this as they have to feed that tank extremely heavily, but that's their main filtration along with a skimmer. Many NPS keepers use Denitrators and/or liquid PO4 removers rather than a bacterial driven system, however most of these people still dose a carbon source at least (vodka). Personally I prefer running a solid bacterial driven system as IMO/IME Denitrators and liquid PO4 removers are a PITA, however there are many ways to skin a cat. Currently I'm utilizing Prodibio and H2O changes and it's working great. I do not have to "broadcast feed" as Merriq does for his gorgonians and NPS softies, so my nutrient load is much more managable.
Another note to mention is regarding Ca/Alk supplementation - not necessary with an NPS tank. Because we HAVE to do weekly water changes (bi-weekly at most) to keep nutrients down, Ca/Alk is kept in line with no additional supplementation. Most NPS are non-hermatypic (non-reef building), so their Calcification rates are lower compared to Acropora and other coral commonly kept."
Regarding fish, just make sure you don't get anything that will consistantly pick at the coral, which can be tough as many of these corals we spot-feed. Personally I do not keep any shrimp as they will pick at corals after/during spot feeding unless you fend them off during and after the feeding for quite some time... even then I've had them rip open polyps to eat the undigested food. It can be done, at your own risk.
I recommend a skimmer and at least bi-weekly water changes along with a bacterial driven system (well, at least that's what I do and it works awesome!). I would also recommend using some style of sandbed as it provides more biological filtration which will help keep nutrients at bay. Personally I prefer to run SSB (shallow sand bed) and I can vacuum the sand and remove excess detrius as necessary and keep the sand clean. I also utilize Nassarius vibex snails to help "clean" the sand.
