Upgrading: I need help making a decision

[Travis L. Stevens]

Well, after this weekend, I'll have to do something with all my tanks! So, I need to quit being indecisive and make a decision. My 29g Mixed reef will be splitting up into a softy tank and a Montipora Only tank. But I don't know which one should go in which. Which one of these would you choose and why. Please explain in great detail. Please post any experiences. And lastly, don't be afraid to be biased, just let me know that you are.

Tanks
75g tank lit with 4-6 54w T5s
29g tank lit with 1 250w MH (with actinics)

Live Stock
Softies: Mainly mushrooms, ricordia, zoanthids, green star polyps, and xenia
Montipora Only: Encrusting, Plating, and Branching

Option 1: 75g Montipora/29g Softies
75g Montipora
Pros: Lots of room for things to grow. Will take a long time to grow out
Cons: Lower Lights, cost a lot more to fill with livestock. Bigger Water Changes and more additives to keep water ideal
29g Softie
Pros: Already almost done, Super easy to maintain, quick to grow out, few water changes, few additives
Cons: Overpowered light for something so simple, little room for these quick growers

Option 2: 75g Softie/29g Montipora
75g Softie
Pros: Lots of room for quick growers, good lighting, few large water changes, few additives, more room to add more variety
Cons: Few, but large water changes
29g Montipora
Pros: Quickly grows out to fill tank, good lighting, uses little additives to keep things balanced, water changes are easy and small
Cons: Constant trimming, have to make select choices because of space

Here are some example pictures of what my tanks should look like because they have similar livestock

Softie Tank

Montipora Tank (Imagine all the Acropora as Montipora digitata and a little less of them, more Montipora capricornus, and encrusing Montiporas here and there)

 

[pwhitby]

small tanks and MH dont work very well Travis....softies under MH is not a great idea.

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7384384#post7384384 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pwhitby
small tanks and MH dont work very well Travis....softies under MH is not a great idea.

Mine are doing really well, actually. That's what strikes me as odd. But, I just roll with the punches. It's worked for now. But thank you for the input. I'm wondering what they will do under T5s. They are doing better under the 250w MH in an 18" deep tank then they were under 130w of PC in a 12" tank.

 

[Lazyreefer]

our combine the 2 tanks into 1 75 gallon. place halide in the center. Place montys under halides and softies on right and left side.


D

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

It's tempting, but I can see problems. Even if I have three islands, I can see the GSP and Xenia climbing the back walls and eventually forcing their way to the middle island. Not that I would have a problem with it on the glass, but I don't want to dig my hands in the tank every week to make a GSP and/or Xenia frag. Also, what would happen if a mushroom or ricordia decided to jump ship for a new home? Good thought though.

 

[kpk]

I think if it where me I would mix it up a bit. I like sps up top and softies on bottom myself. Get you another halide and get after it on the 75g, have to have 2 go with 29g a monti tank plumbed into the larger 75 to cut down on heat issues with the small water volume of the 29g. More additives are better than 85-90 degree water. More the water volume the more stable conditions and thats what you need with any sps in my opinion...

Kyle