Why SPS - aren't they a little boring?

[scubawarm]

I am so glad I asked this question. I have already learned so much and gained an appreciation for what I was missing.

The one thing that is most surprising to me, that I never realized is SPS grow quicker then LPS corals. I did realize that splitting an LPS with a wire cutter is a crazy undertaking with fragments flying everywhere.

Again thanks for all the great replies... keep them coming... I'm sure this will also benefit others.

 

[Allmost]

For me its an addiction and my addictive personality is fueled by SPS. I have lost all concept of reality and live in an SPS world now. For instance when I go to stores, I see a product for a kitchen and try to relate it to the tank. "Oh that turkey baster is perfect for feeding corals; That plastic basket would be great for acclimation; Look at these clothes pins! They would be great for my sump; How can I turn this food processor into a wave maker?"....ect

hahahah ! sooo true !!!

for me, its the challenge, and the beauty of them on one hand. other hand, is me and my memories with my friends, back home, 20 or more years ago, taking those "colorfull rocks" from the ocean, not knowing what they were, trying to keep them alive and .... . it was a dream for us back then, we didnt even know what they were ! and now I can grow them and make them happy ! I dont see myself without a SPS tank lol

besides that, everything about SPS is interesting, from the clean water they need, to the different growth patterns, colors and shapes, evolution of them under different lighting and flow, and so on, that keeps me on my toes the whole time, its never good enough ... it can always get better, they can always grow faster and so on .... being an engineering geek, the science behind it excites me as well

ok Illl stop now lol

 

[gbru316]

being an engineering geek, the science behind it excites me as well

this too. The "enginerd" in me forces me to always strive for that extra fraction of a percent better/lower (insert parameter here).

 

[Dog boy Dave]

Not looking for a flame war... a serious question.

Guess I'm new to reef keeping, but wondering why everyone is so nuts for SPS? Is it just because they are the most difficult to keep? Kind of a badge of your skills?

Don't get me wrong, I dislike soft corals as well. Just LPS seem to have more "life" with their in and out behavior, and tentacles swaying in the flow.

I do like the looks of caps, and have an elkhorn... but, again... I look at it, and can't tell if it is happy or dead.

What am I missing? Thanks for your time and education.

Most people get it if they ever see a large well established SPS tank. Granted most people never get to see one in person, but when you do you wont need to ask, why?

However. If you wanna build a reef then you gotta use reef building corals to do it. Most LPS dont qualify. SPS make lotsa neat holes for the fishies to hide in. Lotsa fish that do well with SPS shred LPS coral. SPS grow faster and get real big. The stag in the middle of this tank is over three feet across.

Boring? I dont think so, the good stuff is in the details. After the shear size the you zero in close and see the macro community in a dedicated sps/fish tank.

Love My LPS. They do well in my sumps and eventually will set up another area with a more LPS friendly environment for them. However, for fish homes, reef building and shear impact, hard to beat the lil sticks when you let them grow out for a while.

 

[acroholicreefer]

It is all about what is floating your boat at the moment. If zoanthids and LPS are your thing, than you should grow them. Most of us have gone through times where we enjoyed soft corals. Then we have one zoanthid or brown paly taking up 60% of our tank and you cannot get rid of them.

Chis888 mentioned this above but for me, it is the reef building aspect. SPS fills up the tank much differently than others. I personally keep both LPS and SPS in an environment designed for SPS. LPS will grow fine is an SPS environment but will not take over. They both have their purpose.

 

[DeepThought]

I like sps for the challenge, the looks/shapes, the coloration, the chemistry, the water quality and feeding. The overall balance of life in a tank like this is just absolutely amazing. Its the apex of our skills in reefkeeping. Unless something else more satisfying comes along.

 

[Acronic]

Personally i think NPS is at the apex of our skill right now. Sps is still far more popular.

 

[Reefnub]

I love sps, I like lps too but the reef consist mostly of sps in many different shapes. I love sps because it is a challenge, variety of growth structure, many different colors, pe on them look interesting. SPS corals are pretty much like what someone said here, the pinnacle of reefkeeping.

 

[Reef_Noob]

NOOOOooooooooo SPS aren't boring...never.

 

[scubawarm]

OK, I'm a SPS believer now...

OK, I'm a SPS believer now...

Most people get it if they ever see a large well established SPS tank. Granted most people never get to see one in person, but when you do you wont need to ask, why?

Love My LPS. They do well in my sumps and eventually will set up another area with a more LPS friendly environment for them. However, for fish homes, reef building and shear impact, hard to beat the lil sticks when you let them grow out for a while.

Thanks for sharing your pics Dog Boy! Wonderful reef. OK, I'm convinced... never thought about the ability to keep tougher fish in a reef either.

Now, I feel bad, that I've spent money on what I have so far... Like I started down the wrong path... Especially the Zoanthids.. Do like the look of these little "alien" corals... Guess they always can be sold once they grow some... LOL

The other thing I've noticed, you can kind of crowd SPS and as long as they are all SPS they seem to get along. Is this true?

 

[Finland]

The other thing I've noticed, you can kind of crowd SPS and as long as they are all SPS they seem to get along. Is this true?

Not necessarily, Some sps can touch without problems, while others will kill each other. Depends on the corals

 

[ShaunMonahan]

Why keep sps corals?

For their beauty. For their complexity. For their color, variety and diversity of them.

 

[Tweaked]

Not looking for a flame war... a serious question.

Guess I'm new to reef keeping, but wondering why everyone is so nuts for SPS? Is it just because they are the most difficult to keep? Kind of a badge of your skills?

Don't get me wrong, I dislike soft corals as well. Just LPS seem to have more "life" with their in and out behavior, and tentacles swaying in the flow.

I do like the looks of caps, and have an elkhorn... but, again... I look at it, and can't tell if it is happy or dead.

What am I missing? Thanks for your time and education.

Not everyone is nuts over sps, in fact, allot will stay clear. For those that do take to them, it consumes you with the amount of attention needed. It's like that pretty girl we all know we shouldn't of dated, but boy was she nice to look at. Me, I am obsessed with sps, and yes feels good to see healthy growing colonies in my tank.

 

[Alex T.]

Well, for me it's twofold.

Having been a surfer most of my life, I've had the opportunity to surf right over some of the most beautiful Pacific reefs in the world on my travels. Every once in a while when there were no good waves, some buddies and I would throw on a snorkel and mask to have a look. I was in utter awe of the SPS colors and shapes, with tridacnid clams fluorescing in the sun.

I guess if I was into scuba diving I may have taken an affinity to LPS and soft corals, but growing SPS (aside from the challenge), takes me back to a time before adult responsibilities and children when life was just a bit more carefree. Often, I'll catch myself staring at the tank and thinking about those days. Then I look at my little frags and beg them to grow.:hmm5:

 

[Gadgets]

variety.....so many different sps shapes and colors. Also they can do relatively well in the aquarium and will often out grow lps. They are the easiest to propagate as well. There are tons of reasons........and nothing beats a grown in mature sps reef imo.

+100

 

[doosiec]

For me it's just the satisfaction of slow steady growth, coloration combinations, conglomerate of species coexisting. Growth pattern of branches, plates, life that exists and co-exists with the acro colony. There's just too many reasons, looking at them, gives a good few thousands.

 

[ClownNut]

the challenge that comes with, just like video games, i only play Hardcore mode.

 

[Dog boy Dave]

Thanks for sharing your pics Dog Boy! Wonderful reef. OK, I'm convinced... never thought about the ability to keep tougher fish in a reef either.

Now, I feel bad, that I've spent money on what I have so far... Like I started down the wrong path... Especially the Zoanthids.. Do like the look of these little "alien" corals... Guess they always can be sold once they grow some... LOL

The other thing I've noticed, you can kind of crowd SPS and as long as they are all SPS they seem to get along. Is this true?

No they all fight like hell. Fortunately their primary form of aggression is to try to grow as fast as possible and grow over and around each other. Seldom if ever do i see an sps "sting" another sps colony to death. They grow over each other. Thats why when you see a real feef it looks like all the colonies are "tables" Left alone most sps will spread out as much as they can horizontally before they grow up. They want to claim as much land as they can. Whne they stat to sense another coral near by they will turn and grow hard towards the open areas or others turn towards the invader and engulf it. If you look at my tanks closely you will notice they are layered on larers of corals. I have a growth thread gowing for the last five years on this tank. I havent added rock since i set it up. The additional mass is all grown in the tank. It makes a maze for the fish. The fish in this tank are all very healthy and old. They thrive grazing on slime and coral as the reef grows. In my opinion, a total reef envoronment is the only way to keep some of these fish alive and healthy long term. You can see the growth in the link below.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1425143

 

[Dog boy Dave]

Thanks for sharing your pics Dog Boy! Wonderful reef. OK, I'm convinced... never thought about the ability to keep tougher fish in a reef either.

Now, I feel bad, that I've spent money on what I have so far... Like I started down the wrong path... Especially the Zoanthids.. Do like the look of these little "alien" corals... Guess they always can be sold once they grow some... LOL

The other thing I've noticed, you can kind of crowd SPS and as long as they are all SPS they seem to get along. Is this true?

Dont despair, most people keep many different types of tanks before they try SPS. One isnt "better" than the other. They are all kool. Its often a matter of scale and resourses. On the other hand, ff that doesnt work, my golden flake angel will clear a rock of zoanthids in a couple of hours.

 

[NewbyReefer]

I like SPS because of the shapes and colors you can get when your frag turns into a colony. I'm still not nor will I be SPS only. I've done all the motions. Started with a softy tank went into Zoa's and LPS and now I'm heavy with SPS but still have quite a few Zoe's and LPS. I think what got me hooked was the awesomeness of the tanks in this thread.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1497916