Had another one of those fun "fish geek" weekends- back to back travel weeks, yikes! This time in Houston, at the terrific MARSH “Reef Currents†conference with Sanjay Joshi, myself, and Mark Callahan (AKA “Mr. Saltwater Tank..â€) doing the honors of presenting. Great crowd and event! BTW, my speaking schedule (which I though was not going to be quite as crazy as last year) is filling up quickly, so if your club or event was contemplating having me as a speaker, please let me know ASAP, so I can accommodate you. I’ve been contacted by several clubs about speaking during the late spring/early summer, but have not firmed up dates with at least two of them, so it’s first come, first served, LOL. I try to do as many as I can, but as we get towards late spring and early summer, events sometimes overlap- and with the shows (RAP, MACNA, NERAC, etc.), it gets crazy!
Anyways, Mark gave a cool talk about adding fishes to your aquarium…Sequence, procedures, etc. His talk and the ensuing discussions we had sort of germinated the idea in my had about coral addition. I mean, it seems like with coral, we add stuff “when we find itâ€, and we don’t spend the same amount of time thinking about the process as we do with fishes. It’s seems to me (at least, based on my own personal experience, the buying patterns of customers, and conversations I’ve had with other reefers) that the “sequence†by which we add corals to our reefs is based largely upon finding the right piece, which also encompasses constraints like budget, size, etc. In other words, the casual poll I took with my friends seem to indicate that we tend to have some rough idea of what we want, but that many of us actually make- gulp- “impulse†buys with coral!
With so many coral choices, the possibilities for success- and failure- are many!
I mean, this is not at all a bad thing- every single purchase for your reef doesn’t have to be the subject of an extensive procurement study or analysis. It’s just interesting how we make coral-purchasing and addition decisions. Is there merit to having a detailed plan of what you want to add to your tank? Is there any advantage to adding certain corals in a sequence of sorts? Well, I suppose you can say yes- and no- depending upon your point of view! (Gee, super helpful again, Fellman…LOL).
We don't need put each coral purchase before a committee for consideration, however...
For example, there ARE what I call “allelopathic considerationsâ€; i.e, adding corals that can engage in extensive “chemical warfare†battles with their neighbors/future neighbors. Corals like Acanthastrea, Fungia, Hydnophora, Lobophyllia, Favia, Sarcophyton, Galaxea, and many more, including Goniopora, Euphyllia, and even Discosoma, gorgonians, Echinophyllia, etc. can release chemical substances, or in the case of some- sweeper tentacles- that directly discourage the health and growth of their immediate neighbors. You need to consider this behavior when placing them in your reef, and I think it’s also smart to think about the sequence of placing them.
Contrary to what you might initially think, I believe it makes sense to add the nasty corals FIRST. Huh? Well, think about it. Adding the more aggressive corals gives you a rough idea where to place everything else! Physical “boundries†are something that we don’t often consider in coral placement in reef tanks. We love just placing things in densely and seeing them do their thing. The reality is that many corals will employ a “scorched earth†policy and lay down tissue, emit chemicals, deploy sweeper tentacles, and even release filament-like structures (Mesenterial filaments) to attack, discourage, and generally keep away neighbors, and you best get these guys settled first.
Beautiful, bold- and frighteningly aggressive...
Of course, some corals, such as certain Acanthastrea (A. echinata) comes to mind and many Faviids are downright nasty, and can attack corals several inches away. I don’t claim to be an expert on coral biology, so I cannot give you specific “distance to neighbor recommendations†for every coral out there. I can tell you that even a relatively small Faviid or Acan can negatively affect neighboring corals several inches away. I’ve seen it in our raceways. Certain chalice frags in our grout raceways will just fail to thrive, while most other corals in our 30-foot-long systems will seem to be doing okay. Upon investigation, you’ll inevitably find that someone placed them near groupings of Acan enchinata or some other chemically aggressive coral…It’s fascinating (and a little annoying, when you earn your living growing healthy corals!).
Not just for eating dinner...these filaments are nasty pieces of work!
Of course, some corals simply release toxic exudates into the water column (Sarcophyton) comes to mind, and this can become problematic for many neighbors in closed systems. These chemicals, called terpenoids, and the more specialized sarcophene, will discourage growth and general health of corals in reef aquariums. By stunting the growth of their neighbors, they can easily gain territory through “eminant domainâ€, and simply grow over the subordinate corals, gaining valuable space. Perhaps this release of seemingly invisible compounds into the water in a reef aquarium may explain, at least partially, why some corals simply fail to do well in reef tanks containing other corals. There are tradeoffs in the reef hobby, even among coral selection. In my opinion, you’d be wise to consider avoiding placement of potentially large soft corals, such as Sinularia and Sarcophyton, in systems intended to house significant collections of stony corals like Acropora, or the absolute playground weakling, the almost defenseless Montipora.
Still other corals discourage the growth of their neighbors by simply growing. For example, corals like the beloved weed, Xenia, and it’s friends Sympodium, Clavularia, and Zoanthus, can grow rapidly and overtake slower growing neighbors without needing to resort to their more powerful chemical weaponry! We all have experiences and stories about Xenia “taking over†a reef aquarium, and this is not something that comes as a surprise, given their explosive growth under the right circumstances. Even the lowliest of the low, Montipora, are capable of beating out slower-growing neighbors by simply doing what they do- growing. Think of the many reefs you've seen and reefers you talked to that have to regularly “prune†their M. capricornus because it’s shading everything below.
And finally, some corals will release mucus or other waste material as part of their normal physiological functions, and if these materials end up coming into contact with other corals, they can cause problems as well. What’s a reefer to do? Seems like everyone is out to get everyone else in a reef tank! That’s the sad reality, really. Corals are hardly “peaceful’ when we look at them in this light. And, with many of us spending big bucks on corals, we need to consider these interactions and issues when stocking our reefs. At the very least, some rudimentary stocking plan should be developed, taking into consideration the growth, known aggressiveness, and general behavior of corals.
It looks so peaceful, but there's a lot more going on there than meets the eye.
Even in an all- Acropora system, you need to be careful in placing them, as these aggressive tendencies and overgrowth can and will result in some corals negatively affecting others. Monospecific (one species) systems are a good compromise, but you’d be dedicating a tank to just one species of coral- and you as a practicing reefer know how hard THAT would be to do!
Yeah, it’s a competitive world and you need to plan for this when stocking your tanks!
Of course, you can and should certainly move any coral that appears to be affected adversely by it’s neighbors in an established reef. Your corals can also benefit from the continuous use of chemical media, like activated carbon, Purgien, Poly Filter, etc. in “mixed reef†situations. These media can at least help remove some of the noxious exudates from the water, as can water changes or other nutrient export mechanisms.
In the end, the best way to reduce coral aggression is to plan well. Yup, you need to at least have some sort of stocking game plan before you start heading down to the LFS, club frag swap, or popping onto the online vendor websites. With a little planning, a fair amount of compromise, and some careful selection and placement, a thriving mixed reef is possible. The bottom line in all of this: DO a bit of homework, look before you leap, and make some observations of other hobbyists’ tanks while developing your game plan. The coral that you might save could be your own!
Let’s hear about your tales of coral aggression, stocking ideas, mishaps, recoveries, etc. We can all benefit from such sharing…
And of course….
Stay wet!
Regards,
Scott Fellman
Unique Corals
Anyways, Mark gave a cool talk about adding fishes to your aquarium…Sequence, procedures, etc. His talk and the ensuing discussions we had sort of germinated the idea in my had about coral addition. I mean, it seems like with coral, we add stuff “when we find itâ€, and we don’t spend the same amount of time thinking about the process as we do with fishes. It’s seems to me (at least, based on my own personal experience, the buying patterns of customers, and conversations I’ve had with other reefers) that the “sequence†by which we add corals to our reefs is based largely upon finding the right piece, which also encompasses constraints like budget, size, etc. In other words, the casual poll I took with my friends seem to indicate that we tend to have some rough idea of what we want, but that many of us actually make- gulp- “impulse†buys with coral!
With so many coral choices, the possibilities for success- and failure- are many!
I mean, this is not at all a bad thing- every single purchase for your reef doesn’t have to be the subject of an extensive procurement study or analysis. It’s just interesting how we make coral-purchasing and addition decisions. Is there merit to having a detailed plan of what you want to add to your tank? Is there any advantage to adding certain corals in a sequence of sorts? Well, I suppose you can say yes- and no- depending upon your point of view! (Gee, super helpful again, Fellman…LOL).
We don't need put each coral purchase before a committee for consideration, however...
For example, there ARE what I call “allelopathic considerationsâ€; i.e, adding corals that can engage in extensive “chemical warfare†battles with their neighbors/future neighbors. Corals like Acanthastrea, Fungia, Hydnophora, Lobophyllia, Favia, Sarcophyton, Galaxea, and many more, including Goniopora, Euphyllia, and even Discosoma, gorgonians, Echinophyllia, etc. can release chemical substances, or in the case of some- sweeper tentacles- that directly discourage the health and growth of their immediate neighbors. You need to consider this behavior when placing them in your reef, and I think it’s also smart to think about the sequence of placing them.
Contrary to what you might initially think, I believe it makes sense to add the nasty corals FIRST. Huh? Well, think about it. Adding the more aggressive corals gives you a rough idea where to place everything else! Physical “boundries†are something that we don’t often consider in coral placement in reef tanks. We love just placing things in densely and seeing them do their thing. The reality is that many corals will employ a “scorched earth†policy and lay down tissue, emit chemicals, deploy sweeper tentacles, and even release filament-like structures (Mesenterial filaments) to attack, discourage, and generally keep away neighbors, and you best get these guys settled first.
Beautiful, bold- and frighteningly aggressive...
Of course, some corals, such as certain Acanthastrea (A. echinata) comes to mind and many Faviids are downright nasty, and can attack corals several inches away. I don’t claim to be an expert on coral biology, so I cannot give you specific “distance to neighbor recommendations†for every coral out there. I can tell you that even a relatively small Faviid or Acan can negatively affect neighboring corals several inches away. I’ve seen it in our raceways. Certain chalice frags in our grout raceways will just fail to thrive, while most other corals in our 30-foot-long systems will seem to be doing okay. Upon investigation, you’ll inevitably find that someone placed them near groupings of Acan enchinata or some other chemically aggressive coral…It’s fascinating (and a little annoying, when you earn your living growing healthy corals!).
Not just for eating dinner...these filaments are nasty pieces of work!
Of course, some corals simply release toxic exudates into the water column (Sarcophyton) comes to mind, and this can become problematic for many neighbors in closed systems. These chemicals, called terpenoids, and the more specialized sarcophene, will discourage growth and general health of corals in reef aquariums. By stunting the growth of their neighbors, they can easily gain territory through “eminant domainâ€, and simply grow over the subordinate corals, gaining valuable space. Perhaps this release of seemingly invisible compounds into the water in a reef aquarium may explain, at least partially, why some corals simply fail to do well in reef tanks containing other corals. There are tradeoffs in the reef hobby, even among coral selection. In my opinion, you’d be wise to consider avoiding placement of potentially large soft corals, such as Sinularia and Sarcophyton, in systems intended to house significant collections of stony corals like Acropora, or the absolute playground weakling, the almost defenseless Montipora.
Still other corals discourage the growth of their neighbors by simply growing. For example, corals like the beloved weed, Xenia, and it’s friends Sympodium, Clavularia, and Zoanthus, can grow rapidly and overtake slower growing neighbors without needing to resort to their more powerful chemical weaponry! We all have experiences and stories about Xenia “taking over†a reef aquarium, and this is not something that comes as a surprise, given their explosive growth under the right circumstances. Even the lowliest of the low, Montipora, are capable of beating out slower-growing neighbors by simply doing what they do- growing. Think of the many reefs you've seen and reefers you talked to that have to regularly “prune†their M. capricornus because it’s shading everything below.
And finally, some corals will release mucus or other waste material as part of their normal physiological functions, and if these materials end up coming into contact with other corals, they can cause problems as well. What’s a reefer to do? Seems like everyone is out to get everyone else in a reef tank! That’s the sad reality, really. Corals are hardly “peaceful’ when we look at them in this light. And, with many of us spending big bucks on corals, we need to consider these interactions and issues when stocking our reefs. At the very least, some rudimentary stocking plan should be developed, taking into consideration the growth, known aggressiveness, and general behavior of corals.
It looks so peaceful, but there's a lot more going on there than meets the eye.
Even in an all- Acropora system, you need to be careful in placing them, as these aggressive tendencies and overgrowth can and will result in some corals negatively affecting others. Monospecific (one species) systems are a good compromise, but you’d be dedicating a tank to just one species of coral- and you as a practicing reefer know how hard THAT would be to do!
Yeah, it’s a competitive world and you need to plan for this when stocking your tanks!
Of course, you can and should certainly move any coral that appears to be affected adversely by it’s neighbors in an established reef. Your corals can also benefit from the continuous use of chemical media, like activated carbon, Purgien, Poly Filter, etc. in “mixed reef†situations. These media can at least help remove some of the noxious exudates from the water, as can water changes or other nutrient export mechanisms.
In the end, the best way to reduce coral aggression is to plan well. Yup, you need to at least have some sort of stocking game plan before you start heading down to the LFS, club frag swap, or popping onto the online vendor websites. With a little planning, a fair amount of compromise, and some careful selection and placement, a thriving mixed reef is possible. The bottom line in all of this: DO a bit of homework, look before you leap, and make some observations of other hobbyists’ tanks while developing your game plan. The coral that you might save could be your own!
Let’s hear about your tales of coral aggression, stocking ideas, mishaps, recoveries, etc. We can all benefit from such sharing…
And of course….
Stay wet!
Regards,
Scott Fellman
Unique Corals
