Dad2Wyatt

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How do you all go about deciding where to place your corals? I’m not talking about high or low light/flow, but more so where within the area of the tank they would succeed?

I’ve narrowed down a list of possible corals I’d like to add, but haven’t been able to pull the trigger on any because I can’t make a solid plan.

I like the idea of having many different colors in gardens and really letting the different variations of a few specific types shine. However I am open to any options.

Current Coral’s that I like. Keep in mind I do not plan on adding all of these but would like at least 1 or 2 from each!


Softies:
GSP
Pulsing Xenia
Clove polyp
Mushrooms

LPS:
Candy cane corals
Acans
Hammer coral
Frogspawn
Duncan
Bub
Brain coral
Moon coral
War coral

SPS:
Montipora(caps and Digitata)
Maybe some acros?


Here is my current set up except for I moved my ricordea to the area in the second picture where I thought might be a nice mushroom garden

the yellow area in the 3rd photo represents the only rocks that are on an island from the rest though I do have a little open space for another or a potential frag rack at the back for softies maybe?



486ECDF1-AC42-4573-8823-9D3332F607A3.jpeg
8361731A-97CE-46F5-A683-4951430F3D26.jpeg
74F952FD-75FB-4306-88DC-105C02F9B968.jpeg
 
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blaxsun

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Number One rule: Regardless of coral, buy what you can afford to replace.

1. Wherever I can typically fit or glue the plug (or re-glue the plug, depending on who fragged it this week).
2. Wherever it looks aesthetically pleasing (I'll occasionally move things around as I add new corals).
3. Height placement is whether it needs low (soft), medium (LPS) or high (SPS) light, although some LPS and soft corals do well wherever.

I'd wait at least 6 months to get your tank established before venturing into SPS. Not that you can't earlier, but they aren't the easiest or most forgiving coral type to get into.
 
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Dad2Wyatt

Dad2Wyatt

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Number One rule: Regardless of coral, buy what you can afford to replace.

1. Wherever I can typically fit or glue the plug (or re-glue the plug, depending on who fragged it this week).
2. Wherever it looks aesthetically pleasing (I'll occasionally move things around as I add new corals).
3. Height placement is whether it needs low (soft), medium (LPS) or high (SPS) light, although some LPS and soft corals do well wherever.

I'd wait at least 6 months to get your tank established before venturing into SPS. Not that you can't earlier, but they aren't the easiest or most forgiving coral type to get into.
The SPS will definitely be waiting a few more months! But I want to be weary about placement! I think my trouble is being able to picture things better than an inch frag in my tank

might just figure out my softies and then start experimenting! I wasn’t sure how well I’d be able to move them around once they started growing but it doesn’t seem to be a huge deal!
 

dk2nt9

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General considerations:

- Highest light and flow, preferably not solid stream and not directly in the blast of a solid stream of water: acros. The top of the rockwork, they could be placed as a hedgehog needles, not necessarily pointing up.

Tabling acros can be positioned on the side of the rock, as you would place monti caps. Staghorns are more sparse and growing up. More densely shaped colonies as shape, textures and colors fit good together, by contrast or similarity, some use opposite colors on color wheel. Some species are not a good match close to each other, look out of scale next to each other. Do image search for the specific acropora name and reef tank to see how full grown colony looks in the tank, and note positioning of the circulation pumps in the tank. Or group similar grow patterns together, like A. carduus (golden dragon, red dragon, packman). If space allows 6" for each of them would be a good start.

- A bit away other sps like monties.

Monti caps would look nice on the back wall, in the far left corner. M. digitata grows tall, as a tree, you will have to trim it to an available space. I would use the lowest place on the rockwork (yellow circle), imagine a sparcely branched tree there, 5"W x 6"H. Many place it on the side of the tank. Do not forget bright M. setosa and read about encrusting kinds like Mystic sunset and Rainbow. As any other encrusting coral, they will encrust all available solid surfaces, rock or glass. R2R has a lot of posts aboult keeping them separated either by isolation, surrounding by rubble rock or epoxy putty strip.

- Read about softies you plan to keep, or about invasive corals in reef tank, add forums for details.

Gsp is enctusting coral. Back wall seems to be a good place, easy to contain. How to do that is already described, you can see this in search. Or on a separate rock, removable from main rock structure.

Xenia spreads and can detach and drop branches that settle inside rockwork and start growing. An isolated rock on the sand seems reasonable. Where in particular, see what is more pleasing to an eye and what can't be used by more prized corals, like brains or acans.

Mushrooms grow big, especially hairy mushrooms, spread and can detach and flow, if they do not like place where they are (too high flow). Again, Image search for mushrooms in a reef tank.

- LPS:

6" for each of them and do search for species name and tentacles, if they spread them at what distance, reserve this space. Hammer, frogspawn wave in the flow, you can place the close to each other or keep on the middle side rocks.

Search for each species name to see light requirements. Without acros you could make lighting less intense, but in high light, lower light corals have to have a place with bearable for them intensity. No not forget light acclimation.

Red circle area could be used for a large single coral, as brain or bubble, or for duncan colony. Once you know future corals specifics, your tank is a blank canvas to fill, what you would like better. Look at examples of mature reef tanks with large colonies for what to expect once corals grow.

Encrusting LPS encrust, with everything that follows, see above. Aesthetically, see if small pattern war coral matches well with larger pattern moon coral, if not, keep the separated by other corals.
 
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Dad2Wyatt

Dad2Wyatt

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General considerations:

- Highest light and flow, preferably not solid stream and not directly in the blast of a solid stream of water: acros. The top of the rockwork, they could be placed as a hedgehog needles, not necessarily pointing up.

Tabling acros can be positioned on the side of the rock, as you would place monti caps. Staghorns are more sparse and growing up. More densely shaped colonies as shape, textures and colors fit good together, by contrast or similarity, some use opposite colors on color wheel. Some species are not a good match close to each other, look out of scale next to each other. Do image search for the specific acropora name and reef tank to see how full grown colony looks in the tank, and note positioning of the circulation pumps in the tank. Or group similar grow patterns together, like A. carduus (golden dragon, red dragon, packman). If space allows 6" for each of them would be a good start.

- A bit away other sps like monties.

Monti caps would look nice on the back wall, in the far left corner. M. digitata grows tall, as a tree, you will have to trim it to an available space. I would use the lowest place on the rockwork (yellow circle), imagine a sparcely branched tree there, 5"W x 6"H. Many place it on the side of the tank. Do not forget bright M. setosa and read about encrusting kinds like Mystic sunset and Rainbow. As any other encrusting coral, they will encrust all available solid surfaces, rock or glass. R2R has a lot of posts aboult keeping them separated either by isolation, surrounding by rubble rock or epoxy putty strip.

- Read about softies you plan to keep, or about invasive corals in reef tank, add forums for details.

Gsp is enctusting coral. Back wall seems to be a good place, easy to contain. How to do that is already described, you can see this in search. Or on a separate rock, removable from main rock structure.

Xenia spreads and can detach and drop branches that settle inside rockwork and start growing. An isolated rock on the sand seems reasonable. Where in particular, see what is more pleasing to an eye and what can't be used by more prized corals, like brains or acans.

Mushrooms grow big, especially hairy mushrooms, spread and can detach and flow, if they do not like place where they are (too high flow). Again, Image search for mushrooms in a reef tank.

- LPS:

6" for each of them and do search for species name and tentacles, if they spread them at what distance, reserve this space. Hammer, frogspawn wave in the flow, you can place the close to each other or keep on the middle side rocks.

Search for each species name to see light requirements. Without acros you could make lighting less intense, but in high light, lower light corals have to have a place with bearable for them intensity. No not forget light acclimation.

Red circle area could be used for a large single coral, as brain or bubble, or for duncan colony. Once you know future corals specifics, your tank is a blank canvas to fill, what you would like better. Look at examples of mature reef tanks with large colonies for what to expect once corals grow.

Encrusting LPS encrust, with everything that follows, see above. Aesthetically, see if small pattern war coral matches well with larger pattern moon coral, if not, keep the separated by other corals.
Very informative and much appreciated!! Very nice insight to have!!
 

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