Help Someone who is not creative - Mixed Reef Coral Suggestions

[HudsonReefer2.0]

H. I keep a mixed reef in my RS 300. Over 3 years now mostly frags w few larger lps. Just had 2 Bommies which filled in and kept lps lower and sandbed w mix sps up the structure. Stylo monti seriatooora acropora. U have a good looking scape . Just a thought u may want to open it some and vary the heights. May allow for more room for fish to swim and coral growth. Far from an expert but just experiences. Good luck w new system

 

[VintageReefer]

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the awesome feedback. Like @VintageReefer , i am a tech guy and follow directions well - but lack creativity and understand good visual design. I really appreciate the feedback

that’s why I posted some pictures, people can suggest corals but when you see them in a tank and how they look in groups or next to each other it makes it easier for folks like us that lack the imagination/creativity.

Feel free to check out my tank thread from the link by my user name. It has lots of pictures and I’d be happy to answer any questions you have over DM

 

[crabgrass]

Left to right:
Pic 1 - acan, trachyphyllia, acan, banana torch. Rear is a colony of palythoa grandis

Pic 2 - frogspawn, gold hammer, blue green wellsophyllia, moseleya, acan

Then center bottom of this pic attached
- Cynarina, war paint scolymia, dragon soul favia. And rainbow lobophyllia in the rock on the right

I took some of your advice and loaded up. I’ll post a video in the next day or two after they finish acclimating and I turn lighting up a bit

 

[Wasabiroot]

You can absolutely enjoy acropora in a high nutrient tank - the key is stability. I run a mixed reef with sps and lps, and before my crash, I had:
Green slimer
Copps cali cali stag
Red Planet
FF Red Robin
Cc Dark Knight Stag

all doing well at around .2 phosphates and 50 ppm nitrates. All coral can adapt to different conditions: the key is slowly and in a very stable way. I had great coloration, it was an alk spike and not nutrients that did me in.

Stuff that does well in my mixed reef :

Oxypora/mycedium/echinophyllia (chalices do great in mixed reefs, just think about placement)
Torches and frogspawn
Gorgonians (one of the best bang for buck animals and very hardy)
Most encrusters i.e. stylocoeniella, leptoseris, pavona, etc
Homophyllia australis ("scolymia")
Aiptasia (har har)
Favites/goniastrea
Zoas/palythoa

Biggest thing is going for overall stability and moving stuff to new places if it's not happy. It is a challenge to have a mixed reef where some corals aren't less happy than others; just part and parcel.

 

[crabgrass]

You can absolutely enjoy acropora in a high nutrient tank - the key is stability. I run a mixed reef with sps and lps, and before my crash, I had:
Green slimer
Copps cali cali stag
Red Planet
FF Red Robin
Cc Dark Knight Stag

all doing well at around .2 phosphates and 50 ppm nitrates. All coral can adapt to different conditions: the key is slowly and in a very stable way. I had great coloration, it was an alk spike and not nutrients that did me in.

Stuff that does well in my mixed reef :

Oxypora/mycedium/echinophyllia (chalices do great in mixed reefs, just think about placement)
Torches and frogspawn
Gorgonians (one of the best bang for buck animals and very hardy)
Most encrusters i.e. stylocoeniella, leptoseris, pavona, etc
Homophyllia australis ("scolymia")
Aiptasia (har har)
Favites/goniastrea
Zoas/palythoa

Biggest thing is going for overall stability and moving stuff to new places if it's not happy. It is a challenge to have a mixed reef where some corals aren't less happy than others; just part and parcel.

That is great to hear. My tank is 2 months young (although a mix of dry and live rock). Maybe another 6-12 months I will try and put some cheaper acros in

 

[Wasabiroot]

That is great to hear. My tank is 2 months young (although a mix of dry and live rock). Maybe another 6-12 months I will try and put some cheaper acros in

Yeah, just give it a while to "settle" (I think a year minimum is appropriate) and they'd probably do just fine. You may not have insane growth, but it can be done.