Is the “mixed reef” really a thing in the wild?

[Zionas]

For the vast majority of reefers, the goal is to end up with some kind of mixed reef to varying degrees. That means having a combination of softies, LPS, and SPS. However, one thing I would like to know is, how common are “mixed reefs” in the wild? Do these different types of soft and stony corals congregate together in the wild, or are we a lot more likely to see softies congregating with other softies, LPS congregating with other LPS, and SPS with other SPS?

I would imagine that the whe concept of the “mixed reef” might not be as common as we think in the wild due to the various flow and sunlight requirements necessary for these different kinds of corals to grow, and I would imagine that below a certain depth the amount of sunlight will not be enough to sustain large colonies of, if any stony corals (maybe 250-300+ feet), so all we find are softies and NPS at those depths.

Of course, I could be wrong though. But so far, every time I see large colonies of SPS (especially Montis and Acros) they always tend to be in relatively shallow, sunlit reefs above 100 feet.

 

[SlugSnorter]

yes, although areas that are more favorable to some corals tend to have more of those corals

 

[dk2nt9]

In the wild (and in lent on their own reef tanks) one of the species can overcompete others, making it mono or few species place. Examples of tanks in this situation: xenia tank, gsp lawn, sinularia took over.

Closely controlled reef tanks are collections, with much more coral mass in relation to the water volume, anything that owner likes and was able to get his hands on.

Divers could add more from their experience.

 

[JumboShrimp]

I love the question. I have wondered the same thing myself.

 

[SlugSnorter]

In the wild (and in lent on their own reef tanks) one of the species can overcompete others, making it mono or few species place. Examples of tanks in this situation: xenia tank, gsp lawn, sinularia took over.

Closely controlled reef tanks are collections, with much more coral mass in relation to the water volume, anything that owner likes and was able to get his hands on.

Divers could add more from their experience.

as I said "yes although areas that are more favorable to some corals tend to have more of those corals"
Ive dived in a few places, some have a little diversity, some have lots

 

[fish farmer]

This is just an example

I got into watching a lot of you tube videos of coral reefs, mostly Red Sea footage. I would see hard coral towers with xenia colonies though out as well as a big leather once in a while. Worth watching just to see the intricate diversity of life all over the rocks.

 

[Zionas]

The “collection” look of many tanks I’ve seen is actually something I am not a big fan of. I don’t like tanks where it seems that as many rainbow colored frags or corals are placed together in a way that maximizes color and variety but the end result is something very artificial. I am much more a fan of more down-to-earth coral selections (usually involving more softies and flowing stuff) that give a vibrant, flowing look that doesn’t look so artificially put together.

 

[Radman73]

They absolutely are a thing in the wild. We dive a bunch in the Turks and Caicos islands. I frequently see softies, LPS, and SPS when diving. Now, are they arranged as they are in our tanks? Mostly no, though I'm sure we could see a video or picture where it's a yes. But I have had all three in the same view at the same time.

 

[RobMcC]

Absolutely a thing. Almost all of the corals triangle reefs I’ve been too are a mix of LPS and SPS. Mixed hard with softies seems less common in indo pacific than in Caribbean and Red Sea reefs. If we can link to other forums I’ve posted pics I’ve taken of wild mixed reefs in the past.

 

[SFREEF3R]

The one thing I've noticed diving is that while you'll frequently see different coral types mixed together (depending on where you ar), it would be very unusual to see so many different types and color morphs packed as closely together as we do in our reef tanks (at least in my experience). Colonies tend to be much larger and in an area the size of even a larger reef tank you might only find 4 or 5 different corals vs. 50 for example.

 

[arussellnsg]

A dream of mine, bucket list, is to dive and see for myself in order to answer this question

 

[ReefBeta]

Similar question will be "is flower garden really a thing in the wild".

If accurate presentation is what you look for, then for the size of our tiny glass box, it usually just one big butt coral. If it hasn't covered all the rock yet, the rest of space is probably full of algae of all sort.

 

[Paston1]

For the vast majority of reefers, the goal is to end up with some kind of mixed reef to varying degrees. That means having a combination of softies, LPS, and SPS. However, one thing I would like to know is, how common are “mixed reefs” in the wild? Do these different types of soft and stony corals congregate together in the wild, or are we a lot more likely to see softies congregating with other softies, LPS congregating with other LPS, and SPS with other SPS?

I would imagine that the whe concept of the “mixed reef” might not be as common as we think in the wild due to the various flow and sunlight requirements necessary for these different kinds of corals to grow, and I would imagine that below a certain depth the amount of sunlight will not be enough to sustain large colonies of, if any stony corals (maybe 250-300+ feet), so all we find are softies and NPS at those depths.

Of course, I could be wrong though. But so far, every time I see large colonies of SPS (especially Montis and Acros) they always tend to be in relatively shallow, sunlit reefs above 100 feet.

Dive more reefs. Only 3-4 of them have good visibility and nice spectrum. The bulk don’t have it. Coral farmers move their sps to places of more par and gentle flow (by ocean standards).

Google karang (Indonesian term). You can see more dives or if you order intl you will see they name the drop boxes that way.

to answer, yes they are mixed. They aren’t as packed as our tanks though. LPS sits low on the backside of rock. Sps is in the turbulent areas or extreme direction. LPS is in more reduced laminar flow like around rocks or in crevices. All them have 6 inches to 3 feet around each other. It’s pretty cool to see.

what boggles my mind is fish from different regions and people ask if they will work….maybe maybe not but in the ocean definitely not.

 

[Paston1]

A dream of mine, bucket list, is to dive and see for myself in order to answer this question

 

[JumboShrimp]

Wow, that HUGE Emperor Angel; the thing was like Great Dane compared to the one in my tank.

 

[Timfish]

I'm sure there are reefs that would fit our definition of a "mixed" reef. I suspect the msjority though, would tend to be Family or even Genus specific. There will certainly be Species specific and maybe even Genotype or clone line specific reefs. What piques my curiosity is what species are found in "mixed" reefs and what species are only found in more narrowly determined reef types? What sspecies are we keeping that should come with a warning not to be kept with corals of other Genus or Familiies.