LPS PAR & Aggression Questions - Acan/Micro, Blastos, and more

[FitLabb]

New to having a reef tank at a little over one month in, tank fully cycled, and have some Zoas and one Rhodactis Mushroom coral already. I have some important compatibility, PAR, and placement questions namely about Acans/Micromussa, Blastos, and more, that are probably all very basic questions for anyone experienced in here.

TANK - Red Sea MAX Nano Peninsula 26 Gallon w/ 2 clownfish, some hermit crabs, and one tiger conch snail

Current tank parameters:
Temp - 78 F
pH - 8.15
Salinity - 34.5 ppt
Nitrate - 10
Phosphate - 0.3 ppm (down from 0.5, but consistently staying here despite weekly 5g water changes)
Calcium - 410
Alkalinity - 7.3
Mg - 1,280
PAR ranges from 35-50 on the bottom to up to about 125 at the top center of the highest rock in the tank

So I wanted to ask the following few questions to the experts in the room, as I bought several new corals last week that are sitting on frag racks in the tank (a variety of zoanthids and one interesting Rhodactis Bounce Mushroom called a TSA Mardi Gras Bounce Mushroom), and expecting 2 Blastos and 2 Aussie Lords from World Wide Corals (assume they’re Micromussa Lordhowensis) to arrive later this week, and I want to plan the tank out properly and do everything we can to not only keep the corals alive, but thriving.


1. QUICK ZOANTHID PAR QUESTION - Regarding Zoanthids, I’ve heard so many conflicting things about both online, namely being that Zoanthids should either be placed in lower light areas of the tank OR that they can and will thrive in somewhat higher light areas between 100-150 PAR…..

2. RHODACTIS AGGRESSION? - I’ve also heard a LOT of conflicting things about the Rhodactis mushrooms either not being an aggressive stinging coral at all, all the way to that they’ll sting and even kill any other coral that comes near them…and yet I’ve seen so many videos with Rhodactis living peacefully close to or touching other species of corals including zoanthids, etc….. What is the truth about both of these things in your experience, and I’m sure there is no one single right answer as there may be many variables involved.

3. LPS AGGRESSION ISSUES - Are there any aggression/stinging issues we might he face from the Blastos or the Acan/Aussie Lords? I’ve heard Blastos are very peaceful and don’t typically sting anything, but that Acans or Micromussa can potentially be an issue for other corals.

4. LPS PAR RECOMMENDATIONS - What PAR ranges do you recommend for Blastos and Acans/Micromussa corals if they’re going to thrive? I hear many mixed things about both online, but the consensus I've gather is that Blastos can do better or fine in slightly higher PAR of 50-100, where Acan/Micromussa do better and have the best color in 25-50 PAR.....?

5. DUNCAN CORAL - Planning to get one Duncan in the future, and wondering the same thing regarding if that’s known to be an aggressive coral towards others, or if it would potentially be the victim of any that we already have?

6. MICROMUSSA AMAKUSENSIS vs. MICROMUSSA LORDHOWENSIS - What are the differences between Micromussa Amakusensis and Acan/Micromussa Lordhowensis (namely regarding aggression/stinging issues), as we’re not sure if both can be kept together or near each other (or if one can be kept more peacefully with other coral species like Blastos & Zoas easier than the other), or if one is more aggressive than the other.

7. GROWTH RATE - Also wondering if there’s any noticeable difference in the growth rate of Lords, Amakusensis, & Blastos, AND what the ballpark growth rate is for each per month or so under the conditions in my tank (and assuming an average of one feeding per week)?


I know that’s a lot of questions, but I know there are a lot of very experienced and helpful people in here who would be able to give better answers than all the conflicting things I've found everywhere online. Thanks in advance for any help you can offer, as it’s greatly appreciated!!!

 

[MrPiGuy]

1. In my experience different zoas like placements.. my advice would be to start them low and then see if they open up. If not you can make adjustments and move them up if needed. I have almost never had issues though with placing most zoas where I would like them to go after acclimation

2. Keep same species groups together. Different species of mushrooms have a tendency to attack each other.

3. Acan Echinatas (just don't get these) should be kept by themselves. Same with Favia/Favities. Neither of these should be grouped together either. As far as micromussa (Acan Lords) and blastomussa go you should be fine to put them together.

4. I have my micromussa and blastos on the sand bed. Have them in the lower 2/3s of the tank. They are very easy to bleach if too high most of the time.

5. Duncans are a great choice! Peaceful tankmates that get along with other peaceful coral.

6. I had never heard of it but here is a good article to read.. Sounds like it doesn't belong in a home reef tank. https://reefbuilders.com/2020/04/20...sensis are about half the,of a pattern at all.

7. This is a bit harder to spell out. My blastos don't grow extremely fast but they do grow. I have had about 5 new polyps show up over the past 6 months I think? The Micromussa Lords I have also probably grow at about the same rate. Some people I've heard having better success though so it is a bit variable depending on how the coral responds to its conditions.

I hope this helps. It is just from my experience so take it with a grain of salt but I'd like to think that it is sound advice. Good luck and happy reefing!

 

[FitLabb]

1. In my experience different zoas like placements.. my advice would be to start them low and then see if they open up. If not you can make adjustments and move them up if needed. I have almost never had issues though with placing most zoas where I would like them to go after acclimation

2. Keep same species groups together. Different species of mushrooms have a tendency to attack each other.

3. Acan Echinatas (just don't get these) should be kept by themselves. Same with Favia/Favities. Neither of these should be grouped together either. As far as micromussa (Acan Lords) and blastomussa go you should be fine to put them together.

4. I have my micromussa and blastos on the sand bed. Have them in the lower 2/3s of the tank. They are very easy to bleach if too high most of the time.

5. Duncans are a great choice! Peaceful tankmates that get along with other peaceful coral.

6. I had never heard of it but here is a good article to read.. Sounds like it doesn't belong in a home reef tank. https://reefbuilders.com/2020/04/20/micromussa-amakusensis-the-original-small-polyp-micromussa/#:~:text=amakusensis are about half the,of a pattern at all.

7. This is a bit harder to spell out. My blastos don't grow extremely fast but they do grow. I have had about 5 new polyps show up over the past 6 months I think? The Micromussa Lords I have also probably grow at about the same rate. Some people I've heard having better success though so it is a bit variable depending on how the coral responds to its conditions.

I hope this helps. It is just from my experience so take it with a grain of salt but I'd like to think that it is sound advice. Good luck and happy reefing!

Thank you very much for the quick and detailed reply!

I'm currently monitoring my zoas on the frag rack (which is being kept in about PAR 50) and all seem to be doing well except for the Blue Hornet and pink Dragon Ball zoas. The blue hornet was mostly open the day after we received it, but hasn't opened since, and the pink dragon ball zoa was a very tiny polyp that almost started to open but has remained small and closed after the second day as well). I'm watching to see which ones have a much faster growth rate by doing a weekly count of how many polyp heads each one has for a few weeks in order to plan out where to put them (I'll isolate the fastest growers to island rocks, and keep the slower growers on one of the main rocks). I'll follow your advice and will start slowly increasing the light they're in to see how they respond and place them accordingly in the tank.

I'm probably not getting any other mushrooms as I'm mainly concerned about it potentially stinging or killing other corals in the tank if it eventually spreads too much or if one should come loose and somehow lands on another coral. Guess I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best with that.....?

I really like some Favia varieties, but I think my tank is too small to be able to give them the isolation they would need from other corals to prevent any aggression problems.

Interesting that you said Acan Lords and Blastos can be put together as I've heard some say the same, while others have said the Lords can and will absolutely sting and even kill the Blastos if they get too close. This is the single issue I've heard the most conflicting information on as every person, article, and video online seems to say something different. Have you had both placed together in your tanks before with no issues?

Thanks for sending that informative article about Amakusensis. I've seen them for sale in several places online and seems like they're very similar to Lords (just a bit smaller) and just as easy to keep from what many have said, but not quite as colorful or as commonly found in the hobby from what I can tell.

Your experience with Blasto and Acan Lords growth rate is going to be VERY helpful in planning out where everything is placed in the tank. I'm curious if you ever checked what PAR value you have them placed in?

Thanks again, and really appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions!

 

[MrPiGuy]

Thank you very much for the quick and detailed reply!

I'm currently monitoring my zoas on the frag rack (which is being kept in about PAR 50) and all seem to be doing well except for the Blue Hornet and pink Dragon Ball zoas. The blue hornet was mostly open the day after we received it, but hasn't opened since, and the pink dragon ball zoa was a very tiny polyp that almost started to open but has remained small and closed after the second day as well). I'm watching to see which ones have a much faster growth rate by doing a weekly count of how many polyp heads each one has for a few weeks in order to plan out where to put them (I'll isolate the fastest growers to island rocks, and keep the slower growers on one of the main rocks). I'll follow your advice and will start slowly increasing the light they're in to see how they respond and place them accordingly in the tank.

I'm probably not getting any other mushrooms as I'm mainly concerned about it potentially stinging or killing other corals in the tank if it eventually spreads too much or if one should come loose and somehow lands on another coral. Guess I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best with that.....?

I really like some Favia varieties, but I think my tank is too small to be able to give them the isolation they would need from other corals to prevent any aggression problems.

Interesting that you said Acan Lords and Blastos can be put together as I've heard some say the same, while others have said the Lords can and will absolutely sting and even kill the Blastos if they get too close. This is the single issue I've heard the most conflicting information on as every person, article, and video online seems to say something different. Have you had both placed together in your tanks before with no issues?

Thanks for sending that informative article about Amakusensis. I've seen them for sale in several places online and seems like they're very similar to Lords (just a bit smaller) and just as easy to keep from what many have said, but not quite as colorful or as commonly found in the hobby from what I can tell.

Your experience with Blasto and Acan Lords growth rate is going to be VERY helpful in planning out where everything is placed in the tank. I'm curious if you ever checked what PAR value you have them placed in?

Thanks again, and really appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions!

Yeah mushrooms certainly are beautiful. If you have a slow growing one it really shouldn’t be too much of a problem. If they grow too far, I’d recommend you frag it and sell it off. If you have a specific area for the mushrooms wouldn’t be a bad idea to get one or two more to put right next to it (of same species) to add some fun color pop.

I just have one favitie and I keep it on the side of my tank in the sand so it has some nice space for itself.

I have also heard many different things about it. Both my blastos are on an island rock and my acan is on the sand right next to it. Maybe a little less than an inch spacing between them. I have not had an issue and no tentacles ever seem to come out to play dirty. That being said, I’ve not had them touching as my blastos are a little higher and “up stream” since they are the most peaceful.

yeah good to know! I personally love micro lords and don’t feel the need to get anything else.

I’ve not ever looked at it with a par meter but they are on the sand. If I had to guess it’s probably between 70-90 par