Mixed reef with fringe fish - an evolving plan

[BackToTheReef]

How do you make your stocking decisions for your tank? Do you make your fish selections around your corals or your coral selections around your fish?

While digging into my plan for a mixed reef with fringe fish (angels and maybe a few select butterflies) many of my original stocking plans are going out the window and now I am looking at stocking the tank in a much different manner. Mostly considering corals I had previously written off. Now I look at them differently knowing they help maximize my chances for success.

What's out for me?
1. Fleshy LPS; biggest for me are going to be Acans, Micro, and Blastos which I had started to fall in love with.
2. Zoanthids - Are they really fish skittles for some species?
3. Mushrooms? - I hadn't planned on using these originally but then brought them into the fold as other stuff got taken off the list but I am guessing they are going to be like a fleshy LPS as far as tastiness goes for some of those fringe fish?

What's in for me?
1. Chalices - I need a crash course, even after researching I am not 100% sure how to tell what is what
2. Leptoseris - I wasn't a big fan of these at first and am not a big encrusting fan but they look like one option to replace some that have fallen off
3. Encrusting monti's - As above not a big encrusting fan but for a couple islands I have planned that were going to be covered in zoas, acans, 'shrooms, or other misc. random stuff at the lower end of the tank these some like a potentially interesting option
4. Softies - Again not a big fan but since a lot of those fringe fish leave the more noxious guys alone I think I am all in if I can find some that are interesting
5. Goniopora - Not a big fan originally but do like the micros, might give those a whirl

Things I need to answer yet - Do encrusters typically grow across the substrate/sand bed or will they stay on an island like zoas, GSP, etc.? What encrusters won't zap my fish if I have them around the mouth of a cave or eel tube? How in the heck do are you supposed to know what a full grown colony is going to look like (form...encrusting, plating, tabling, spiraling, bushy, stag, etc.) if all you can find in image searches are pics of tiny frags? (This is rapidly turning into a pain point/pet peeve for me)

Any way, hope you are all having a good night. Hope this made sense, it's been rattling around in my head for a few days now. Interested to see the poll results.

 

[pcon]

I keep butterflies in my mixed reef. I have had no issues with any particular groups of corals, though I generally avoid acans, lobos, trachy, scholy, and the like. I do have quite a few lps at this point, euphyllia, duncans, lepastrea, trumpets, blastos, acan echinata, shroms, leathers, chalices, dendros, acros, montis. Every fish is different though and coral stocking has to be based around their individual tastes.

For your questions about encrusting corals. Some will grow across sand, like montipora and some will not. things like shrooms can harm fish if growing around caves but generally fish are smart enough to just change holes or avoid the corals that will hurt them. I recommend looking at build threads for finding colonies of various corals. I have some larger colonies of encrusting montipora but generally they take the shape of what they are placed on. there are some interesting examples of cyphastrea growing over statues that can be found.

Great macna talk on the subject:

 

[BackToTheReef]

I keep butterflies in my mixed reef. I have had no issues with any particular groups of corals, though I generally avoid acans, lobos, trachy, scholy, and the like. I do have quite a few lps at this point, euphyllia, duncans, lepastrea, trumpets, blastos, acan echinata, shroms, leathers, chalices, dendros, acros, montis. Every fish is different though and coral stocking has to be based around their individual tastes.

For your questions about encrusting corals. Some will grow across sand, like montipora and some will not. things like shrooms can harm fish if growing around caves but generally fish are smart enough to just change holes or avoid the corals that will hurt them. I recommend looking at build threads for finding colonies of various corals. I have some larger colonies of encrusting montipora but generally they take the shape of what they are placed on. there are some interesting examples of cyphastrea growing over statues that can be found.

Great macna talk on the subject:

That macna talk was one of my launching points for the research I have been doing and the shift in my thinking.

 

[pcon]

That macna talk was one of my launching points for the research I have been doing and the shift in my thinking.

nice thats one of my favorites, what species were you thinking of trying to keep in this tank?

 

[BackToTheReef]

nice thats one of my favorites, what species were you thinking of trying to keep in this tank?

I haven't 100% decided since much of it will depend on the size I can build at my new place (1200-2400g-ish) but some being considered would be C. tinkeri, C. flavocoronatus, C. declivis, C. burgessi, C. mitratus, C. guentheri, and C. dolosus (along with the copperband and pyramid).

Angels are a bigger question mark. I'd like to maximize the odds they will play well with coral. Obviously considering the Genicanthus but looking at other types like the Pomacanthus angels, regal, scribbled to see which might work.

I've got a couple fish I would really like to see in there but my guess everyone is going to tell me I am a moron and to do a FOWLR.

**Also want to include as many captive bred species as possible so that might limit/change some of those choices.

 

[MONTANTK]

In general if your fish are well fed it can help limit the amount of nipping that goes on. Of course nothing is guaranteed. I don’t have much experience with Butterflies but I do have a lot of experience with Angels. The flame Angel is an excellent choice for mixing with corals. Same with the Shepard’s and Coral Beauty. Normally I pick my fish based on my coral but that doesn’t mean I won’t take a risk. If I had a bug enough tank I’m sure I would have tried a copperband or a Burgess