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.
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.