Rethinking Tank Vision: Advice Please?

Dulcolaxiom · Aug 28, 2021

Hello! Long time reader (for at least the last 5 months) but first time poster. I've had my 20 Cube going for the last 3.5 months, intending it to eventually be a mixed reef from top to bottom. Within the last two weeks I’ve lost both my Hammer and my Frogspawn, AFAIK not due to brown jelly or anything. They just receded and gave up the ghost. They were doing very well before that. Please note that the purpose of this thread is not to discover what killed my Euphyllia. However, because I know this will be asked, here are what my parameters have been since June:

Nitrate: 5-10ppm
Phosphate: 0.0-0.15ppm (this one bounces a bit due to algal consumption I think.)
Salinity: 34ppt
Calcium/Magnesium: 390/1310

Currently my stock list is: 2 clowns, 1 court jester goby, 2 Duncan frags, 2 Acan frags, GSP rock, Zoa rock, 1 Neon Green Toadstool, and 4 Ricordea. My vision for the tank from the start has centered around these qualities:

1. Untamed -- I don't want my tank to look like a frag rack. I want it to look well-cared for and evident that thought was put into placement, but it must look alive and wild.
2. Movement -- I really enjoy corals that provide movement.
3. Color Mix -- I don't need to have the whole spectrum, and things don't need to be electric, but I want my tank to have more than shades of tan and green.

In any case this experience has shaken me up a bit, and got me questioning. I’m a little wary of proceeding with a mixed reef if the corals I intended to have dominant will just die out of the blue after thriving.

I have started to seriously consider taking my tank in two directions:

1. Anemone Tank, with RFAs on bottom and BTAs up top. I feel like once they establish nems are hardier than SPS and Euphyllia?
2. A Softy Dominant Tank, with bright green Sinularia and other toadstools such as Fiji Yellow, and possibly some Ruby Red Xenia and such. I’d need some inspiration for this one. It’s hard for me to visualize.

Any advice here? These are both tempting to me as there's a part of me that feels I would enjoy the (possibly?) lower maintenance aspect of these tank styles. I’m not planning on adding in a BTA until at least after the 5 month mark. Looking to brainstorm with some people on what might be the best direction to go. Does anyone have any experience with either nem-only tanks or softy reefs, or could compare their maintenance to mixed reefs?

As always, thank you so much for any help.

lapin · Aug 28, 2021

The more you move towards SPS and LPS the more Alkalinity and Salinity stability is important.

You usually dont find hard and soft corals in the same environment.

Softies are nice. Nems are nice. They are not as picky and will do well in a dirty ( high nitrate and phosphate) tank.

Billdogg · Aug 28, 2021

There's a good chance that the toadstool is the cause of the euphyllias. Soft corals secrete turpines into the water as a form of chemical warfare against the stony corals. Try running carbon - preferably in a reactor - to help remove them. In addition, your tank is still in the very new stages, and fairly small as well. IMHO, the thought of having a "mixed reef" is all and good, but can be more difficult that sticking with one type of coral.

I would pick one type of coral and stick with it. I'd also remove the GSP before it takes over every square inch of your tank.

Dulcolaxiom · Aug 28, 2021

Billdogg said:
There's a good chance that the toadstool is the cause of the euphyllias. Soft corals secrete turpines into the water as a form of chemical warfare against the stony corals. Try running carbon - preferably in a reactor - to help remove them. In addition, your tank is still in the very new stages, and fairly small as well. IMHO, the thought of having a "mixed reef" is all and good, but can be more difficult that sticking with one type of coral.

I would pick one type of coral and stick with it. I'd also remove the GSP before it takes over every square inch of your tank.

Thanks for the feedback! I guess I didn’t think of the toadstool being the cause as it’s only a 2” frag right now. Definitely possible!

Yea I think my plan now is to stick to one dominant cnidarian group. Soft coral would be “easier” I think, and elegant, but there’s something really cool about a BTA. The BTA dominant approach would be more risky, but really impressive looking once it gets established.

and thanks for the tip about the GSP. It’s on its own small rock completely isolated from everything, but I’ll keep an eye on it if it starts to spread to the sand bed. It’s one of my favorite corals.

Dulcolaxiom · Aug 28, 2021

lapin said:
The more you move towards SPS and LPS the more Alkalinity and Salinity stability is important.

You usually dont find hard and soft corals in the same environment.

Softies are nice. Nems are nice. They are not as picky and will do well in a dirty ( high nitrate and phosphate) tank.

Thanks! I’m a bit curious: If you had to start a new 30G tank and had to choose one of these two approaches, which would you do?