Selecting corals for you reef: What is your mix of SPS, LPS, and Softies?

[Peace River]

Selecting corals for your reef: What is your mix of SPS, LPS, and Softies?

Whether your thing is sticks, torches, hammers, anemones, or another type of coral, have you put a heavy emphasis on that type of coral in your tank or have you put together a mixed reef? Sometimes our tank just kind of happens and other times it is a result of disciplined decisions based on a master plan. Is your tank almost all acros, almost all zoas, almost all anemones, almost all another group of corals, or do you have a bit of everything? Please tell us in the related discussion about your mix of SPS, LPS, and softies.

@Photo by Oly’s_Tank


This QOTD is sponsored by: www.worldwidecorals.com

“We differentiate ourselves from other vendors by offering our customers full transparency into our facility and practices. Setting the industry standard for shipping techniques, accurate high-quality photos, hard to find corals, and customer service. For some hobbyists buying live coral online can seem like a risky endeavor. At WWC our staff takes the worry out of the equation by culturing extremely healthy corals, giving you a hassle-free guarantee, and providing you with a full online customer service team to ensure you are completely satisfied with your purchase.”

 

[EricR]

Soft corals only for me -- trying to keep everything simple with minimal effort.
Haven't had to dose alk/Ca in my 2ish years since adding corals (so far).

 

[Waters]

I have roughly 30 acro colonies, and 2 LPS

 

[aphinney]

Ive kept sps/acros pretty much since the beginning of my reefing career (is that what you call it?)

but something in me with this new build wants to go mix reef. Like say 80/20 (SPS/LPS)

 

[hexcolor reef]

I keep mostly LPS coral and will continue to add to my collection

 

[kevgib67]

The majority is lps but also softies and a couple sps.

 

[randomfishdude]

I mostly keep Torches option.

 

[Cichlid Dad]

I still have most of my beginner coral up to acro, so I'm now looking at giving or selling The beginner stuff so I can have more room for acro and chalice. I have a good mix of frog and hammers I absolutely love and will never part from.

 

[Reefer Matt]

I have separate tanks for separate types of coral. I don't know how Reefers keep zoas and acros happy in the same tank, but it is much easier for me to separate them. LPS are my weak point, just average on the others.

 

[maroun.c]

Always had mixed reefs as I simply feel its more "normal looking" I can also fit more corals as there are some areas where SPS won't thrive where I could have LPS or softies.
Over all I'm more for the most diversity in shapes colors growth patterns in my tank and I feel a mixed reef helps with that.
My dream tank would be an SPS only tank with butterflies and angels yet the tank size, the added care needed for butterflies and angels in Quarantine and order of introduction as well as the rarity of those has kept me from going there.

 

[shakacuz]

mixed, SPS dominant reef.

 

[John Bolden]

I have a little bit of everything even the aptasia...

 

[Cichlid Dad]

I have separate tanks for separate types of coral. I don't know how Reefers keep zoas and acros happy in the same tank, but it is much easier for me to separate them. LPS are my weak point, just average on the others.

LOL, it's easy when you don't know it should not be done especially for beginners.

 

[Narideth]

I have too many corals I want to keep and not enough tanks to keep them in, so it's mixed tanks for me. I really really enjoy LPS mostly, but the zoas claim a soft spot in my heart.

 

[Alpha_and_Gec]

I just happened to have a whole bunch of anemones from past splitting… until my engineer goby killed a bunch by putting the whole darn place under construction. In terms of coral density I’m leather dominant simply because I have no clue how to move them around and they never really died off, so now I’m stuck with a whole bunch of leather that’s scattered about the tank.

 

[Alexraptor]

Mix for the most part! The only thing off-limits are leathers, as they generally don't play nice with stony corals.

My 15G is a fully mixed reef with SPS, LPS, Zoas, Shrooms and Star Polyps, and a maxi-mini nem. I have a 25G SPS-dominant reef, or so i'd like to think, seeing as how everything that isn't SPS or LPS, is covered in blue clove polyps! My new 38G setup though will be an SPS only, Acropora dominant system with some montis as fillers in lower-light areas, with one exception being my Siderastrea colony.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

My system, 3 half yrs now, has evolved over time, although always mixed, from soft corals to more sps corals. This was due to its maturity / stability of the system which assisted in better sps success. Was always my goal in this hobby. Happy to see results with many learning lessons along the way. Always learning. Always testing. Always trying to keep the best water I can one ml at a time.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I only run Mixed . . .

 

[AustinBabler]

I started a second tank to house my gsp and other stuff while I re do my 1st tank. Since the new tank is upstairs in our bedroom I’m sticking with easy stuff. Mainly soft coral. But I have a soft spot for some LPS so I’m sure a few of those will find their way up into that tank

 

[JoJosReef]

I only run Mixed . . .

That coral behind the yellow tank in the middle, tube-like going up. What is it? (if answer is "tube coral", I'll SMH)