Soft Corals: Yay or Nay? Soft corals don't have to be BLAH!

[Nicholas Dushynsky]

I like a nice mushroom, along with zoas/palys and a nice big toadstool. I was given a lovely little orange mushroom and some pulsing xenia for my bedroom nem tank.

 

[KLaRue]

I voted “Other” because they seem to be the most often reason for fish you see on a real reef to be considered not reef-safe.

 

[Hemmdog]

Mushrooms are Corallimorphs, a hybrid between sps and anemones.

I am a much bigger fan of the vibrant colors and visual flow that gonioporas and euphyllia provide. I also love the polyp sway of Acropora millipora.

I’ve had several types of actual soft corals, I always end up getting rid of them and replacing with a more vibrant stony coral. I like a challenge.

 

[revhtree]

When I set up my reef tank I knew it was going to be softy dominate. The ease of care, the movement, magnificent colours and textures. I do think sps are pretty but compared to softies there is no competition in my eyes. My last coral order was almost entirely just Ricordea and I can't get over the colours, texture and movement! I recently just bought a frag of long polyped toadstool after falling in love with massive colony at work. I've only had it for about two weeks and have yet to see it fully extend but it just started shedding yesterday and I can't wait to see it come out! My green nepthea will always be one of my favourite corals, its absolutely stunning. It's a yay from me!

LMK when you have a Frag of that amazing nepthia available!

 

[WadeWithTheBraid]

In my old 100 gallon tank I had a colt coral, it ended up splitting and I had frags all over the tank. But the mother colony was probably the size of a football and the way it swayed in the tank was my absolute favorite. I loved that coral probably more then anything else I ever had in that tank!!!

 

[oneilwiz]

I would say I love Softies, that is what I started out with that that is what I am going with in rebuilding my 120G tank. I do agree softies get a bad rap but nothing is wrong with them. Reason I am going to softie route is the forgiving and ease of maintenance compare to SPS. Dont have enough time like before to baby sit a dominated SPS Tank.

 

[WadeWithTheBraid]

What's the light spotted coral just right of center?

I believe the coral your asking about is actually a clam.

 

[sfin52]

Picked this up a couple weeks ago

 

[RtomKinMad]

I love my softy tank, and would just hate to take it down.

Very very beautiful

 

[Indytraveler83]

Softies, lps and 'nems are what got me into reefing. No offense to the sps crowd, but the more it moves, the more I like it.

I've never understood how softies were "invasive". They grow far faster than sps, but much slower than the weeds in my front yard!

My favorite current softie is my big leather, but my growing colony of unusually bright green GSP is a close favorite!

 

[Calm Blue Ocean]

Toadstools are probably one of my favorite corals. The short list for the new tank definitely includes a weeping willow of some sort!

I really like my branching GSP. It moves nicely in the current and fluoresces unlike my other softies. Doesn't seem too aggressive...so far.

I really do love softies but I've definitely learned a lesson in them, too. When someone says "Xenia and Kenya tree corals can take over your tank", believe it! My Xenia is so out of control I'm not sure what to do about it and I have Kenya trees on every rock and spare hermit crab shell. During my water change this week I tried to pry a chunk of Xenia off a rock where it had encrusted beyond it's island and my forceps slipped...wow did that sucker SLIME! Now my toadstool is angry and going into shedding mode and I only got part of the Xenia branch off so I know that bad boy is coming back. Needless to say, next time I try to thin the Xenia it's in a bucket outside the tank where I have more control.

I love Xenia, it's pulsing makes it a great conversation piece for people unfamiliar with corals. It adds a lot of nice movement to the tank.

And it will take over the world!

 

[RtomKinMad]

Soft corals are my favorite as well. I mainly run a mixed reef but it is soft coral dominated.

Interestingly enough my favorite soft coral is not in the tank. Cespitularia. I have it in 2 of my other tanks though. Really there just isn't a good spot for it in this tank since it's so jam packed. I would love to get my hands on a real yellow fiji toadstool. Had one years ago that was legit yellow. Now soft corals do seem to be trickling back into Canada but they have not been as yellow as in the past.

Gorgeous tank! I lov it!

 

[jx.reef]

Love softies! Easy to care for and add a lot of movement to the tank. Great colors too!

 

[scchase]

 

[snowhite]

I believe the coral your asking about is actually a clam.

You're right... yes it is.

 

[Nburg's Reef]

I like softies, but I love the difficulty of the sticks. If and when my tank crashes, I'll go back to softies.

 

[dodgerblew]

Favorite? Can’t give you one. If you only allow me one pick it will be the neon green Japanese Weeping Willow Toady. But I’m also very fond of Pink Nephthea, Fiji yellow leathers, all Zoas and the neon Sinularia to name a few.

Pros? Pretty bulletproof, not as aggressive, can tolerate/thrive in less than pristine parameters and lighting, fish are less interested in their polyps and prone to nip at than SPS and LPS, easy to propagate, fast growing making mature looking reefs quickly

Cons? Lack of color hues found in SPS and LPS, however not a big fan of blue tanks that bring out the insane hues. Biggest con is that they’re so easy reducing the challenge involved in the more delicate corals. Reefers seem to thrive on the stress on keeping the more delicate corals. The real fun is in the challenge.

 

[sfin52]

@Erin O over here

 

[Katrina71]

Umm any frags?

Like this one?

 

[nyghtdancyr]

Other than zoas, I've never had any luck keeping soft corals. They always seemed to shrivel up on me and slowly fade away. I personally find stony coral to be easier because I could never point point what I did wrong with softies. I know I'm not the norm in this though. I also prefer fragging stony coral because it's so easy to cut and glue bone vs soft flesh.

I do have a soft spot (pun intended) for zoas though. Plus they do have some intense colors and patterns. I do like admiring the soft coral tanks at my LFS though. Lots of movement which is a nice change from sticks.

Maybe you problems are too much light, too much flow, water not dirty enough? My nitrates are between 10-20 and my softies are soooo happy! I know when I first started I didn’t know enough about lighting and my light was soo bright every softie was shriveled up. I took it down to like 15% and they were much happier.