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

[totalbiz]

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!

I love Ricordeas. I'm thinking of only having them for the corals. Have you tried to keep "Ricordea Yumas"? I heard they are difficult.

 

[najer]

Neptheas.

 

[mfinn]

My 180 with 3 x 250 watt MH and 4 x 160 watt VHO from a few years ago.

 

[blasterman]

The problem with softies is if they are healthy they become invasive. Ok, so dont be an idiot and put green rhodactis shrooms on the same rock as your acropora....duh.

I've seen tanks with wall to wall rhodactis shrooms, and the only way they are going away is if the owner nukes everything. Then there's always the guy with the 70gal filled with nothing but Xenia and clown fish hosting in them. I think xenia is cool if its contained and not running rampant like a swamp weed.

So, just be smart and keep them isolated on specific rocks. Softie tanks with lots of contrasting specimens are really cool. It's when they got dominated with certain types that turn reefers off.

 

[andrewkw]

The problem with softies is if they are healthy they become invasive. Ok, so dont be an idiot and put green rhodactis shrooms on the same rock as your acropora....duh.

With maybe the exception of kenya tree, and tiny clove polyps which mostly come as hitchhikers (although I guess people occasionally buy the blue ones). I really don't find any soft coral to be truly invasive. In the case of kenya tree they just drop them and you pick them up and remove them. Obviously you will eventually flood the market, but hey if I can get $2 for them each 100 frags which took almost no effort = 1 nice new piece.

Pom pom xenia, mushrooms, leathers, whatever you can remove almost always with a knife or even your algae scraper. Try the same with encrusting montipora and it's going to go a lot worse. Eventually your acros will need cutting too, and depending on where they are in the tank it can be vary hard to either remove the rock or reach your bone cutters in. Since soft corals are soft getting a blade in a tough to reach spot requires minimal force and they can be sliced off without destroying your entire aquascape.

 

[fish farmer]

With maybe the exception of kenya tree, and tiny clove polyps which mostly come as hitchhikers (although I guess people occasionally buy the blue ones). I really don't find any soft coral to be truly invasive. In the case of kenya tree they just drop them and you pick them up and remove them. Obviously you will eventually flood the market, but hey if I can get $2 for them each 100 frags which took almost no effort = 1 nice new piece.

Pom pom xenia, mushrooms, leathers, whatever you can remove almost always with a knife or even your algae scraper. Try the same with encrusting montipora and it's going to go a lot worse. Eventually your acros will need cutting too, and depending on where they are in the tank it can be vary hard to either remove the rock or reach your bone cutters in. Since soft corals are soft getting a blade in a tough to reach spot requires minimal force and they can be sliced off without destroying your entire aquascape.

Actually my green striped mushrooms are very hard to keep contained. Originally all I wanted was a softy reef and I let the green and red mushrooms do their thing. They pretty much took over one whole side of my tank and are starting to creep up to the other side where I'm focusing on LPS and some zoas.

I see loose mushrooms rolling around my tank weekly and try to keep up, but they can float up into crevices I can't reach and get established and become hard to reach. I find them stuck INSIDE my zoa frags. They even smothered a hammer frag that I was trying to establish in their territory, hoping the hammer would tame them.

 

[msujohn]

I’ve had a mixed reef (SPS/LPS) for 7 years. Just lost all my SPS about 3 months ago. I was really considering getting rid of tank. Started to look at my LPS and really determined I enjoyed the motion/flow they had compared to SPS. Here I am now, just added my first softies to my tank last week. Really like the motion they provide. Still researching what I will add next.

 

[H3rm1tCr@b]

I honestly think more people should have soft corals. They are so easy to keep and fill in space quickly and add fascinating texture.

 

[Saltdaddy]

Most of all my tank is soft. Sorry for the bad pic.

 

[NowasReef]

My 7 month old softie dom 55 gal. Really digging this tank. And almost everything in it is from a frag from another tank or a trade

 

[luisgo]

One of my best photos of a soft coral, a purple gorgonia!!

 

[luisgo]

Soft heaven twelve years ago!

 

[ZipAdeeZoa]

I love Ricordeas. I'm thinking of only having them for the corals. Have you tried to keep "Ricordea Yumas"? I heard they are difficult.

I can see why! unfortunately I have not kept yumas but have dealt with them at work and they seem to do alright without anything special being done for them. I might pick up a few yumas myself once this batch is through qt just to see how it goes. There is definitely enough colours and textures of ricordea to fill a tank!

 

[Bruce1066]

My tank is mainly softies, this cabbage is just awesome.early morning , just opening up

 

[KingTideCorals]

My tank is mainly softies, this cabbage is just awesome.early morning , just opening up

Just snagged a sweet purplish-green strain of cabbage from WWC!

 

[fish farmer]

Older pic. If the mushrooms like you, you are allowed to stay.

 

[danieyella]

I just placed an order yesterday for some new softies from Marine Farmers & some assorted photosynthetic gorgs from another vendor. I'm excited for mail days next week! Marine Farmers is set for Wednesday and I'm not sure about the other yet.

Incoming:
purple sinularia dura (I mentioned earlier I was looking for a cabbage still)
ruby xenia
blue capnella
pink japanese nepthea

New Gorgs:
Corky Finger
Spiny
Purple Plume
Golden Plume
Tan Candelabra

 

[Bfoot]

Glad I am better with the tank than I am at posting online. Softie tanks don’t have to be dull!!

 

[Bfoot]

[/QUOTE

Glad I’m better with the tank than I am at posting online! Softie tanks don’t have to be dull!!

 

[User1]

I just placed an order yesterday for some new softies from Marine Farmers & some assorted photosynthetic gorgs from another vendor. I'm excited for mail days next week! Marine Farmers is set for Wednesday and I'm not sure about the other yet.

Incoming:
purple sinularia dura (I mentioned earlier I was looking for a cabbage still)
ruby xenia
blue capnella
pink japanese nepthea

New Gorgs:
Corky Finger
Spiny
Purple Plume
Golden Plume
Tan Candelabra

I was at MF earlier today. They are out of Pink Japanese Nepthea. I was going to treat myself but alas they are out. I have cespitularia-blue purple, and Bubble corals-white coming in from pacific east aquaculture since MF was out of what I was after. They do have an amazing looking Purple with Green Polyps Sinularia but unless I picked something else up didn't want to pay shipping for one item.

Edit: i see you ordered the sinularia - please share a pic once it settles in if you don't mind. I may have to find a few things to order to fill in shipping cost