Sps vs lps -- What's the difference?

Miami Reef · Sep 15, 2017

I'm looking into some hardy corals and I keep seeing the word sps and lps. What's the difference in these, and is one more hardier than the other? Will fish be more likely to eat one type over the other?

Vleis · Sep 15, 2017

SPS = Short Polyp Stoney Coral ---- For your more advance reefers as the require excellent water conditions & good light
LPS = Long Polup Stoney Coral ---- More forgiving for beginner but you do get difficult LPS.. LPS

FISH- Some fish do nip at corals.. Do research before you buy the fish

S-t-r-e-t-c-h · Sep 15, 2017

SPS & LPS are hobbyist terms, that are not really 100% descriptive of hardiness, light requirement, etc. SPS literally refers to the size of the polyps (small polyp stony) but the shorthand is usually talking about acropora, which have high flow & high light requirements. Functionally, small polyped corals like montiporas, porites, etc. are significantly more forgiving to lower light or less pristine water.

In general, LPS (large polyp stony) are more prone to be nipped by questionable species like angelfish. They are generally considered more flexible to variations in water quality & light but usually can't take ultra high flow.

Again, these are all generalities...

Sandroni · Sep 15, 2017

I thought SPS was Small Polyp Stony, and LPS was Large Polyp Stony.

tdileo · Sep 15, 2017

If you are looking for easy corals stick to soft corals for now. Star polyps and xenia are super easy (but be ready to trim them back because they can take over a tank in a few years), leathers, and zoanthids are all nice looking and some of the easier corals to keep. LPS (large polyp stony) are usually a tad harder and should be fed regularly for best health (as in mysis shrimp and pellets, etc). SPS (small polyp stony) are considered the most difficult variety to keep, but some like montipora and cyphastrea are hardy and fast growing, whereas SPS like acropora like nitrates and phosphates at almost zero (you still need a little though!)
Your stony corals will need calcium and alkalinity maintained at proper levels in order to survive, so that is another thing to keep in mine. However if you do weekly water changes or every 2 weeks you likely won't need to dose unless you have clams or lots of stony corals.