Territory

[Cleo642]

Someone posted this picture on liveaquaria.com. This tank is so crowded, wouldn't the corals be fighting over territory? You think these corals would be going into chemical warfare soon?

 

[Reefing Madness]

Look fine to me. Must be well fed.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

My tank typically looks like that. I take a very Darwinian approach and let everything grow together (unless a real prize is being bothered).

I do lose a lot of things to overgrowth, but I think the tank looks way more natural than a tank of little corals separated by gaps.

Here's a picture from some time before 2005:

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I would have to say that the crowding in the lower front corner of the OP pic doesn't look natural, however.