What corals can touch each other?

[scouncil]

Ok, I've had a salt water tank for a while (about 10 years), but just started moving towards the coral side a year ago and found the SW forums while searching for info on refugiums.

I've had mushrooms, leathers, button polyps, a fox coral and a hammer, but have always kept them from being too near to each other. I see all these fabulous tank pics and everything seems to be leaning/touching all over the place. I don't want to endanger my corals, but how can I find out what can touch what and not get hurt?

I do have an anenome which I know nothing likes to touch other than my clowns....

Help?

 

[Russellaqua]

In general corals of the same genus are ok. Euphyllia sp. corals like hammers, torches, and frogspawn can touch and be perfectly ok. I would, however, keep any SPS from touching each other. Zoanthids can touch each other even if they're different colors, same goes for mushrooms. In my experience leathers don't seem to be adversely affected by touching each other.

 

[scouncil]

Thanks!

 

[demonsperm]

You should not let any coral touch. Some coral like torch or hammers can extend there pyolps 4 to 6 inches. Its best to learn to weed back or frag your coral. Some coral can grow fast taking over other coral and if you have these like blood red mushrooms either remove or isolate them for easier fraggin. All coral have a defense and its not hard for a 15 dollar zoo frag to over grow and eliminate a 100 dollar per poylp zoo .

 

[Eklikewhoa]

I have a mixed reef....they all pretty much touch and whatever is too weak will die off in that area to allow for the other to thrive...it all works out.