Which is harder to keep long-term, LPS or SPS corals?

[Gumbies R Us]

Alright, so I am curious because I see both sides of the spectrum. I see some reefers who say they never have trouble with SPS but always have trouble with LPS, vice versa. I want to hear from you what you think is harder to keep long-term and why. For me, I never tried sps but always had issues when it came to lps corals.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Ooh this could go both ways I think!

I guess it depends on the coral itself. For me some acros have been easier than some LPS...long term of course. And on the other hand I've had some LPS that you couldn't kill if you tried and some SPS that dies if you looked at them wrong! HA!

 

[Crabs McJones]

I'm going to say both. As corals grow and start growing into eachother, you need to stay on top of trimming back to prevent fighting, die off. I was fighting that with my torches in my 15. Upgraded to my 25 and "bought myself some time" They'll get big enough to happen again

 

[That Crusso Kid]

Yes.

 

[ndrwater]

Im going to also go with both.
I have had both in my tanks for a decade or more with the caveat that the specific needs are being met. I know that sounds simplistic, but keeping SPS and LPS in the same tank makes things much harder in general due to their unique requirements.
Not that it's impossible, far from, just more difficult.

 

[BriansBrain]

IMO sps especially acros. They are so susceptible to swings, disease and pests. Grow out a colony for years for you to wake up, look at the tank and watch it peel away before your eyes

 

[That Crusso Kid]

Alright, so I am curious because I see both sides of the spectrum. I see some reefers who say they never have trouble with SPS but always have trouble with LPS, vice versa. I want to hear from you what you think is harder to keep long-term and why. For me, I never tried sps but always had issues when it came to lps corals.

It's kind of a loaded question because all the stick-heads will say that SPS is easier. All the meat-heads will say the LPS is easier. You know, to win people over to their respective dark side!

 

[exnisstech]

I find sticks to be easier. They are also more merciful. Acro just die overnight and done. Those meaty lps like drag things out and instil false hope that maybe I can save them lol.

 

[Tripod1404]

One thing to consider why some people who keep SPS, but have trouble with LPS is likely the tank parameters. SPS prefer and tolerate lower nutrient levels compared to most LPS corals.

There is a “Goldilocks” zone that works for both, but if the tank is tailored specifically for SPS, many LPS will struggle.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I find sticks to be easier. They are also more merciful. Acro just die overnight and done. Those meaty lps like drag things out and instil false hope that maybe I can save them lol.

That's what happened with my torch, it dragged on for weeks and the whole time I thought I could save it.

 

[Timfish]

So much depends on the specific species/genotype/variety it's hard to say. Sarcophyton and Sinularia certainly have species that are hardy and tolerant but one of my major frustrations has been a short polyp toadstool with very short, very dense polyps (it almost looks like a short pile rug). One of the hardiest easiest corals I've come across is Purple Stylo, I've had frags survive being left outside in a bucket overnight in 50° weather and within hours of warming up opening up and looking as good as they always have.

A real eye opener was seeing the research looking at the immune systems of 8 different Acropora millipora genotypes. When subjected to pathogens and physical abrasion there were very different immune responses. What killed off >90% of specimen of one genotype didn't have any apparent effect on a different genotype.*

If one peruses J. E. N. Veron's publications one will find within a genus there may be species that are very cosmopolitan in their distribution and another species that has a very restricted distribution with specific requirements (Gonipora being one example with almost no way to determine species apart). There are speceis that are only found with sibling species and considering corals are proactively manipulating the microbes in the water column it's not surprising some corals don't do well in mixed reef systems. Acropora microclados (strawberry shortcake acro) is an example of with almost all colonies found only in association with other acros and big waves (read LOTS of well oxygenated water movement).


* From the abstract:
"Our results suggest that lesions appeared due to changes in the coral pathobiome (multiple bacterial species associated with disease) and general health deterioration after the biotic disturbance, rather than the direct activity of any specific pathogen. If diseases in nature arise because of weaknesses in holobiont physiology, instead of the virulence of any single etiological agent, environmental stressors compromising coral condition might play a larger role in disease outbreaks than is currently thought."

 

[AlexandraDreadlocksPanda]

Depends entirely on the species IME. SPS like Cyphastrea, Stylophora, Pavona etc are child’s play to keep, but LPS like some Acans and Scoly’s can be more tetchy and difficult…. I have a couple of morphs of Acan that will let me know if things are awry before any of my Acropora’s start to sulk…

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

any crash or mini-crash I've ever had has killed several sps, but lps continues to survive no matter what happens.

 

[Hans-Werner]

None or both. There are hardy and sensitive species and types in both categories.

Since SPS are generally growing faster, they tend to deprive the water of nutrients faster, which may cause problems if not taken care of.