Why do YOU like SPS?

[TMC1313]

For me, it's color and growth form. You can "shape your tank" however you choose as the SPS grow out. It's like underwater bonsai.

 

[ScottB]

As most have said, it is the combination of colors and growth forms. Zoanthids come in ridiculous colors, but the growth form is quite 2 dimensional.

 

[homer1475]

Natural progression of the hobby as you grow as a reefer.

SPS are considered the pinnacle of the hobby, as you grow into a better reefer, you obviously want to try your hand at the most challenging corals. if you keep SPS alive, colored up, and growing, your coinsidered by your reefing peers as "know what your doing".

Of course an unlimited color palette helps tremendously.

 

[Cool tangs]

I think the attraction to SPS is the colour veriations vs LPS or softies.

I own a mixed reef and im still learning, its hard to get every coral happy in a mixed reef, i added SPS so i could have more colour veriaty

 

[Alexopora]

Soft corals and LPS add movement with their soft bodies and tentacles, while SPS are stiff. SPS are harder to care for as well.

As someone who never tried SPS: Why do you like them over the faster-growing counterparts?

Something ab the large density of polyps “dancing” with the flow. Something about watching new growth every couple of days. Something about the way they add to the shape and look of your tank as they build their skeleton. They are challenging but once you get the hang of it, its really rewarding.

 

[RMS18]

Because I enjoy torturing myself, enjoy lighting money on fire and driving my marriage to the edge. How can you not enjoy keeping a animal that if you look at the wrong way it bleaches out overnight!

The true reason is mainly the challenge. I have had LPS tanks, they have maxed out with growth. We aren't in this hobby because we want it easy, so why not challenge ourselves a bit more by keeping sps.

 

[FMF0331]

i like them because they are so darn expensive

 

[alain Bouchard]

I prefer a mixed reef, but what I like about the SPS is that you can actually make your coral arrangement in regard to how they will grow; kinda like bonzais. while for softies and LPS, they will often grow out of control and do as they please.

 

[Grallster]

Soft corals and LPS add movement with their soft bodies and tentacles, while SPS are stiff. SPS are harder to care for as well.

As someone who never tried SPS: Why do you like them over the faster-growing counterparts?

If you have to ask, you probably wouldn’t understand.

 

[sinekal]

I’m with the others who have mentioned the growth pattern. Specifically for me it’s that you can have a small frag grow into your reef. Looks more natural than placed lps to me.

The other big factor is that you can have an entirely aquacultured tank. That’s possible with softies too, but would be hard with lps unless you stuck with a micro/blasto lagoon style tank.

 

[jda]

I like acropora because they make me be as good as I can be at the hobby. I also like that I can frag them when I need to get rid of some - it can break your heart when you cannot chop up or frag a 15" LPS without it really struggling or having to watch it die.

It is why the few plants that I have are orchids over something easier.

In for a penny...

 

[ScottB]

I like acropora because they make me be as good as I can be at the hobby. I also like that I can frag them when I need to get rid of some - it can break your heart when you cannot chop up or frag a 15" LPS without it really struggling or having to watch it die.

It is why the few plants that I have are orchids over something easier.

In for a penny...

Fragging. A new and totally valid angle. I will just go back and edit more older post to include that...

 

[TuxUrchin07]

I don’t know… I just like it. Maybe because they are harder?

 

[jda]

I grew a really beautiful master scoly once to like a foot and a half - we are talking like all of the colors (almost) where a 3" one would be many hundreds of dollars. Nobody had room or wanted it, even for free. Tried to frag it and it all died... and I really did my homework and took my time... I am not an idiot and have reefed a lot in my life. This really hurt me and I felt like I let it down (which is crazy, I know). While it can suck to break up a foot wide acro colony, you at least have hope of new beginnings with the fragments.

 

[mdb_talon]

Soft corals and LPS add movement with their soft bodies and tentacles, while SPS are stiff. SPS are harder to care for as well.

As someone who never tried SPS: Why do you like them over the faster-growing counterparts?

My real answer is "i dont know i just do". Having said that i find few things more satisfying that a tank full of grown out SPS colonies. Whether they are easy(montis, birdsnest, etc) or "hard" i love them. I also like that they add depth and structure to a tank more than most lps or soft coral. Certainly you can get that with some lps, leathers, etc....but largely lps and softies more or less are encrusting. However exceptions like a huge grown out colony of euphyllia i also find beautiful.

I would also disagree with your premise that they are slower growing. The vast majority of SPS are going to grow much faster than your average lps given correct conditions. I just spent 2 weeks in the hospital and when i nervously went to look at my frag tanks for first time back some of the zoa frags noticeably had a little growth. Acans and other LPS essentially looked the same. My SPS was very easy to see considerable growth.

 

[Ocean’s Piece]

Why do you assume that I do lol? But honestly, they’re alright in my opinion. The following is all my opinion: LPS and softies are way cooler overall. They add much more movement to the tank, have more striking colors overall than SPS, they’re hardier, and they dont hoard all the elements in the water. Again my opinion, and some of these things can be combated with other peoples opinions but that’s my opinion.

 

[Mike1970]

the colors and the challenge to get the colors

 

[Xanthurum]

For me it's about pushing myself to be a better salt water aquarist. Providing the best environment for all of my aquatic pets is what is most important to me and should be the main goal for all of us. If I am able to keep SPS colored up and growing, there is a good chance that every other coral I have will undoubtedly be doing well also. SPS is the top of the top in the saltwater hobby but that does not mean you can't have any amazing tank without it. I have seen plenty of amazing tanks without any.
You have to take time to enjoy your tank and for some that means no SPS and for others that means stepping up to the challenge. I have always been SUPER COMPETITIVE, to a fault at times. I want to be the best at everything I do. So I always push myself harder than others in order to achieve my goals. My goal is reef of the month so...

 

[Jgerm]

For me it’s a few things:

1. The initial selection and placement- going through the process of deciding what and where I want corals is something I really enjoy at the infancy of a tanks life.

2. The tanks progression- we all know almost nothing good in this hobby happens fast. I find the challenges of an SpS dominant tank really interesting. From the progression of balancing the chemistry to the progression of growth and color development it all keeps me attentive and I find SpS to have the biggest changes over time.

3. Easy of manicuring- once corals are growing in I really like how simple it is to frag and trim back the colonies to keep them healthy and beautiful.
(Side note on this though—— if you do research on all the corals aggressiveness and growth before you place them it will absolutely help in the long term when it come to ease of manicuring. Nobody wants to chisel an SpS colony off of their rock scape because it is killing every other coral it comes in contact with.)

 

[Hydrahawk]

I like a challenge, but sometimes it is very frustrating!