Softies vs. LPS vs. SPS

[Doodaa]

My softies don't seem to be growing much...besides my Xenia, but my SPS are growing like weeds and my LPS is doing pretty good too. Don't get me wrong...the softies look really healthy and have great polyp extension and are growing, just not as fast as I think they should.

Softies include mushrooms (2 types, not ricordia), devil's hand, GSP, zoa's, paly's and a cabbage leather.

LPS is what i think may be a torch coral, or something similar, not frogspawn.

SPS are acros, millis, and a cap.

Do you guys find that one type seems to thrive over another in your tanks?

[kevinpo]

Hello,
The corals you listed do not have the same environmental preferences so one would expect significant differences in growth. SPS corals generally occur in very clean shallow water with high flow and receive most of their nutrition from light and the capture of zooplankton.

LPS have similar requirements but rely less on light and more on capture strategies.

Soft corals are usually found in deeper or more turbid waters with lower flow. Many of them can absorb nutrients directly from the water or feed off detritus. They prefer more nutrient rich waters to grow well. If you feed these corals more you run the risk of having your SPS corals turn brown from nutrient levels becoming too high.

When we try to keep animals from such a wide rage of environments in the same small area some species tend to dominate over time according to environmental factors that favor that species.

One other note, the Devil's Hand and Cabbage (Sinularia sp.) also the GSP (Pachyclavularia sp.) can produce several toxic compounds that can kill LPS and SPS corals. Running carbon 10 days a month and monthly water changes will help reduce the accumulation of these compounds.

Regards,
Kevin

[Doodaa]

Well, that just makes too much sense! Thanks Kevin

[Doodaa]

Is it possible to have thriving softies, SPS, and LPS in the same water system, but different tanks?

For example:

1 tank with lots of flow, both in tank and overflow/return flow from a common sump with another tank with lesser overflow/return flow cycle. Both tanks draining into a common sump with equipment there...protein skimmer, carbon, GFO...whatever is required. Is it possible to have one of the DT's be a nutrient rich environment (low flow one) for corals that require that and the other be more geared towards SPS with little or no consequence or do I need to have 2 separate systems completely? Is this enough separation to prevent the chemical warfare corals do?

[Parrothead]

No, if using a common sump your water is gonna be mixed together from each tank.

[Doodaa]

No, if using a common sump your water is gonna be mixed together from each tank.

Are you sure? What I'm seeing between my display tank and my sump is quite a difference. The sump will have all the equipment and an activated carbon filter in it. I was thinking this may be enough separation. I've seen people keep both in the same tank, but I was thinking separate tanks in the same system, but filtered would make a lot of difference. I know two completely separate systems would be ideal, however.

[Parrothead]

Are you sure? What I'm seeing between my display tank and my sump is quite a difference. The sump will have all the equipment and an activated carbon filter in it. I was thinking this may be enough separation. I've seen people keep both in the same tank, but I was thinking separate tanks in the same system, but filtered would make a lot of difference. I know two completely separate systems would be ideal, however.

Think about this for a second,

You would have 2 tanks draining into the sump, one for softies, the other for lps and sps, what you are trying to accomplish is nutrient rich water for the softies and not for the lps and sps, if you drain both into one sump you will not be able to accomplish this as the water from each tank is gonna be mixed when it hits the sump, separate systems is really the only way to do what you want that is to keep nut. rich water for the softies and nut. poor water for the lps and sps. Even filtered you are still mixing the water in the sump from both tanks, one sump won't work.

[metalhead]

Think about this for a second,

You would have 2 tanks draining into the sump, one for softies, the other for lps and sps, what you are trying to accomplish is nutrient rich water for the softies and not for the lps and sps, if you drain both into one sump you will not be able to accomplish this as the water from each tank is gonna be mixed when it hits the sump, separate systems is really the only way to do what you want that is to keep nut. rich water for the softies and nut. poor water for the lps and sps. Even filtered you are still mixing the water in the sump from both tanks, one sump won't work.

Parrot's right... I formerly had two 90's plumbed to a common sump. One tank was all soft coral, the other was LPS. Never could dial it in to benefit both tanks, intead I experienced marginal growth rates at best in both tanks.

[Doodaa]

I formerly had two 90's plumbed to a common sump. One tank was all soft coral, the other was LPS. Never could dial it in to benefit both tanks, instead I experienced marginal growth rates at best in both tanks.

Excellent feedback metal...exactly what I was looking for. Thanks