Do you add passive or aggressive corals first?

[crissie]

Hi,

So, I've kept marine tanks for almost a decade, but my son has stumped me on this one, any help would be appreciated!

My son has decided he wants to have his own marine tank and is deciding his stock based on his preferred corals (LPS). His tank is currently cycling and he's been whittling down his selection to those with the most compatible lighting and feeding habits etc. But here's the thing - he wants to keep both passive and aggressive corals in the same tank. Today he has asked whether he should place the aggressive or passive corals first, and frankly I haven't a clue! My tanks have always had passive corals with very few semi-aggressive/anemone types.

As an example, he's completely in love the the Elegance Coral (Catalaphyllia jardinei) and also Fox Corals (Nemenzophyllia turbida) both requiring similar conditions and feeding but with very different temperament.

So, what do you do? Do you add the aggressive first or the passive? Or does it not really matter?

[alb_56]

I dont really worry about what order to add, I just give the aggressive ones enough space from all the others. My hammer gets a pretty large section just to himself, same with my chalice.

[AlexRSM130]

I would keep distance between them making safety zones and try not to overstock.
IMO Catalaphyllia Jardinei one of my favorites.
Good Luck!

[crissie]

Thanks for the replies.

Space shouldn't be an issue as he wants the Catalaphyllia Jardinei to be a real focal point in the tank, it'll have a nice big section all to itself. Good to know order doesn't matter. :0 Thanks again.

[Reef Frog]

I agree the order of entry isn't a big issue as long as sufficient space between heavy duty stingers. Flow pattern can limit or enhance stinging ability so it's best to be watchful should the need arise to move them around. It's good to observe them, especially at night, to confirm you have enough space between colonies as the length of some stinging tentacles is astonishing and won't be evident all the time. Big offenders IME are bubble corals, closed brains and frogspawn & their conspecifics to name a few.

If there is conflict or you're not sure you've left enough space, sometimes a barrier of live rock between corals will keep things civil.