Top level LPS

[NittyGritty]

Hey reefers! I have a question, what would be your suggestion for LPS that can take higher PAR for the top 1/3 of the tank? I know for the mixed reef guys this is prime for SPS but just wanting to keep to LPS. Heres a pic of the rock. Its a 30" cube tank. http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160820/d588dc7757d917d8f176c5e9c456e16c.jpg

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[that Fish Guy]

I had a Hammer Grow Insanely Fast by Keeping it High Up but Maybe I just Got Lucky?

Most LPS Like Lower Light.

[PsychoticBeauty]

IME pretty much any LPS coral can adapt to higher lighting levels just as long as it's moved up slowly. Flow is a different story altogether though.

[rt67ghy]

I had some baby hammers which hardly grew for the one year they were on the sand bed but after I put them mid- tank height I can see rapid growth. I think top 1/3 may provide better growth as experienced by that Fish Guy. Also candy cane coral grows well closer to the light.

[Scorpius]

Get some easier sps like birdnest or pocillopora. :)

[downset21]

My candy cane coral is up close to the light. I saw a massive candy cane coral at Epcot center that was close to the light as well.


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[NittyGritty]

Candy cane is worth a try, any other suggestions? Thanks!

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[nereefpat]

Hammer as suggested, as well as its other Euphilia relatives.

I have some favia and goniastrea that don't seem to mind being high up in my tank.

[downset21]

It was a frogspawn


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[PsychoticBeauty]

If you are going to put something like a Frogspawn or a Hammer up top like that then you might have to do your water changes from the sump. The tissue of these corals holds a lot of weight and if the water level ever drops down too far it can cause the tissue to rip from the skeleton very easily. Be careful.

[NittyGritty]

Good advice

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[Tweaked]

What do you consider higher par? And yes hammers can do amazing at the top.

[steallife904]

I have a war coral favia near the top mixed with SPS. I did move it up slowly and it has pretty much decided to be red only.

[Tahoe Reefer]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/lu79thgvx8l1zfm/2016-06-08%2018.26.19.jpg?dl=0

I have cyphastrea encrusted to the top on the tallest point in my tank. It seems to do well, under LED light... no idea what the par is.

[PsychoticBeauty]

Something like a Jack O' Lantern Leptoseris would look cool up top like that. This is a fairly undemanding coral and pretty easy to come by.

[that Fish Guy]

Something like a Jack O' Lantern Leptoseris would look cool up top like that. This is a fairly undemanding coral and pretty easy to come by.

They are Low Light.

[Tweaked]

They are Low Light.

Yep, do great with low light! Deep saturated colors :thumbsup:

[PsychoticBeauty]

They are Low Light.

Who says? Like mentioned above pretty much all of the LPS corals out there can adapt to higher lighting given the chance. Put it this way, if a Hammer or a Frogspawn can then there's no reason why a Leptoseris can't. Plain & simple.

[that Fish Guy]

Who says? Like mentioned above pretty much all of the LPS corals out there can adapt to higher lighting given the chance. Put it this way, if a Hammer or a Frogspawn can then there's no reason why a Leptoseris can't. Plain & simple.

Who says?

Everybody says!

No, it is not plain and simple.

Corals have different needs.

Not all LPS are the same.

Some may tolerate slow change but there is no guarantee.

Why risk it on a coral that is known to be low light?

[that Fish Guy]

IME pretty much any LPS coral can adapt to higher lighting levels just as long as it's moved up slowly. Flow is a different story altogether though.

You have it backwards.

They are more tolerate of flow than light.

How long have you been reefing?

It says you joined Reef Central Last Month.

[kichimark]

Frogspawn would be pretty cool up top. I agree on staying away from the jack- o-lantern on the top. Mine never cared for anything beyond the mid of the tank and would get lighter in color until I moved it down. I run t-5's over my system.

[PsychoticBeauty]

You have it backwards.

They are more tolerate of flow than light.

How long have you been reefing?

It says you joined Reef Central Last Month.

Are you really calling me out? lol

I have one question for you and one question alone. Can a Leptoseris be done up top? It's a yes or no answer hot shot... :rolleyes:

[Tweaked]

This is fun, but IME low light and they do best is all. Can they be bleached and unhappy up top, sure. Also need to know lighting etc to truly understand.

[Potatohead]

Get some easier sps like birdnest or pocillopora. :)

I agree

Also IME, LPS do alright in "high" light, but that's also relative, they aren't going to do well 10" from a 400w metal halide for example. I do find the polyps are a little shorter and fatter in this situation.

[crossguard]

This is fun, but IME low light and they do best is all. Can they be bleached and unhappy up top, sure. Also need to know lighting etc to truly understand.

So that's a yes? ;)

It wasn't fun btw, it was the truth...

[jacksonpt]

Based on my experience (so take this for what it's worth), branching hammers are the only thing that respond well to more light (improved growth, good polyp extension, and a generally good appearance, FWIW). Virtually every other LPS I've had prefers lower tank placement and/or to be shaded from light.

For context, I'm running 4x T5s with 2 hamilton bulbs and 2 ATIs over a 20" tall tank.

[AlSimmons]

FWIW, I've seen Xenia thrive right next to an acropora up top. Go figure...

[scar79]

If you are going to put something like a Frogspawn or a Hammer up top like that then you might have to do your water changes from the sump. The tissue of these corals holds a lot of weight and if the water level ever drops down too far it can cause the tissue to rip from the skeleton very easily. Be careful.

Excellent point, but also worth noting in general if anybody is doing a large water change for whatever reason or removing the coral from the water. Get in there and **** the coral off beforehand so that it retracts on its own, then do what you need to do.

[Gagonzalez]

I have a frogspawn in my 28g nano that has gotten huge over the past 2+ years from a single head frag. It's currently about 14" in Diameter and I have fragged a lot of it off already. In fact, I have 3 frags in my isolation tank now (each with 3-4 heads on them already) because I had to downsize it before it broke thru the side of the glass. LOL!

It's currently the highest placed coral in my tank and I can't do more than a 5g WC or the water level drops too low. It currently pops out about 1/2" when I do a WC.

[Moort82]

I'd put a turbinaria there. Lovely bowl shape and can take flow and light.

[smatter]

I'd put a turbinaria there. Lovely bowl shape and can take flow and light.

I was going to suggest a turbinaria as well. Side note: The Springeri is one of my all time faves :beer: