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View Full Version : Mixing Softies / Lps / Sps


funkyman
09/07/2006, 06:02 AM
I have always been under the impression that as long a proper distance is maintained between corals to prohibit physical contact, the subject corals could be kept together.

However, I recently learned that some soft familied corals actually release toxic chemicals into the water that can prove damaging to SPS and LPS even without contact.

I have been having problems with an acan colony, and some other LPS frags in my tank. My water paramaters are all good, and I've tried many corrective measures (relocation, running carbon, water changes, etc.....) without any luck.

Could it just be I have an un-ideal mix of corals? Here's what I have in a 120 reef ready with good flow:

acan wellsis
acan enchinadas
ricordea (florida and yuma)
zoos
chalices
xenia
palys
mushrooms (one colony of supermans)
blastos
monti cap frags (have never done very well)

I suppose my biggest concern would be the rics and mushrooms. I never considered they may be causing damage without having to touch anything.

The acan colony I'm most concerned about has been retracted for more than a month now. I've tried many different locations without any luck.

What does everybody think? Should I narrow it down? Does anyone else have these corals mixed?

bklynreef
09/07/2006, 07:49 AM
Im doing a tank myself and I was also under the assumption you can keep anything as long as you have enough water volume and seperate them at a safe distance. Id like to hear from the pro's on this subject.

racer69
09/07/2006, 08:15 AM
I have a mixed tank with purple musrooms and hairy mushrooms. I have an acan lords very near the hairy mushrooms, and have not had any problems (they don't touch). I also have two large monti caps that are growing out of control (well almost lol). Is it posible that you could have a problem with your water parameters?

cristhiam
09/07/2006, 09:00 AM
I would check your water parameters. I don't think you have a problem with the corals you have, I have couple leathers in my tank with montis, sps, and many corals. I have not experienced a problem. I did almost killed my acans when I upgrade by putting them all the way to the top and I pretty much burned them I moved them to a shadded area and they recovered. Here is a pic of the mixed 55G I had over 2 years. Too many corals to tell :)
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~pinatas/fulltank003.jpg

Black Mammoth
09/07/2006, 09:22 AM
I have a 75G with a plenty of flow (Tunze). I have the following corals in my tank and I don't have any problems.

1 Kenya Tree
40 Kenya Tree Frags (yeah I need a prop tank)
1 Colony of Pulsating Pink Pom Pom Xenia
2 Pulsating Pink Pom Pom Xenia Frags
1 Colony of Xenia (pulsating)
1 Rock colony of Green Star Polyps
1 Electric Blue Mushroom
3 to 4 Green Mushrooms
1 Small Colony of Frogspawn ( 4 to 8 heads )
1 Small Colony of Frogspawn ( 2 to 4 heads )
1 Pink Bird's Nest (small colony)
1 Baby Blue Tip Stack ( on the smaller side...4 inches or so)
2 Cali Blue Torts (small...about 2.5 inches each)
1 Tri-Color Stack (small...about 2 inches)
7 Polyps of Watermelon Zoos
1 Medium Size Orange Cap
1 Medium Size Green Cap

The reason why my stuff is on the smaller size is because everything (except for the GSP and the Kenya Tree) were frags that I grew out.

I don't have any problems. I have a smiliar set of corals as you do. I do try to keep each kind separated in the tank.

Burgman
09/07/2006, 09:36 AM
Hi,

I have had a mixed reef tank for 10 years with no interaction problems a long as the corals don't touch. Sometimes you hear that a peson can't keep this or that type of coral in their tank?

Dave

bluenassarius
09/07/2006, 09:41 AM
geezus... is that xenia i see? :eek1:

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8095793#post8095793 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cristhiam
I would check your water parameters. I don't think you have a problem with the corals you have, I have couple leathers in my tank with montis, sps, and many corals. I have not experienced a problem. I did almost killed my acans when I upgrade by putting them all the way to the top and I pretty much burned them I moved them to a shadded area and they recovered. Here is a pic of the mixed 55G I had over 2 years. Too many corals to tell :)
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~pinatas/fulltank003.jpg

LeslieP
09/07/2006, 09:42 AM
I also agree that you should check your parameters.

I have a very crowded 55 with mushrooms, rics, leathers, kenyas (everywhere!), zoos, gsp, yellow polyps, frogspawns, galaxea, bubble, gorgonians, 2 acans, monti cap, birds nest, staghorn, elkhorn and some other stony frags that I don't know what they are. Everything is growing too well and I'm out of room! The only time I have a problem is when a frag falls onto something else. And I do try to keep everyone some distance from the galaxea and the frogspawn because of their sweepers.

cristhiam
09/07/2006, 10:29 AM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8096052#post8096052 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bluenassarius
geezus... is that xenia i see? :eek1:

lol!!! now it's on my 125!! I need a fish that will eat it :) maybe a cooperband, but not sure.

funkyman
09/07/2006, 10:58 AM
PH - 8.2 (was 7.9 or so for a long time, and then the weather cooled down so we opened the windows. Wella!!.......8.2)

Calcium - 440
DKH - 8.0
Salinity - 1.025
Temp - 79 - 83

Haven't checked phosphates or nitrates in forever. However, I run a Roaphos reactor 24/7 and have a fuge in my sump with cheato that grows rather well so I never really worried about them.

I suppose I should take some official readings.

dhoch
09/07/2006, 12:02 PM
I too have a mixed reef... many large softies (finger leather, mushroom leather), LPS (huge hammer, frogspawn, buble) and SPS (digis, caps, torts, millis, etc)... check out my website for more specifics: http://www.danj.com/reef

I will note that I tried a phosban reactor for a while and it actually almost killed a couple of my caps, and some other corals did not look to happy... since taking it off.. great growth and restoration...

Dave

cristhiam
09/07/2006, 12:17 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8096942#post8096942 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dhoch
I too have a mixed reef... many large softies (finger leather, mushroom leather), LPS (huge hammer, frogspawn, buble) and SPS (digis, caps, torts, millis, etc)... check out my website for more specifics: http://www.danj.com/reef

I will note that I tried a phosban reactor for a while and it actually almost killed a couple of my caps, and some other corals did not look to happy... since taking it off.. great growth and restoration...

Dave
I agree with the phosban reactor, I read in Chemistry forum that some reefers had problems with phosfates removera I just can't reacall which one it was. If your parameters are fine I would stop using it for a while and see if they improve.

funkyman
09/07/2006, 12:59 PM
YIKES !!:eek2: I wasn't aware of that. I've been using it for months straight now. I'll get rid of it ASAP. Thank you for sharing that information.

LeslieP
09/07/2006, 01:10 PM
That IS very good to know. I have a very low tech tank with just a hob refugium & skimmer and I don't put in any additives except to top off with kalk water. Heck, I even frag the softies in the tank.

dhoch
09/07/2006, 01:18 PM
Yeah take a look at my web page go to the SPS section and see what it did to my red monti cap... which is recovering now :)

Dave

SeaMac2
09/07/2006, 02:03 PM
I've been running a Phosban reactor on my 75g mixed reef for approx 4-5 months and haven't noticed any ill-effects on my pink M. capricornis. The phosphate removing media does drop the alkalinity though, and I could see that becoming a problem if you don't watch out for it. :D

Chris

funkyman
09/07/2006, 03:45 PM
Just got home and shut it off.

dhoch, how long did it take for your cap to start coming around?

dhoch
09/07/2006, 04:14 PM
It took a while... and it's not nearly recovered to where it was, but it lost a lot of flesh.

I would say the decrease in flesh stopped in about a week, and then another couple of weeks for it to start growing.

Dave