coral warfare,how worried should i be?

well i dont think this topic comes up enough, so i thought maybe i can spark this one up. i wanted to post about my situation and see what you all think. please add whatever comments you have, or exp...ect..


now i can say for sure that im experiencing any kind of coral fighting, just think i may have set myself up for it. and now that my algae is finally gone my corals have taken off once again. some starting touch. ill post pics see what you all think about this mix of corals, and the threat of stinging along with the threat of highly alleopathic corals harming others.


here are some of the corals im worried about, since they are getting large.
green leather about 13 inches tip to tip



now these pics are about a 2 months old so still has alot of algae , and the corals have grown alot since then.

im worried about the left side of the tank launching an attack on the right side.lol you can see the big leathers glooming in the distance in this pic.


i still have more to say but i gotta go out for a lil, so ill be back later hope this is enough to start us off.

 

oh there is also a large torch and another frogspawn in there that you cant really see in the pics.

 

When I was doing mostly all soft corals I never set them up to touch and when they over grew one another I found some will tolerate others touching them more and better then some others . I just tried to keep them clipped back like if a colt grew over into a LPS like a ohh say a Bubble coral to torch I'd simple let them work it out and see what the reactions where then if need be I'd simply clip the Kenya or colt or what ever the soft was .. I simple found out that a good grade of carbon at 1/2 cup per 50 gallons and changed every 6 to 8 weeks did all I ever needed to remove any toxins from the water.

 

i dont really know much about the war-fare but DAM your tank is beautifull!!!!!

 

ahhh the calming replies of tangster.lol

ok so i got that down, i already run carbon at that amount but i change more often.

well the two leathers are def touching now but polyps on touching branches are still open. no signs of distress.

so my other question is whats the deal with sps corals why does it seem like such a sin to put sps in with softies and lps?
if the toxins are easily removed with carbon, and plenty of space is given between the corals.

if you coulndt tell from the pic , the entire left side contains soft corals, while the lower right contains all lps mostly euphillia , then i have a top row that is not yet filled out since no corals i have seem to like the extremely turbulent wave that rolls across it every 30 sec,and the intense light, except some free sps frags i got are doing really good up there,. i would really like to buy a nice sps colony, no acros. but wondering if its adding more fuel to the fire, and a waste of money.

ill post a bunch of algae free pics tomarrow. its like 3am.lol

 

I wouldn't worry too much about things like Xenia/star polyps, but Euphyillia have long range weapons and i'd be terrified of the green leather going nuclear

 

I'm glad you brought this topic up, since I'm new I don't Know that much about it. I have 3 sps corals on my large middle rock--they were on it when I bought it---Being a real dummy I didn't know what I had. This puts me in a difficult position, as I now have some mushrooms, a ric, a kenya tree on one side and a frogspawn on the other. Everyone is happy now but I don't know about the future and what I should or should not add when I get my new lights.

 

Ah yes, chemical warfare...good stuff! Most people that have visited a coral reef while diving in one form or another visualizes and sums up a coral reef as a tranquil environment. This realization, really couldn't be further from the truth, in my opinion, as the myriad of corals encountered in the reefs of the world are constantly trying to get one up on their neighboring counterparts.
Through the unique defensive tactics and chemical warfare displayed by the various corals battles are constantly being fought on the forefront. This process is so pertinent to a coral as a means of growth, spreading and carrying on the species. Their success ultimately falls in the hands of how well each coral can protect itself and ward off retaliative tallies by neighboring corals. Obviously, not every coral has the same defensive mechanisms or strategies, nor do they have the same potent toxic makeup, so it is survival of the fittest for the most part!
I believe that many fellow avid and conscientious reefers, also, don't realize just how much aggression and warfare is playing out in their tanks on a consistant and daily basis. The full wrath and implications that can be experienced or not have alot to do with the species and number of corals in the designated space available and amount of carbon and other filtration regimines employed. Water changes will also aid in the reduction of toxins and other undesireable dissolved organics, tannins etc. from reaching elevated levels.
I think that it is safe to say that certain corals such as Acropora and Montipora will display negatively in the presence of too many soft corals, especially the Sinularia and Lobophytum species.
The success of any coral in your tank, or ocean for that matter will depend on their adaptability, offensive and defensive strategies and efficient filtration!

 

Becareful also as most soft corals are prolific growers and will spread quickly as well, more so than stonies!

 

Well its not a sin as the carbon will handle the toxin defences hellpeople mix them all the time only problem to me is If I'm going all the trouble to establish the strict water levels for any SPS the I'm not going to waste any of that prime rel estate on a bunch of soft corals .. To establish a tank of nice SPS is like like playing in the National or American League and then being sent back to the minors .. You work at a SPS tank far more then soft or LPS tank I do like some softs added for coloration and movement and they do fine . But I keep them trimmed up . Nothing wrong with a tank of beautiful softs but they honestly bore me to tears .


The bottom line is what ever you have been doing then just keep it up tanks look great as do the corals.. I'm not one to get into worrying about or overly thinking a problem that does not exist .. If you want ot add any SPS then add it but remember the water parameter and movement needs will change .. As sps leave little to no room for prameter swings .. Like with Baseball you can get away with mistakes at the Miner Leauge's that will have you benched or fired in the majors . SPS corals are just at a different level of play..