LPS Basics

For someone new- what are the basics and general care one should know when trying their hand at raising lps successful

For lps owners what do you do keep yours thriving in water current,water conditions,calcium,feeding and anything else you think would be important in raising them.

 

LPS are just like every other animal we keep in our tanks. Each species will have different requirements when it comes to flow, food and light.

The best thing to do when you find a species you want to try and keep is ask about that particular type. Also round out your research by googling "________ coral care" and reading a few articles on their needs. Do these before you buy for the best success.

 

Stable Alk/Calcium/Magnesium.

Acclimate to the more intense lighting slowly, some may do better in less direct lighting or even slightly shaded areas initially.

Target feed quality foods like Rod's Foods. If no feeding response, initially feed at night and train to feed during the day.

Watch for aggression among certain types of LPS, like Hydnophora, Galaxea.

 

Oh thank you this is a start and helpful,so is it best to feed live or frozen food for the lps,is it true lps like different depths depending or does it not matter on their placement

 

Yes they do require different depths, unless you know for sure they have been under very intense lighting with good bulbs, start them lower in the tank. Acans, Favia, Fungia and a whole host of others prefer the sand bed. Some chalice do very well up high. Euphyllia mid level. These are all generalizations.

Try a thawed frozen food with mysids or other forms of proteins, meaty foods.

 

Agree. It is important to match the natural environment. So knowing what areas of the reef the coral comes from helps you know where in your system to place them. Keep parameters monitored as stability matters. Alk, Ca and Mg are critical to keeping corals. LPS generally need much less light than SPS. For decades all we used were Flourescent tubes to keep the common LPS. Find some LFS that have displays that they actually grow corals in and then use their advice. Too many LFS don't know how to keep corals. They are just running a business. Better yet find some fellow hobbiest who are successful who can mentor you.
It doesn't matter whether your talking corals, plants or elephants, knowing what they need is the key to keeping them thriving!

 

I love keeping the LPS They are so adaptable. I find them very easy to care for. I've also found that there is really no need to feed, but is fun to do. Here's a picture of one of my favorites in my tank.

Oulophyllia bennettae

 

How hard is it to keep the levels of alk,mag and calc safe in your tank setups,I'm sure this all differs from tank to tank but I'm curious and what do you use in additives to help this.

I been reading the simple guide to mini reef aquariums and the super simple guide to corals and it mentions coral species and toxic defenses so I was wondering are lps dangerous or harmful to humans,my concern would be when handling to place them in the tank,also it sounds like a sanded is a good start,I'm interested in starting with frags so can I just place them on the sb or do I have to glue them,really if I glue I'd prefer gluing on live rock unless it's a brain.