SPS and Leather questions

I have about 6-7 pieces of SPS in my tank and adding more tonight, along with a Torch, Frogspawn, Hammer, Bubble, Kenya Tree, Carnation Tree, mushrooms, palys and some umbrella leathers.

Will the leathers or other soft/LPS corals I have hurt the SPS or are they ok?

If so should I kinda segregate the tank and have SPS on one side and leathers, soft, LPS on the other?

Thanks!

 

The Kenya Tree and Umbrella Leather will put out nasty alleopathic chemicals that will inhibit SPS growth. If you're going to have them in the same tank, you need to be running a quality brand of activated carbon and change it often.

 

I use Seachem Matrix Carbon in a Phosban Reactor now and change it monthly...is that carbon ok or should I use something else? Should I change more often also?

Are those the only two I need to worry about?

I also forgot I have a Toadstool too!

So keeping them far apart doesnt matter really at all?!?

 

Seachem Matrix is an excellent carbon. I would use half the amount and change it every two weeks. (After a couple of weeks, carbon changes from being chemical filtration to biological filtration). You don't have to throw it away though. Put the old carbon in a filter bag and smack it against a counter to break the balls, rinse away the fines, then drop that in your sump for the next 2 weeks. In other words, you'll have your reactor running with brand new carbon for 2 weeks at the same time you're running cracked old carbon in a bag in your sump.

 

Nice Tip!!! Thanks!

So I have a Phosban 150 and only fill it now about 1/2 way....I should go less from now on?

 

the toadstool being a type of leather coral will do exactly as Inwall75 indicated for the others

Seachem Matrix carbon is a good quality carbon IMO and IME ( I use this brand and have tried others, this is better for me)

you dont want softies touching SPS IMO some are more aggresive than others in the way they defend their territory, prevent other things over growing them

so setting up the tank in various zones is a good idea IMO

also bear in mind that the conditional needs in terms of light and water movement/ flow to name but 2 varies greatly between species
if you have adequate flow to make the SPS happy, I doubt many softies would appreciate it and some LPS would hate it IME

softies and LPS low to middle - with SPS on the upper levels is typically how its done by people with mixed reefs
with flow maximised in upper 3rd - where naturally the PAR value of the light is also best


Steve

 

With most carbons, one couldn't get away will going 1/2 up. However, Matrix is designed for excellent flow characteristics so that will work. You don't have to do it exactly how I said. If you wanted to, you could wait a month and then break a whole reactor's worth of carbon and put it in a bag. New adsorption pores that were in the center of the beads (that weren't filled with bacteria) will now be opened up. The way I see it, you paid for the whole piece of carbon, not just the outside portion....you might as well use it all.

 

That is a lot to add all at once. With all the coral acclimating all at once there is bound to be an intense chemical emittance. Different sides of the tank will not matter if you have turbulent current and flow. If the flow was going all in one direction, then yes. Did you hit the jackpot? or anxious? Make sure the flow rate is adequate through the reactor as carbon and phosphate media utilize different rates to achieve their purpose.

 

These are already in the tank for a while now...I am not adding them all today. I am adding a few more SPS pieces tonight.

I know its hard to make all the corals happy...thats the hardest thing for me, I play musical corals all the time until everyone is please with where they are. Flow and light for all the different types makes it a challenge, but I have most in spots they are happy with now.

I think after reading some of the replies though I may shift things around again and segregate things more....just to be even safer.

 

Hows about a full tank shot?