Coral Compatibility

[Heyoo]

Can anyone suggest a good source for coral compatibility information? All books seem to rate "aggressiveness", "hardiness", "light requirements", etc. But in practice it seems that some corals can be completely stuffed into a tank, whereas others will kill anything near them.

For example a few questions are:

1) Can a galaxia be placed near a euphillia?
2) Can any other LPS's (blasto's, lobo's, etc) be placed near euphillias?
3) Can leathers and LPS's come in contact without total destruction?

I read some authors who's works make it seem as if only one coral will survive in a tank beacuse of agression, "chemical warfare", etc, but all of the tank-of-the-month type tanks are LOADED with corals. I often wonder photos of those tanks are taken immediately after stocking - just before the s**t hits the fan.

Any ideas?

Thanks
JJ

[_ReefFer_]

You can try www.liveaquaria.com. when you look up corals there is usually gives you quick stats about the coral(s) temperment, placement, water flow care level.. etc..

[Heyoo]

Originally posted by _ReefFer_
You can try www.liveaquaria.com. when you look up corals there is usually gives you quick stats about the coral(s) temperment, placement, water flow care level.. etc..

Thanks... but that's exactly my gripe. Everyone gives specific requirements about each coral - with little or no information about COMPATIBILITY between species.

I want info like "Coral X is very aggressive, but can tolerate the nearby presence of Coral Y, but is extremely deadly towards type X.". I know thats a lot of info - but many fish books contain a matrix of fish showing which are compatible with others types, or same-species. Seems like that could be done with corals too.

Any budding authors out there care to make a buck on my idea?

[thefatman]

glad you asked this. great question. i was planning to ask the same before starting to buy my corals.

and you're right too. like for a picasso they'll tell y ouit will eat smaller fish, crustaceans etc.. but may be compatable with this or that fish or crustacean.

i haven't seen anything like that for corals either.

[grazhopr]

Originally posted by Heyoo
I often wonder photos of those tanks are taken immediately after stocking - just before the s**t hits the fan.

ROFLMAO
this one almost kill me !
hard but true. I have made myself that question sometime...

[ms fishlover]

I'm new to the hobby and I haven't find one either but would like to know also. I seen so many that I would like to have but I wonder which ones will go with orther

[Doug1]

Unfortunatley I think alot of placement is by trial and error. As a rule Euphilleads(hammer,anchor, frogspawn,etc) will co-exist pretty well but are aggressive to other non related corals like Blasso, lobo, etc.
The so called LPS employ sweeper tentacles equipt with various nemacyst stuctures to maintain their "zone" whereas most leather and other octocorals are more dependent on chemical weapons to maintin their space

[thefatman]

whoaaaaa chemical weapons? don't let GWB hear that!!!

speaking of ... woohoo we got our pow's back today!

[Doug1]

OH, I hate to go Off Topic but tell me more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Heyoo]

Chemical Warfare! Yes, that could coin a new phrase... Weapons of Tank Destruction (or WTD's). There have been times that I've purchased corals, only to watch them recede from large, healthy specimen to dead within a week. One I can distinctly remember was a plate (fungia, or heliofungia, not sure which). IT looked great in the store, and great in my tank for a day or so. Now I wonder if its close proximity to a large sarcophyton and large lemnalia could have done it in. ???

Thanks!

[Doug1]

Quite possibly, those are both effective toxin producers

[Mrs Smith]

I keep my 2 euphylias in close proximity, but keep the other LPSs tentacle-length apart. All of the sarcophytons are on the other side of the tank, and while I know that the LPSs are exposed to the WM/TD of the leathers, it's not like they're in the middle of it. (I like the WTD phrase!) Anyway, I do wonder if clustering Sarcophytons will increase their growth rates, as they seem to take over quickly in the wild. They're going bonkers in my tank, that's for sure.

[Mrs Smith]

Originally posted by thefatman
whoaaaaa chemical weapons? don't let GWB hear that!!!

speaking of ... woohoo we got our pow's back today!

Hallelujah - and thanks for the heads up - I haven't checked CNN lately, but I'm off to do so!

Danielle

[mojoreef]

Each coral and types of corals have differing ways of defending themself and being aggressive. Some use chemicals (even calurpa does this) most of these are in the soft coral catagory, LPS's as DOug pointed out use sweepers and more phsyical means to fight (this usually means that proximity comes inot play) most SPS type corals use the same properties as LPS but very close proximity has more to play in that. They also use growth (as in over grow the corals around them and thus shadow them, thus starve them from light. I dont know of any literature that discribes all of these things. But all corals will do it to some point, and in a million differring ways. You really just have to do your research on each coral and understand the way the survive and manipulate thier enviroments

Mike

[Joel]

I've had pretty good luck putting corals in the same genus close together. That was the answer I got when I asked the same question a few years ago. Good luck