Overcrowding question (chemical warfare)

[~reefchik~]

I see these fabulous tanks with corals all jammed together, growing happily, colors vivid, but you never hear much about the real-life stuff like when a small sarc overshadows a pocillopora and the poci begins to bleach, or the rhodactis growing so fast that the monti edge is bleaching underneath it.  Some kenya tree has almost killed my fox coral, too.  Or whatever....I know others must have these issues, but we keep adding frags and keep adding!!!

All but 2 or 3 acro frags are dead (dang it!!)  but the ones that survived the "Big pH and Alkalinity Crash of 2010" are doing well.  Almost everything is thriving at the moment except an acan at the bottom, really. 

I have quite a few nice little frags going and they are doing well too.  I have to credit the halides I got from Justin, as to making a lot of my stonies look better than ever and growing like weeds.  But then, I have this new problem. 

So what do we do at this point?  I always wanted a problem like this, but honestly I consider corals such a precious resource I hate to let even a branch of something just die without taking some action. 

Your thoughts?

[motley]

you can always make and sell some frags.  and then use so me carbon to help with the chemical warfare.   and then the best is a good old fashion water change.

[larrynews]

i took all my leathers and softies, except zoas and buttons which i cant get rid of out of the tank, i do have ric in there. i run carbon. my point is i couldnt keep sps alive for nothing and after taking them out and dosing calcium and alk(c-balance a and b) everyday instead of every other day, mine have gone great. i had to chose which i want soft or hard corals and i chose hard.
just my thoughts
larry

[TechGuy]

It depends on what it is. Sometimes I let it go(I have a Rainbow Monti Denae, growing onto and orange digitata), other times I have to pick which piece I like better. Other times I can just trim it back. Other corals like your Sarcophyton need trimmed regularly.

[Kenn]

I agree with both Motley and Larry

Carbon and more frequent water changes may be in order.

A smaller (under 125g) mixed reef tank can be challenging. I my self have mostly softer corals (zoas, Acans, mushrooms, hammer\frogspawn) and have learned that when I started adding a limited number of SPS (green slimmer,various Monties ect) I had to increase my carbon filtration. I already do 20% weekly to bi-weekly water change. I realize that this is easier for me than others on the board due to the fact that I only have a 37g display\20g plumbed-in grow-out tank\15g sump. Not a large water volume to change out on this schedule.

I also think I skim big time for my little system. I use a coralife Super Skimmer 220 (LOVE this thing).

All that I am saying is I think as newbie reefers (Including myself here ) "WE WANT IT ALL"  . I am always trying to mix species in my tank that don't even come close to inhabiting the same eco niche in the oceans...and I'm trying to make them live together in a water volume of roughly 72g 

I am now trying the adage of "Less is More".. not always successful but I'm trying 

I also research like crazy, anything I want to add to the tank. I've had to change my thinking and give up ideas on keeping some specimens, but its for the best, I  think, in the long run.

[HUNGER]

i have a very mixed reef  the best way i deal with it is to prun like a bonsie tree than what i prun i sell or give away

[~reefchik~]

Trimming the sarc (see my other post today) is the big issue right now. 

I've begun fragging the SPS and I am in the process of trying to rid the tank of all kenya tree.  That is like trying to keep kudzu out of your trees, though.

So I guess my next priority really is going to be setting up a frag tank or doing more frequent and drastic pruning.

The reason this tank is so mixed is that it evolved from a low light reef to a high light reef in a little less than 2 years.  As the lights got better, I added more of what I had wanted all along, SPS.  And now that I know I can grow most of what I like, the softies really do need to scram. 

On that note, I thought that rhodactis were fairly benign but I see that they can sting other corals with the best of them. 

[~reefchik~]

Set up the frag tank!



Can't quite get the micro bubbles to stop from the CPR Bakpak but they will eventually, I guess.  Now I have to get in there and make another rack and sort everyone out.  I hope I can get most of them to stick to frag plugs.  That's hit or miss with kenya tree though.