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FAQs about Acroporid Coral Compatibility
Related Articles: Acroporids,
SPS Corals, Related FAQs:
Acroporids 1, Acroporids 2,
Acroporid Identification, Acroporid
Behavior, Acroporid Selection,
Acroporid Feeding, Acroporid Disease,
Acroporid Systems, Acroporid
Reproduction, Stony/True Coral,
Coral System Set-Up, Coral System
Lighting, Stony Coral Identification,
Stony Coral Selection, Coral Placement,
Foods/Feeding/Nutrition,
Disease/Health, Propagation,
Growing Reef Corals, Stony
Coral Behavior, | 
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Acropora Care/Feeding – 04/23/08
Hello again Crew,
<<Greetings>>
Well, I've decided to not go with the
clownfish-anemone-tank plan and rather create a peaceful community of
Gobiodon citrinus with a pair of Stonogobiops nematodes
<<Both neat
little fishes>>
and maybe another peaceful fish. Anyways, I have a
few questions.
1. As you might know, I've been planning on culturing
phytoplankton and copepods. My tank is 86g with a 35g sump. Starting out
with, say, a 4" Acropora frag, how would I feed it phyto? Target feed?
Dumping bottle of phyto into the tank?
<<Phytoplankton is of no
direct benefit to the Acropora as they are decidedly carnivorous…though
it can be beneficial in small doses to feed those organisms upon which
the Acropora will feed. Better to feed the Acropora foods like Rotifers
and Cyclops-Eeze (can simply be the “leftovers” from feeding the
fishes), and install an inline plankton-generating refugium>>
2. How
would I feed copepods to the prawn gobies? Target feed? Dump them in
tank?
<<These can be simply “dumped in the tank” as you state>>
3.
Would I ever have to feed the clown gobies?
<<Yes>>
4.
Approximately how many coral heads should I have per goby? I'm thinking
about having four pairs of gobies in my tank. I have around 125lbs of
LR.
<<Mmm…will take several LARGE colonies. My experience with these
fish and Acropora is not a good one. While these fish are found in
association with Acros in the wild, the confines/limitations of captive
systems do pose problems re. Maybe yours will be different, but in my
experience these fish tend to nip and irritate the Acropora to the point
they will not extend polyps and slowly decline in color/apparent
health>>
Well, that's it for now. I sent an email titled "copepod
culture" to you on Thursday and have yet to get a response. Just a
reminder.
<<Hmm, this should have been returned by now…you may want
to resend>>
Anyways, once again, I love your site. It's simply
awesome.
<<Thank you…a collective effort>>
Thanks in Advance,
Random Aquarist
<<Happy to share. EricR>>
Montipora capricornis Compatibility 03/31/2008
Hey Crew.
<<Good Morning, Andrew today>>
I hope the mice aren't playing too
much while the cat is away. I have a "professional compatibility
opinion" question for you.
I was in my LFS today and noticed a
very nice (4" wide and 6" long) coral that I believe to be a
Montipora capricornis. (See attached
picture--do you agree?).
<<Agreed>>
This coral is in the "all corals in this tank are $25"
tank. I couldn't believe the LFS is selling this for only $25 as
I've seen similar corals demanding much higher prices, so I asked
one of the clerks why it was so cheap and he said that they are
trying to get rid of it because it's been at the store for over 2
weeks with no takers. He tells me that it is an aquacultured "cup
coral" that doesn't have the coloring that most people like. This
coral would look great in my tank, so I came home and did some
research on compatibility and am a little concerned about its
ability to survive/thrive given my other animals (mostly, my
Corallimorphs). I have a 110 gallon display with 95 lbs of LR and a
30 gallon refugium (DSB, 10 lbs LR, and large clump of Chaeto).
Lighting is 2x250W HQIs (20,000K) driven by 2 IceCap ballasts and
4x65W actinic PCs. My circulation is about 15 x per hour between my
return pump and my internal power heads.
My coral livestock list
is as follows:
Corallimorphs (positioned throughout my tank):
8 small green hairy mushrooms on one rock
8 medium green
Rhodactis mushrooms on one rock
1 small purple Rhodactis mushroom
14 small red mushrooms spread throughout my tank
1 medium orange
Ricordea mushroom
3 small cream colored mushrooms on one piece of
Tonga branch
Soft Corals:
2 large colonies Pulsing Xenia
2
large Capnellas
1 large Dendronephthya (9 months and thriving!)
1 large red pipe organ (Tubipora musica)
LPS:
1 Pacific Open
Brain (Trachyphyllia)
5 polyps candy cane coral (Caulastrea
echinulata).
I run two 1-cup portions of activated carbon in my
sump that I change out every 2 weeks to help reduce any allelopathy.
At $25, this isn't a huge investment by any stretch, but I don't
want to purchase this coral only to put it in an environment in
which it won't thrive or survive. There is an empty spot about half
way up my tank that is in a relatively high-flow area that would be
a perfect spot for this coral. What do you think?
<<Given enough
space / distance between this and other corals, I see no reason why
you could not house this in your system>>
Thanks for your
insight/thoughts! Andy
<<Thanks for questions, hope this helps. A
Nixon>>
Re: Montipora capricornis Compatibility 04/01/2008
Andrew,
<<Andy>>
Someone opined to me that this coral is a Merulina
ampliata, not a Monti cap, but the pictures of Merulina that I've
been able to find don't
resemble this coral. However, after
reading WWM and elsewhere, the ridges on this coral make me wonder
whether it may be a Merulina, but .
. . Any thoughts on the
proper ID of this coral and, if a Merulina, any difference in your
original opinion that it should do okay in my
display? Closer pic
is here:
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/abulgin/DSC_0654.jpg
<<Ampilata do not roll up as the Monti Cap does. Its a more flat
plating coral. I will stick with Montipora Capricornis>>
Thanks
again!
Andy
<<Thanks for the follow and query. A Nixon>>
Re: Montipora capricornis Compatibility – 04/1/08
Andrew,
<<Hello again>>
Thanks for the reply. This picture is what got me
thinking maybe we were wrong:
http://whelk.aims.gov.au/coralsearch/html/201-300/Pix/240-02.htm
<<I still feel confident of this being a Monti cap. If you review
the following photo's of the Merulina ampliata, to me, I can see the
difference..
http://www.reef-guardian.com/fiches-coraux-pic-76.html ..Flat, not
rose, higher pronounced ridges.>>
<<Thanks, A Nixon>> | 
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Montipora capricornis damaged or diseased... Cnid. incomp., plus?
1/20/08
Hello.
<Pam>
I've had my first tank up and running
for 9 months. I have a couple soft corals (1 rock with mushrooms
and
1 rock with zoos), and several LPS corals (Duncan , Sun Coral,
Frogspawn). I decided I was ready to try my first
SPS and from what
I read and from what I was told, Montiporas are some of the easier SPS'
to start with.
<Mmm, can be>
I purchased a good sized Montipora
capricornis about a week ago. I didn't notice this until I got home, but
there is some tissue missing (see attached picture).
Is this
diseased, or was it damaged in shipping to the LFS, or from the LFS to
my home?
<Could be, but...>
The white spots, have now turned
brown.
I thought it was spreading, but I just looked at the 2
attached pictures, and compared it to the Cap, and it seems that it
hasn't grown at all,
just that it turned brown (algae??). Do I need
to trim this off this damaged / dead tissue, or leave it alone?
<I
would move it or...>
If I do need to trim this now,
or down the
road, would I use a razor blade, bone cutters, or what would cause the
least damage?
<The polypoid animal to the lower left...>
I have
the Monti Cap about half way up in my tank, and the light fixture is
about 12" above the water line.
<About right... for what you have...>
One last question, do you dip all SPS corals, and if so, a fresh water
dip or a coral dip?
<Mmm, no...>
Any coral dip recommended over
another?
<Posted on WWM. I have used, instituted use of
iodide/ate/Lugol's dips in slightly dilute spg water for receiving
stations on arrival... for wholesale, collecting stations...>
Parameters: Salinity 1.026 PH: 8.3 Alk: 8 dKH Nitrites, Nitrates and
Ammonia all zero. Phosphates: between 0 and .1 Calcium 390 Magnesium
1170
Temp 80f Flow: 25x display size Display lighting 150w 10k Metal
Halide and 4 24w T5s
Thanks, Pam
<Pam, there may be other input/s
here, but the proximity of the polyp in the pic is definitely an issue.
Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/cnidcompppt.htm
Bob Fenner> | .jpg) .jpg)
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Crab ID Needed – Acropora Commensal! 1/19/08
Hey, guys and gals
-- 3rd letter this week!
<Yay! What can I do for you today?>
I
bought my first piece of Acropora coral and I was pretty excited.
<Understandably so, they’re beautiful corals!>
Well, guess what? A
little buddy hitchhiked his way on the coral! He's pretty much all off
white with a bit of blue-ish purple on his shell.
<Yep, I’ve seen
this little guy’s kin before. They’re neat little crabs.>
He looks
nice and was snuggled in the branches of the Acropora frag but I have no
idea if he's a good guy or bad guy. If he's bad, I would guess it'll
have to be the sump for him until my refugium gets built!
Here are
some pictures to help with the ID. Hope they are clear enough!
<They
are, thanks! I’m happy to say that this little crab is a keeper.
Ninety-nine percent of the time, when people write in about hitchhiking
crabs, we have to warn them about the potential risk to their livestock.
This, however, is the one percent that makes for an exception. What you
have is a little Acropora (commensal) crab, in the genus Tetralia. They
stay small, and are actually good for the coral. Interestingly enough,
in the wild, this crab protects the coral from the voracious
Crown-of-Thorns sea star (Acanthaster planci). It pinches the tube feet
of the star and "discourages" it from dining on the coral! I have a link
for you to read through for additional information, as well as several
others with photos:
http://www2.hawaii.edu/~delbeek/afmjan97.html
http://home2.pacific.net.ph/~sweetyummy42/hitchcrabs.html
http://home2.pacific.net.ph/~sweetyummy42/coral_crabs-2.html .>
Thanks,
Jon
<You’re very welcome. Enjoy your new additions! –Lynn>
--
Jonathan Philpot | 
Neat!
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Squamosa Spawn and Coral Bleach = Clam
and Cocktail Sauce? 5/21/07
Hey crew!
<Hay
now brown cow!>
Recently I purchased a Tridacna squamosa. This clam
is about 8 inches long and quite beautiful. I also have an Acropora
that was a gorgeous Pink Purple. The Acro has been happy for months and
exhibited good growth. Recently the Squamosa has released white streams
from its orifice. Immediately my Acro released its zooxanthellae and
turned white. Complete bummer.
<I'm sorry.>
All
other aquarium inhabitants seem fine at this point. All water
parameters textbook. I do small water changes weekly.
200 Gallon
display 180 Degree Half Cylinder
<Oooh! Niceee!>
70-Gallon
Refug
70-Gallon Sump
Calcium 400
Nitrate 1 PPM
Temp 79
Salinity 1.026
Deep Sandbed 5 to 6 inches
Water Turnover 16x
random turbulent
80 Gallon water change per month IO
DT, Liquid
Life, Prime Reef
Skimmate 1 cup weekly thick black
Tank 1.5 year
aged
Macro Gracilaria, Chaetomorpha, Red Kelp
6 Stage RO/DI TDS
Meter
250-Watt Halides
27 inches of water to top of sand bed
Shall I eat the clam?
<Would you like the cocktail sauce or do you
prefer drawn butter?>
MJ
<Just kidding ...though they did hunt
and gather Tridacna on one season of "Survivor" Mich>
Acro Crab? Reef Safe? Yep! 2/22/07
HI crew!!,
<Hi
there! Mich here.>
Good evening, last week I introduced this
Acropora into my system and found this little guy as a
hitchhiker. As far as I have read, asked around and researched, it
is an Acro crab and would be safe to leave it there, but wanted to
double check with the experts here in WWM.
<It is an Acro crab
and is safe to leave. Enjoy your lucky addition!>
Thanks in
advance.
<You're welcome! -Mich> |
Re: Acro Crab? Reef Safe? Yep! 2/22/07
Thanks for the
fast response Mich, so he stays where he is.
Cheers!
<Welcome! Keep him there! Regards, -Mich>
Alfonso Garza |  
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Acropora Aggression – 11/02/06
Hi WW Crew,
<<Hello Bonnie>>
I have a 29 G reef tank that is a
year and a half old. I have a loving pulsing Xenia, green frogspawn,
and a maxima clam that is growing in leaps and bounds. It has about a
1/2 inch of new shell growth.
<<Neat!>>
About 4 weeks ago I
added a small anchor head coral and a small Acropora. The Xenia,
frogspawn and the new anchor head coral are all somewhat retracted, and,
obviously, not as happy. The clam is fine. Is the culprit, if any, the
Acropora?
<<Doubtful...as aggression/toxicity goes, the frogspawn
and anchor coral rate much more highly>>
I tried researching about
Acropora aggression, etc. but could not find anything.
<<Acropora
species are “generally” on the losing end when it comes to coral
aggression in the mixed-reef home aquarium...although A. Millepora will
often prove to be quite “nasty”. I would look more towards water
quality/flow issues as well as “placement”...if the frogspawn and anchor
coral are doing battle, everything in the tank will suffer eventually>>
Also, I have something purple that is growing & spreading on one of the
rocks. It is about 2" x 1". It is fairly thick and soft, and I'm
thinking it's some king of sponge.
<<Possible>>
What do you
think it is?
<<Impossible to say, but may well be an encrusting
sponge...do try a keyword search of our site, the net in general re
marine sponges and see what you can find>>
Sorry I do not have a
picture for you. Thank you for any comments.
Bonnie
<<Regards,
EricR>> Butterfly Chomping On Corals 8/21/06
Bob,
<Scott F. with you today.>
Quick question for you - I have
a Chaetodon xanthurus in a 110 gallon with about 20 large SPS staghorn
colonies. He picks on them quite a few times per day - I imagine eating
a coral polyp with every nibble. This causes several of the corals to
withdraw their polyps (at least during the day when I can watch).
<I
can imagine the picking he/she is doing when you aren't watching! LOL.>
Will SPS still grow under this condition - i.e. inability to extend
their polyps? Will the butterfly eat the entire coral down to the
skeleton typically?
Best, Kris
BerlinMethod.com
<Well,
Chris, in the closed system with its finite coral population and limited
space, it's going to be a serious issue. Sure, the corals can continue
to grow if some of them can extend their polyps, but it is not very
likely. The constant picking will also cause some other possible
problems for the corals, such as disease, and in the event of dead
sections on the coral, nuisance algae growing over these sections.
Typically, the Butterflies will pick at the coral itself, and maybe pull
off some surrounding tissue in the process. Disease and/or secondary
predators can complete the job started by the Butterfly. In the end,
it's probably better to pull out the corals or the fish if you intend
for them to thrive indefinitely. Best of luck! Regards, Scott F.>
Give Those Acros Some Breathing Room! (Coral Placement)
2/2/06
Hi!
<Hiya! Scott F. at the keyboard tonight!>
I
just had a quick question regarding SPS coral placement. How far should
most Acropora be placed from
each other? I do prune them and make
sure they do not touch each other. Is a distance of 3-4 inches enough?
Thank you so much!
Sheen
<Well, Sheen- everyone has an opinion
on this one, but I would allow almost 6" plus between specimens. I've
done it closer, and trust me- given time and the proper conditions,
they'll still eventually grow into each other! Try at least 6", be
patient, and you'll be rewarded with larger, healthier, and more
colorful corals...Assuming, of course, that you can provide for their
other environmental needs! Best of luck to you! Regards, Scott F.>
Monti cap being eaten by perc 12/16/05
Hello, <Hello Dan>
I purchased a frag of a red Montipora Cap about a month ago. It has
been doing great and has doubled in size. The last few days, the rim has
been all messed up looking, like it fell and crushed a little bit. Then
the other day I saw my percula swim up and latch on with his mouth. He
wriggled around a bit and then swam back into his sebae anemone about 4
inches away. Upon further examination, I found bite mark in the shape of
the Perc's mouth taken right out of the rim. I thought these guys were
supposed to be reef safe.... Is the clown going to stop or should I move
the coral? <I'd watch it for a while, if the clown still nips, then move
the coral. Unusual behavior for the clown to say the least.>
Also, I have asked this question a couple times now and haven't
really got the answer I was looking for. Is it better for my coral to
have light from a 265 watt power compact light fixture from CoralLife
with 2 day and 2 actinic, or 440 watts of VHO from a icecap 660 ballast
with 2 day and 2 actinic. I was thinking obviously the 440 watts, but I
have gotten mixed answers every time I ask someone. So if possible, just
tell me which one my coral will like more. <My choice would be the
Icecap system. James (Salty Dog)>
Thanks for any help you can give
me <You're welcome> Acropora compatibility 7/24/05
Hello again.
<Hello ol' buddy ol' pal - Ali here>
I have yet
another question for you guys. The tank is still not set up yet, but I'm
a little confuse about something. Sometimes I would read about not
mixing hard corals with soft. Sometimes I would read that it is okay. I
plan to keep some hard corals such as a hammer coral and an Acropora. I
was just wondering if mushrooms would okay to add into the mix. My first
interest in corals were yuma Ricordea and Acroporids, and if the cannot
coexist, then I have a little dilemma.
<Yes they can. 'Yuma'
Ricordea generally are very slow at naturally reproducing in captive
environments without forced incisions. Therefore, you don't have to
worry about them spreading all over the place and 'stinging' your
Acroporids. However, remember that generally across and yuma require
somewhat different environments. If you do decide to keep them together,
place the Ricordea in lower light, lower-flow areas. Also, many of the
more exotic colored yuma that come in are already sick and/or dying.
Search around for healthy pre-established specimens if possible. By
pre-established, I mean look for fellow reefers who've kept the coral
healthy, plump and happy for several months/years and try to strike up a
deal with them.>
Well, thanks for all the help so far and don't
worry, for I will continue to ask lots and lots of questions. : )
<You got it bud, feel free to keep the questions coming - Ali>
Montipora Compatibility
Hi,
I've had a 50 gal w/75 lbs. LR
going for about six months. Corals are two mushrooms, two polyps,
pumping xenia, and a devil's hand and a toadstool mushroom leather.
Everything seems perfect, water parameters are great. Lots of water
movement, great skimmer, etc.
Question is, are Montipora digitata
compatible with what I've got now?
Thanks for your advice.
>>>Greetings Brian,
I think you should be just fine. Keep in mind
though that as things grow, you may run into some chemical warfare
issues. You may have to watch that leather, but in the near future, I
don't see any issues.
Jim<<< Acropora crab
I purchased a table Acropora about 2 months ago. Last week my UV
sterilizer
broke and it feel victim to a bacterial infection. My
question is about a
small crab that was living in it. Will it die
living in a dead coral. I
have a healthy 1 year old Cats Paw. Should
I try to remove the coral crab
and place it in with the Cats Paw.
>>
I wouldn't... if the crab thinks it can/should move to the
(Pocilloporid) Cat's Paw Coral, it will of its own accord... The
Acroporid may well still be alive... Bob Fenner Acropora and
crabs
Hello,
Are the small crabs found in Acropora harmful to
the coral?
>>
Not generally... all else being equal they're of no
consequence.
Bob Fenner Montipora digitata 3/3/03
Dear Bob and crew,
Guess what!, I've finally found the Anthias that
would stay alive in my system!
<wow, that's...er, great. Hmmm... if
ten die for every one that survives import, and five died before you ...
er, never mind. Glad to hear that there's a spark of life in the Onion
field>
I picked up a 2 inch fathead Anthias and its striving well in
my
tank, eating heartily and swimming around the tank in open view
most of the time.
<indeed an excellent species and gorgeous.>
I'd
like to add an argi angel to my tank but would be afraid that it may
pester the Anthias even though it seems to be able to hold its hold in
my tank chasing off the royal Gramma and the 2 inch Kole tang....any
comments...the argi is not necessary....it was just an after thought to
help with some micro algae.
<no dwarf angel can eat anywhere near the
algae as your wonderful Kole tang, and the C. argi is one of the
riskiest coral nibblers among the dwarf angels. I'd pass>
On to my
real question. I picked up an okay looking brown Montipora digitata
specimen which has about 5 sticks going across from left to right. It
had a little bit of receding to it when I first got it and I was hoping
it would come to a stop. I placed it really high up in my tank, approx 1
inch away from the surface of the water where it could get max lighting.
However, it is
directly placed next to an individual disc mushroom
that is of a pretty good size....I know there is chemical warfare going
on here
<not a matter of could... it is severe. Corallimorphs are top
ten on any list for potency. They don't have to touch... even 6" away is
not enough by some measures (6-10" is standard distance for most corals
in place to allow for growth and minimize even shed compounds)>
but
could that be the primary reason this coral has continue to recede.....
<almost certainly... Montipora is one of the weakest corals and the
'shroom is one of the worst. Other reasons here too perhaps>
little
by little from the base upwards, it has started to bleach. Surprisingly,
its the sticks that are farthest from the mushroom that are
receding.....2 of them.....the rest of the three sticks on the left hand
side are doing quite well....polyping
out all the time and even
starting to grow pinkish purple tips. Should I break off those two
sticks on the right hand side to avoid contaminating the left 3 sticks
or should I move this specimen of Montipora? or both?
<indeed... both
please>
Any advise would be appreciated!
<the best advise I can
give you is not mix unnatural groups of coral... especially in a smaller
tank. Pick one group (shrooms, SPS, or LPS, etc) and stick with it>
To refresh your memory, this is a 40 gallon tank, 16in deep...0 nitrite,
0 ammonia, 0-10 nitrate, Tank is actually rather poorly lit due to only
4 watts per gallon of power compacts 50/50 bulbs which is why I placed
the Monti so high up.
<understood and agreed>
Is it from
insufficient lighting?
<yes>
Should I just stay away from SPS
altogether due to the
lighting issue?
<certainly... this is even
modest light for hardy Montipora>
I just thought I should try it out
because I have researched
and the digitata seems to be the hardiest
of the SPS and I actually don't mind it being brown in color.
<agreed>
I fell in love with the SPS after a recent Christmas trip to
Thailand and snorkeling in the Similan Islands....have you
ever been?
<nope... but Bob likely has>
Its magnificent! Hope to hear from you
soon. Sincerely, jimmy
<kindly, Anthony>
Mini Garden Reef
Hello,
<cheers>
I bought a Purple
Acropora w/ Green Polyps for my 7 gallon minibow. Do you
think
the CSL SmartLite-Retrofit 32 watt
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code
=PA&Product_Code=CSL-SLRF32&Category_Code=CSLr) will provide it with
enough
light?
<seems possible>
If it happens to not do
well, will there be adverse consequences in my tank?
<hard to
say... but likely not short of an infectious disease that blossoms
from necrotic tissue. Instability is inherent with a tank this
small>
I house some zoos, xenia, clam, candy cane coral, small
tulip anemone, goby,
etc.
<yikes! The hodge-podge mix of
unnatural tank mates in such a small aquarium seems like a bad idea
to me in the long term. I cannot imagine the water changes and
fragging that will be necessary to pull this off successfully in the
long term. Do try to be more specific with stock by group/family>
Thank you very much, Anthony Here is a picture of it:
<best
regards, Anthony> |
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