Lps in nano

[Bamzam]

Are there any certain coral to avoid in a nano tank due to size? I have a 12 gallon cycling and I'm researching different corals now to start planning what I want to keep. Just wondering if some coral will grow too large for a 12 gallon tank.

[krusing93]

Just gotta keep an eye on your water parameters... with a smaller tank your calcium, mag, and dkh will drop faster if you have a large amount of LPS because they absorb all of these nutrients to grow... simple fix is dose your tank BUT ONLY if you test for those elements... I have a 5 gallon tank with a couple zoa colonies and two leather corals along with a hammer coral and everything is in great shape. I have not had to dose my tank because the nutrients are usually replaced with water changes but I have kalkwasser just incase. Water changes will be your best friend when housing LPS in a small tank...GOOD LUCK!

[reefernanoman]

Are there any certain coral to avoid in a nano tank due to size? I have a 12 gallon cycling and I'm researching different corals now to start planning what I want to keep. Just wondering if some coral will grow too large for a 12 gallon tank.

I have some LPS in my 10G like a hammer and frogspawn, but avoid very long sweeping tentacle corals like torch corals. I also have candy canes too. Get some candy canes to start, since they are easy to keep. Good luck.

[Bamzam]

Damn...I wanted to start with a torch coral and hope my clowns hosted in it lol

I plan to do 40-50% water changes weekly to replace nutrients. I really don't want to have to dose my tank if possible..

[ReefSafeSolutions]

I'm running a 16 gallon tank with lots of LPS. I don't dose per se...I just drop in those sea lab #28 cubes once a week. I never really test for trace elements...probably should, but I've gone over a year without testing and just using these cubes and my LPS are growing just fine. I'm not saying this is a good approach, but it has worked well for me. I also get my water from Scripps in La Jolla, which might make a difference..?

 

Regardless, don't hold back on the torch! I have two in my tank, and neither seems to be very potent. One of them stung some GSP, but they bounced back just fine. The other one's tentacles are all over some zoas and the zoas don't mind at all. If you do get a torch, just keep it in a spot where the flow will prevent the tentacles from stinging other corals if you're worried.

[ReefWeeds]

Damn...I wanted to start with a torch coral and hope my clowns hosted in it lol

I plan to do 40-50% water changes weekly to replace nutrients. I really don't want to have to dose my tank if possible..

 

Torch tentacles tend to be very delicate and clowns will make quick work of them if they decide to use the torch as a host.

[Sharbuckle]

Ive got 3 frogspawn, 3 hammers and a torch in my 29g. The torch is off on its own so it isnt a nuisance. I do 15% water changes weekly with no dosing and they are happy and growing steadily.

[BulkRate]

Be careful of stocking galaxura (incredibly sweeper-prone for such a small-polyped LPS coral) and possibly alveopora as they supposedly engage in chemical warfare readily in the presence of other corals. Never kept them in my 9 gallon, but just about every galaxura frag I've seen in stores/expos had at least a couple sweepers extending 1-3" out.

 

Although you could probably mitigate the alveopora concern by just changing out your carbon every 2-3 weeks.

[Cencalfishguy56]

I'm running a 16 gallon tank with lots of LPS. I don't dose per se...I just drop in those sea lab #28 cubes once a week. I never really test for trace elements...probably should, but I've gone over a year without testing and just using these cubes and my LPS are growing just fine. I'm not saying this is a good approach, but it has worked well for me. I also get my water from Scripps in La Jolla, which might make a difference..?

 

Regardless, don't hold back on the torch! I have two in my tank, and neither seems to be very potent. One of them stung some GSP, but they bounced back just fine. The other one's tentacles are all over some zoas and the zoas don't mind at all. If you do get a torch, just keep it in a spot where the flow will prevent the tentacles from stinging other corals if you're worried.

my LFS uses those cubes I thought they were pretty interesting

[Rural]

I have some LPS in my 10G like a hammer and frogspawn, but avoid very long sweeping tentacle corals like torch corals. I also have candy canes too. Get some candy canes to start, since they are easy to keep. Good luck.

+1 but frog spawn can sweep twice its size as well. avoid favias and chalices. acans/micromussa are ok.

 

Damn...I wanted to start with a torch coral and hope my clowns hosted in it lol

I plan to do 40-50% water changes weekly to replace nutrients. I really don't want to have to dose my tank if possible..

be careful about swinging params with large wc.

 

might is suggest candycanes and duncans, they both come with color variants.

[Bamzam]

Hmm good point. Will lower the percentage to 10-20%. Does the Duncan have a better chance of thriving than the torch if it ends up being host to a pair of clowns? Or is it one of those things where you never really know and some fish are more rough than others?

[rjl45]

Some fish are rougher than others. Some clowns will kill the torch by playing to hard in it. Keep in mind, torch is not a natural host for clownfish.

 

Regarding corals, you can keep anything if you manage your water quality and lighting. Don't want to spend a lot of time, stick to the easier, less demanding corals; zoas & leathers. Something more moderate and need to watch a little: euphillia, acan, chalices. Want a challenge and closely monitor your water; sps. All depends on how much time and effort you want to spend.

[Polarcollision]

Honestly, I wouldn't worry too much about most corals growing too big for your tank. Why? becuase you can just trim them back if they're getting too big or aggressive.

 

PS: go for the torch! They;re a gorgeous coral. When mine grew too large I sold it. My clowns never hosted the torch, but they did host the duncan until the palys grew to nem size.