warfare question

[cross]

i just got a purple monti digitatas and an orange monti frag. they are in my 10gl. nano, in this tank i have zoas, a yellow fiji leather and GSP. i have read that leather corals and GSP will kill SPS. how true is that and do i need to get the leather and GSP out of there? the first two pics are the new corals, last is where they are to the leather and GSP, thanks

 

[kevinpo]

Hello,
Both the Sarcophyton elegans and Pachyclavularia violacea can produce toxic chemicals to retard the growth and sometimes kill SPS corals. That being said, Montipora species are among the most hardy SPS corals and often do fine with soft corals. Water changes and running carbon will help mitigate any negative reaction. Polyp retraction, tissue recession, slow or no growth (when other parameters are in range), may be signs of chemical warfare. Both of the soft corals you have mentioned are fast growers especially the GSP. The larger they become the more capability they have to produce toxic compounds.

Regards,
Kevin

 

[cross]

Kevin, thank you. i'll have to keep an eye on the SPS. i just added them yesterday so the polyps have not opened yet, i'll have to weight untill the lights come on this morning to see if they open. thank you again.

 

[ajnweb]

Also, from experience, I would try and keep the GSP isolated on their it's own island rock. Otherwise, it will spread and eventually cover all of your live rock, and other corals. Also, if it is on its own rock, as it tries to spread across the sand you can just cut the purple rubbery mat with some scissors to frag it and keep it from taking over your tank!

 

[cross]

Also, from experience, I would try and keep the GSP isolated on their it's own island rock. Otherwise, it will spread and eventually cover all of your live rock, and other corals. Also, if it is on its own rock, as it tries to spread across the sand you can just cut the purple rubbery mat with some scissors to frag it and keep it from taking over your tank!

yah, i've heard that stuff will take over any rock i tuches. its on its own rock, so i will move it over by its self so i can control it. thanks

 

[FreakinReefin]

yah, i've heard that stuff will take over any rock i tuches. its on its own rock, so i will move it over by its self so i can control it. thanks

Personally I am a big fan of GSP since it is great for larger tanks to fill in some space and add great color. One of the things I noticed is that without relatively powerful, direct current the GSP doesn't grow as fast. I have three large colonies of GSPs in various locations to test this theory...at least that was the idea. Now I can't move the larger colonies since they have grown so fast due to the direct current. However the one colony that is in light current has barely grown at all. It doesn't look like you have a lot of current in the tank and especially since the GSP is opposite of the powerhead; so I think you will be okay leaving it there if you want it to cover some space. Just my humble observations and 2 cents.

Also there seems to be two or more varieties of GSPs. I have two smaller pieces that look very similar, but one is much more bunched together, but longer and seems to be more "wavy" in the current. This colony grows VERY fast while the other doesn't so much...not sure if these are the same and just grow differently.

 

[cross]

Personally I am a big fan of GSP since it is great for larger tanks to fill in some space and add great color. One of the things I noticed is that without relatively powerful, direct current the GSP doesn't grow as fast. I have three large colonies of GSPs in various locations to test this theory...at least that was the idea. Now I can't move the larger colonies since they have grown so fast due to the direct current. However the one colony that is in light current has barely grown at all. It doesn't look like you have a lot of current in the tank and especially since the GSP is opposite of the powerhead; so I think you will be okay leaving it there if you want it to cover some space. Just my humble observations and 2 cents.

Also there seems to be two or more varieties of GSPs. I have two smaller pieces that look very similar, but one is much more bunched together, but longer and seems to be more "wavy" in the current. This colony grows VERY fast while the other doesn't so much...not sure if these are the same and just grow differently.

in this tank i have a K2 "600 gph" and this is a 10gl. nano. i don't know if thats considerd alot or not. but like you say it is at the other end and not in direct flow, it also does not wave that much realy.

 

[FreakinReefin]

in this tank i have a K2 "600 gph" and this is a 10gl. nano. i don't know if thats considerd alot or not. but like you say it is at the other end and not in direct flow, it also does not wave that much realy.

I believe that should be good enough flow to prevent any cyanobacteria; however, if the GSP is not waving that much at all then it probably isn't going to grow as fast as it is rumored to. The growth of the polyps is stimulated by that current since the coral wants to grow towards where the nutrients are coming from...kinda like a tree growing toward the sun. I'm willing to bet that the GSP will be relatively dormant until there is more flow on it.

If you can see in the picture, the GSP that is up close on the left is in direct flow...this was taken 2 months ago or so. Now that GSP is nearly twice its size. Sorry for the bad picture...it was taken from my old 1st gen. iPhone.

 

[cross]

I believe that should be good enough flow to prevent any cyanobacteria; however, if the GSP is not waving that much at all then it probably isn't going to grow as fast as it is rumored to. The growth of the polyps is stimulated by that current since the coral wants to grow towards where the nutrients are coming from...kinda like a tree growing toward the sun. I'm willing to bet that the GSP will be relatively dormant until there is more flow on it.

If you can see in the picture, the GSP that is up close on the left is in direct flow...this was taken 2 months ago or so. Now that GSP is nearly twice its size. Sorry for the bad picture...it was taken from my old 1st gen. iPhone.

well i'll have to leave for awhile and see how it does. if it looks like it is going to be a problem then i'll have to move it. thanks for the help.