One key to keeping an eye catching SPS dominated reef is to plan ahead and think about what the reef might look like in a year or two when it matures. Do your homework and gather all the knowledge you can about the corals you are interested in adding. Every reef keeper starts with a blank canvas and has the opportunity to create their own masterpiece but certain best practices and tips on choosing and placing SPS can be followed to achieve success.

Have a Vision For the Future

Understanding and anticipating growth rates and patterns is critical and I can’t tell you how many times I failed to take these factors into consideration. For instance, I love the color and pattern of the Acropora Yongei (“Green Bali Slimer”) but it grows fast, really fast, and can quickly overtake a significant amount of real estate.

In my old 225 gallon tank I put a 3” mini colony of the Slimer in the bottom left hand corner of my tank and it grew right to the top of my 24” tall tank. In fact, the tips seemed to be extending outside the top of the tank!

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