Easy LPS corals

[Killerdrgn]

What are some easy LPS corals to have? Would prefer it if they weren't green as i have too many green things already. I already have a batch of SPS but I want to diversify and get some more LPS corals. Oh and i already have a candy cane coral that i think is splitting.
This would be going in a frag tank for the time being, with a 175w XM 10,000k bulb.
How hard are Acans to take care of?
Anyone have some nice LPS corals to sell and lives in Queens?

 

[NYreefNoob]

any lps under that lighting, zoa's acans. leathers ect, and if you can keep sps you can keep lps

 

[Killerdrgn]

Yeah but what are some easy ones to take care of? Any good suggestions? Is there a place to just buy a single head of Acan? I like to get things small and grow em out.

 

[marki24]

Post your WTB in the WTB thread. I would go with a torch, hammer or anything else in that category.

 

[ellebelle]

Honestly, I think pretty much all LPS are easy to keep with a few exceptions:

1) Gonioporas - tricky, low survival rate esp. with the "flowerpot" type. Encrusting ones seem to do better, but still have a low survivability compared with other corals
2) Alveoporas - related to gonioporas, though supposedly easier to keep. Also have a low survivability
3) Elegance corals - will eventually be doomed in our tanks
4) Sun corals - not actually difficult per se, but require each polyp to be individually fed several times per week. High maitenance coral.

Some of the open brains need a little TLC and target feeding as well, to keep them from wasting away and/or losing color.

Torches, frog spawns, blastos, acans, bubble corals, etc are all pretty easy to keep.

 

[Killerdrgn]

Thanks ellebelle! I think I may try for blastos and acans.
I'm kinda shying away from torches and hammers as they can extend pretty long and don't play so nice. The frag tank is only 29 gallons.
Also aren't frogspawns, hammers, and bubble corals mostly green?
How hard are plate corals to keep and do they play nice with others?

 

[BlueSi4]

I have frogspawn, hammer, plate coral, yellow polyps, zoas, and mushrooms as well as leathers.
The frogspawn is really nice and can grow to a really nice size, there are also a variety of colors besides green. You said you don't really want green, so the hammer would be out since most of them are green. As far as bubble corals go, i've seen white and green, the white bubble coral adds a nice touch and color.
As far as the plate coral goes, they are nice but just a bit too plain for me. They will grow pretty big and you have to keep them in the sand bed, but make sure that no sand sits on top of them otherwise it will irritate it.
But like someone mentioned, i think LPS are pretty easy corals to keep, don't require feeding and they add a nice touch to the aquarium!

 

[Killerdrgn]

What other colors does frogspawn come in? I usually see just green and brown/tan.
And from Live Aquaria bubble corals also have sweeper tenticles that will sting their neighbors.
Hmm looking at the site brain corals seem easy too, anyone have an opinion on those?

 

[ellebelle]

Bubble corals also come in pink.

Bubble corals and torch corals have a really nasty sting. Bubbles have short sweeper tentacles, but the torch tentacles can extend a long way. Frogspawns sting as well, but they aren't as nasty. Put it this way - there is about a three inch clearance in all directions (x, y, and z axis) around my torch, but there are things much closer to the frogspawn. Frogspawns are mostly green with pink tips, but there are other varieties. I don't think I've ever seen one without ANY green on it though. Be aware that acans also have tentacles that come out at night or when another coral falls into it. I lost three heads of candy canes when they fell off of the rock they were glued to and on top of a frag of acans. Plate corals also have sweeper tentacles, though those are also pretty short. However, again, if something falls into it you can probably kiss it goodbye. Unless it's another LPS - then it's WAR.

I had my pearl bubble coral in a 29g tank and it was fine. I had the torch as well, but I had to stick it all the way in the back of the tank where I couldn't see it to stop it from stinging too many things.

 

[Killerdrgn]

Hmmm thanks again ellebelle! yeah what i'm mostly looking for is to have short or no tenticles.
Oh this would be a good question are the stings instantaneous(spelling?) like if it fell past a tenticle on the way down does it sting bad or would the coral still do fine?
Might look into getting a bubble coral too then.

 

[ellebelle]

Depends on which coral is falling and which coral is stinging. In general, if the coral just fell past a stinging tentacle, it would probably be fine. Of course, I have a favid that put out extremely long, aggressive sweeper tentacles which have left little tiny white spots on a montipora cap - and those are from brief stings.

I have heard that if there is damage to torch corals particularly, and the singing tentacles get ripped off, they can kill SPS and other corals. I think this varies a lot though. I lost one head of my torch coral inexplicably. It melted away, the current carried it to my frogspawn where it nuked two heads of it. Sad. But then, just the other day, the torch tipped over on to my xmas tree rock covered in porities. The porities seem to have melted the tentacles and are just fine. So ... whose to say?

 

[Deanos]

Here's a few short "polyped" LPS:

• faviidae family
• fungiidae family
• mussidae family
• nemenzophyllia genus
• physogyra genus
• plerogyra genus
• trachyphylliidae family
• turbinaria genus
• chalices - too many families to list

Despite the "shortened" polyps, placement is still utterly important due to sweeper tentacles and mesenterial filaments which appear when an "enemy" is sensed nearby.

 

[ellebelle]

One of my favids has vicious, long sweeper tentacles.

 

[Killerdrgn]

ok Plates, Brains, Acans, Fox, Bubble, Cups, Chalices, and Blastos then. Yeah definitly not getting a torch then. maybe a frogspawn if i can get a small enough piece. Thanks for the info guys! Any other types of LPS that won't be a pain in the @$$?

 

[Deanos]

Any other types of LPS that won't be a pain in the @$$?

You didn't see any in my post?

 

[Killerdrgn]

sorry the others didn't have link so i gotta look em up myself. wrote it up before looking them up.

 

[DevIouS]

Reefing in general is not easy, so to say most LPS & Softies are easy to keep is pretty off.
Alot of things come into play in keeping any coral healthy & thriving (i.e. water quality & chemistry, lighting, flow, placement...etc.)
If that's the case, SPS is easy to keep too.
Sure they are more tolerant than SPS regarding water parameters & they can take a beating.....but how really good is the coloration, growth rate or extension?

To be blunt, I've seen tanks common LPS that look like ****. Easy pieces changed to a doo-doo color, receding / bleaching or the polyp extension looks like they're screaming for help....so it can't be that easy.
Even veterans have losses & a common zoo can melt away for no reason.
Look at the general discussion forums & you see your fair share of members with LPS / Softie problems.

My advice is to look around & see what pieces you like. Research the care / requirements & work it from there. They're all different.
What's easy for some may be difficult for others.

 

[ellebelle]

Phil, I agree with you to a certain extent. I have seen many photos of LPS dominated tanks that look terrible. Those people often seem to be new and inexperienced reef keepers. For a person who is experienced in keeping SPS, I don't think LPS poses any unique challenges per se. Certainly they have slightly different care requirements than SPS that should be researched, but the run of the mill LPS coral shouldn't pose any exceptional problems (excepting those that I mentioned in my first post that DO have extremely specific, unusual care requirments).

PS: I won't spend more than 10 dollars on zoanthids anymore since 60% of the ones I've bought melt away in my tank.

 

[DevIouS]

How do we know he's an expert?
:scratch:


Pics are proof

 

[e.muehlbauer]

I actually find LPS (with the exception of Lobophyllia) to be harder to keep than SPS.....and I only have PC lighting.