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can excess lps cause more problems than fish?


treesprite

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I am wondering if having an excess of LPS in such a small space would contribute more to water quality issues than a couple of small fish.

 

I went through a second round of giving away a bunch of it, and was thinking maybe after getting rid of this bunch it will be easier to control water parameters. I came home after the meeting up, and it is clear that I still have too much for this 50g tank. I had wanted to make an ascending spiral of the pg hammer in the 120g which is why I was sort of hording it for such a long time, and haven't gotten my brain to put itself in the 50g tank mode knowing the 120 is going to stay empty (the colony kept breaking because it was too big). The candy cane broke a bunch of times, and it just grows fast even when it doesn't look happy. The sandbed was perforated by the stems of LPS corals, and because I had nowhere else to put them (not to mention being covered by pieces of pavona because that stuff is so delicate it breaks at a glance).

 

I only have 2 little fish in the tank, a striped blenny and an orchid dottyback. They both eat pods, so I am feeding less than I would other types of fish, so I couldn't figure out why I was having nutrient type issues. I have wanted to get more fish (ones that will eat pods if I don't add food every day), but was afraid of making water quality more difficult to control. 

 

Now I am thinking all those large-polyp LPS probably were excreting more waste into the water than the fish. So, I am going to wait a while, probably get rid of a few more pieces of it, then re-evaluate the ability to maintain parameters with more fish added to the tank. I really don't want to give up any more of these corals, but I know I'm not setting up the bigger tank any time soon, so I need to stop hoarding. I have no space for SPS corals because of these LPS colonies taking up all the space.

 

Any comments and information will be appreciated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I have assumed that since  some corals consume actual pieces of food and also expel things, as well as any slime coming off on any kind of coral, would contain nutrients.

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Corals can and will produce waste (slime) as part of their life processes. I'm unaware of any technical data that answers your question, though, Forrest. Pound for pound, there's less living tissue in LPS (because of the high skeletal weight ratio) than in fish. This would work toward LPS generating less waste. But it's unclear if they're digestion is less efficient than fish. With fish, though, you're actively adding nutrients into the tank. With LPS you might do the same. But, if you're actively feeding the LPS, then I'd compare the mass of the feedings and use that to gauge waste.

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I don't know if this is helpful, but I have 25+ SPS and 25+ different zoanthids, 4 anemones, and all in a 22 gallon display, with maybe another 15 gallons in the sump. Only two clownfish, and they are all I feed. I don't do anything special, just water changes, skim, and dose 2 part. I only feed frozen (LRS) and after my tank hit some age, a lot of the nutrient/algae issues cleared up. 

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Thanks for the replies. 

 

I really wish I had the means to do reef tank chemistry experiments. Maybe one day when I hit the lottery I can buy all the super high tech stuff and answer my own questions with detailed scientific data. After all, having a reef tank (drilling glass, building stands, plumbing, etc) is not nearly nerdy enough. Ever since I got into reef tanking, I have really regretted having changed my college major from biochem to social work just because I didn't like taking higher math and non-organic chemistry.

 

 

 

 

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I had a 40g that was more coral than water (seriously). Yes, there was some coral warfare but nothing that some carbon couldn't handle.

To properly troubleshoot your scenario we need more data. I know you don't like chemistry and all, but that's kinda mandatory in this hobby... otherwise you'll continue to be frustrated. Knowledge is power. Test salinity, all, mag, ca, nitrate, and phosphate. Let us know.

I'd also run carbon and see what happens if you aren't willing to test. At a minimum post photos and describe exactly what is happening other than some things are dying while others grow.

Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

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