Mixing leathers & sps?

mattsilvester · 11/06/2007, 05:55 AM

Hi folks,

Inspite of my 10yrs in the hobby, I have very little experience with corals in general (other than a few leathers, 'shrooms, and polyps), hence prehaps someone could tell me what is the deal with mixing sps corals with coft corals?

I am a little weary of the idea due to a recent experience. Unknowingly, I put a small acropora about a foot downstream of a small leather finger coral. The other sps in the tank were doing fine, but this particular one wasted away wuite quickly until someone said that the leather was responsible - so I moved the leather, and the acropora started to recover........

Was that an isolated incident or is it generally a bad idea to try and mix sps and leathers etc.?

Thanks,

Matt

katpurdy · 11/06/2007, 06:06 AM

the shedding the leathers do is toxic, especially to the sps...it suffocates them. The devils hand(finger leather) is the worst i believe.

zotzer · 11/06/2007, 06:30 AM

I'd love to add a nice yellow leather to my tank, but even the LFS I would buy it from says it can be a dangerous proposition. So for now, I just admire them in other people's tanks.

Tracy

Frick-n-Frags · 11/06/2007, 10:28 AM

maybe..........

I would have bought in further if you had another identical acro frag elsewhere that didn't suffer. Or once that one is doing better, put it back where it seemed to get roached by the leather and see if it starts again. especially a foot away, and the fact it is a small leather.

There are too many successful heavily mixed tanks out there to run with this unquestioned.

nmywrx · 11/06/2007, 07:49 PM

I am not currently mixing sps and softies, but I have read that most people will keep them separated in the tank and use activated carbon. The carbon will help eliminate the toxins that the softies give off. I have softies and lps and I haven't experiences and problems.

ddresch · 11/06/2007, 08:21 PM

I am mixing leathers and sps, mostly montipora. I attribute my success to using activated carbon, and making sure no sps too close, especially downstream, to a leather that might shed.

Crazy4salth2o · 11/06/2007, 08:41 PM

I limit the mixing. I have a single LARGE leather in the tank that I will fragment soon. But I have had no issues. High flow tends to mitigate negative effects.

Malenurse · 11/06/2007, 09:15 PM

I've learned from reading and experience that sinularia leathers should not be mixed with ANY LPS or SPS.
Chris

mattsilvester · 11/07/2007, 07:21 AM

I dunno - you see I have half a dozen nice sps (acro & monti) at the moment, that I really like. But I have also seen a softy tank that I really like. So I need to decide if I am going to hold course, stick with sps, or try and mix them, or steer clear of sps (trade back) and go totally softy........

Cheers,

Matt

Malenurse · 11/09/2007, 07:37 PM

The only solution is to start another reef!

Misled · 11/09/2007, 08:06 PM

That makes me think my tank must be strange. I have sps,lps and leathers in my tank, and quite a few of each. I do have quite a large skimmer and there's only one fish. I don't feed the tank much. The fish feeds off the reef, (lantern Basslet). I also have quite a bit of flow in the top of the tank but less in the bottom where the leathers are.

11/06/2007, 05:55 AM	#1
mattsilvester Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: Bangkok, Thailand Posts: 3,375	Mixing leathers & sps? Hi folks, Inspite of my 10yrs in the hobby, I have very little experience with corals in general (other than a few leathers, 'shrooms, and polyps), hence prehaps someone could tell me what is the deal with mixing sps corals with coft corals? I am a little weary of the idea due to a recent experience. Unknowingly, I put a small acropora about a foot downstream of a small leather finger coral. The other sps in the tank were doing fine, but this particular one wasted away wuite quickly until someone said that the leather was responsible - so I moved the leather, and the acropora started to recover........ Was that an isolated incident or is it generally a bad idea to try and mix sps and leathers etc.? Thanks, Matt __________________ Regards, Matt "Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men." "Nemo mortalium omnibus horis sapit" - no man is at all times wise. "To a hammer, everything is a nail!" Current Tank Info: RSM 130

11/06/2007, 06:06 AM	#2
katpurdy Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Halifax,Nova Scotia Posts: 492	the shedding the leathers do is toxic, especially to the sps...it suffocates them. The devils hand(finger leather) is the worst i believe. __________________ 55G tall mixed reef 30G sump,2x250W10K SPS+ 2 VHO super actinic,CsS220, 130FOWLR 60Gsump. 20g long with 10g sump mixed reef Current Tank Info: 55g tall sps dominant, 30g sump css220, 2x 250W xm10k MH plus 2x 96W VHO actinic 130g FOWLR, 60g sump

11/06/2007, 10:28 AM	#4
Frick-n-Frags Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: north central OH Posts: 10,740	maybe.......... I would have bought in further if you had another identical acro frag elsewhere that didn't suffer. Or once that one is doing better, put it back where it seemed to get roached by the leather and see if it starts again. especially a foot away, and the fact it is a small leather. There are too many successful heavily mixed tanks out there to run with this unquestioned. __________________ Only Dead fish swim with the current. Current Tank Info: 2 50 gal tanks, sump, still BB

11/06/2007, 07:49 PM	#5
nmywrx Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Hermitage, PA Posts: 109	I am not currently mixing sps and softies, but I have read that most people will keep them separated in the tank and use activated carbon. The carbon will help eliminate the toxins that the softies give off. I have softies and lps and I haven't experiences and problems. __________________ When you take free advice you usually get what you pay for. Current Tank Info: AP24

11/06/2007, 09:15 PM	#8
Malenurse Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Scottsdale, AZ Posts: 446	I've learned from reading and experience that sinularia leathers should not be mixed with ANY LPS or SPS. Chris __________________ Chris Current Tank Info: 5 gallon Fluval Spec zoanthid tank, 65 gallon African Cichlid tank, 29 gallon planted tank

11/06/2007, 06:30 AM	#3
zotzer Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 346	I'd love to add a nice yellow leather to my tank, but even the LFS I would buy it from says it can be a dangerous proposition. So for now, I just admire them in other people's tanks. Tracy

11/06/2007, 08:21 PM	#6
ddresch Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Cortland, IL Posts: 70	I am mixing leathers and sps, mostly montipora. I attribute my success to using activated carbon, and making sure no sps too close, especially downstream, to a leather that might shed.

11/06/2007, 08:41 PM	#7
Crazy4salth2o Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: North Carolina Posts: 120	I limit the mixing. I have a single LARGE leather in the tank that I will fragment soon. But I have had no issues. High flow tends to mitigate negative effects.

11/07/2007, 07:21 AM	#9
mattsilvester Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: Bangkok, Thailand Posts: 3,375	I dunno - you see I have half a dozen nice sps (acro & monti) at the moment, that I really like. But I have also seen a softy tank that I really like. So I need to decide if I am going to hold course, stick with sps, or try and mix them, or steer clear of sps (trade back) and go totally softy........ Cheers, Matt __________________ Regards, Matt "Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men." "Nemo mortalium omnibus horis sapit" - no man is at all times wise. "To a hammer, everything is a nail!" Current Tank Info: RSM 130

11/09/2007, 07:37 PM	#10
Malenurse Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Scottsdale, AZ Posts: 446	The only solution is to start another reef! __________________ Chris Current Tank Info: 5 gallon Fluval Spec zoanthid tank, 65 gallon African Cichlid tank, 29 gallon planted tank

11/09/2007, 08:06 PM	#11
Misled RC Mod Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Pittsburgh, Pa Posts: 11,440 Blog Entries: 11	That makes me think my tank must be strange. I have sps,lps and leathers in my tank, and quite a few of each. I do have quite a large skimmer and there's only one fish. I don't feed the tank much. The fish feeds off the reef, (lantern Basslet). I also have quite a bit of flow in the top of the tank but less in the bottom where the leathers are. __________________ Jesse I'm not saying I'm Batman. I'm just saying nobody has ever seen me and Batman in a room together.