Hard ones versus Softies

[the claw]

Here's the scoop. I currently have some softies in my tank that I am slowly converting over to SPS and LPS. I know the risks, and know the work arounds with carbon , water changes, etc. What I was hoping for was any observations or knowledge of these specific corals.
Sinularia (Beautiful specimen, but sure I'll have to move
Actinodiscus (or striped mushroom)
Ricordia florida
Red Sea Xenia
Protopalythoa (button polyps) by the zillions
Parazoanthus (Yellow Polyps)
Zooanthids
and
Pachyclavularia violacea or green star polyps
This got started from another thread that wasn't really on the same topic, so I thought I would start a new one. I have all of these in my 150, and know that I will have to remove some of them. ANY SUGGESTIONS???????????

 

[aileena]

good thread I'd like to know more about this as well...

 

[dburr]

Star polyps stung one of my SPS. It's growing out of control and it's on a BIG rock.
Mushrooms are known to sting and kill SPS.
Yellow polyops are also growing but I haven't let them touch anything. I just wish I never had them. I put in a couple peppermints the other day, we'll see what happens.
I have zoos with a hydnophora, seems to be ok.

 

[bdhough]

Hmmm. 3 Months of Xenia in my tank with sps and i haven't noticed anyone stressed. I think SOFT corals are culprits with chem warfare. Polyps and shrooms are considered invertabrets and will sting other corals. Then again i've seen certain giant leathers in tanks with sps.

 

[spsfreak100]

Sinularia chemicals will only stunt the growth of Acroporia and Porites. The chemical given off by the Sinularia will stop the calcification process for those corals. I would recommend getting the Sinularia out of the tank if you wish to keep those corals.
I would also lean to getting rid of the Actinodiscus. These mushrooms can easily take over a small area in a short amount of time and have the ability to dettach from the rockwork, float around the tank, and land right in the middle of your prized A. efflourescens. Side to side, mushrooms will almost always win.
From my experience, Ricordea mushrooms are not as bad. They're usually slow growers and don't tend to colonize an area very quickly.
Xenia should be fine as long as it's kept away from any small polpyed scleractinians.
I agree with what Kipass stated in his post.
Graham

 

[the claw]

Well, the big move has begun. My prized Sinularia, which is huge and beautiful is now in my 55. My luck it will die now. I moved a bunch of live rock around and tried to change my 55 to accomodate some of the new specimens. That in itself will probably cause a mini cycle. Can you see the pessimistic attitude yet. I waged war on the actinodiscus which were green striped and also gorgeous. They were so into the live rock, there was no saving them after cutting. The all developed from one shroom in 6 months. THere were about twenty of them. This will attest to how fast they can reproduce. The button polyps were put in the back of my tank, (live rock down center) just to add life to the back of the tank. They were also little cuttings, and they are out of control. I managed to get some of them before I got some of the mucous in a cut and got all fuzzy feeling. Decided to believe the books about the neurotoxin that they have. (A little sarcasm there, I know they are toxic, I'm just stupid). I transplanted one xenia to my other tank. I bought a three polyp colony as a frag one month ago, and they have since spread, and multiplied to five colonies, almost six. I question my wisdom about adding them, but they add lots of action to the tank, and they are in a spoit where I can't have SPS. Hopefully they don't all of a sudden melt like Kip said. I am thinking about leaving the GSP. It was also a frag that is doing awesome. I salvaged about 5 polyps from a desenigrating colony. I would like some more input on this if anyone has more experience about them emmitting toxins.

 

[sammystingray]

From all my research...I believe that "toxic" softies defense is NOT to send out toxins into the water column, but instead to keep the concentration high and right around the coral....this defense, and note it is a defense, not an offense, is to keep other corals from overgrowing them. The water movement needed for SPS corals helps removes the concentration of softies toxins by diluting it by spreading it around, but filters should be used to catch the toxins...this you already know. Seems to me.....just about everything in this freakin' hobby has toxins, stinger cells, or sweepers of some sort...anything that doesn't is dead meat, and will get overrun by anything that does. These toxins theorectically may have some effect on growth of SPS, so is it worth it?

 

[coralcollector]

Originally posted by sammystingray
These toxins theorectically may have some effect on growth of SPS, so is it worth it?
Yes!

 

[chinnyr]

I agree with the defense thing.I have 2 small sps on one side of my 60gal,and a Sinularia on the other.Before I moved,not knowing the chemical warfare going on,they were very close to each other.The Sinularia was always doing fine,and still is.But,now that the Sinularia is away from the sps they have noticeably showed a vast improvement.Just when I thought I had researched things before adding sps to my tank!

 

[the claw]

I knew what I was facing when I had the two together, but I just figured I could filter it out with carbon. Then I started buying frags. One rare one was a hundred bucks. I thought to myself. Is it really worth the risk. My Sinularia is a nice specimen, but I hope it will find a home in my other tank. My shrooms are a dime a dozen. I'm sure they will be as hard to erradicate as aiptasia.