SPS Tanks w/ Leathers

[fishfanny79]

How many people keep leathers in with predominantly SPS tanks? I've heard so many bad things about keeping them together...I don't know if I should try it. Anyone have good luck with it? Bad? All stories welcome. Maybe I should get rid of the 3 leathers I have?

 

[05xrunner]

I have decent amount of SPS..but I only have one smaller toadstool at the bottom of my tank. its probably only 3" head on it and its far away from the SPS..

 

[fishfanny79]

And also let me ask this...if you DO keep them together, have you ever lost an SPS coral or colony? What do you do as far as placement and flow to 'make it possible'? I might not play around with it and get rid of the leathers...from what I've researched, you will NEVER find SPS anywhere near Leather corals in the wild. They just don't live in the same regions...which is why you shouldn't mix them in your tank. I guess the waxy sheen they shed will burn right through the SPS...??
Thanx

 

[maxalmon]

If you want to keep them together, keep them far apart and have the sps down current for the leather, you'll also have to use lots of carbon and water changes.
Experts, correct me if I'm wrong, but the leathers excrete a substance that inhibits the growth of sps and that is where the problem is.

 

[fishgeek01]

Experts, correct me if I'm wrong, but the leathers excrete a substance that inhibits the growth of sps and that is where the problem is.
As far as I know this is 100% true

 

[teen]

i have a pretty big colt coral in my 30 gallon which is 95% sps. im getting nice growth and i was thinking of getting rid of him to see if the sps would start growing more, but ive had the colt a long time and i just cant get rid if him.
there really is no upstream or down stream in my tank, just a bunch of random flow so i just run carbon.

 

[fishfanny79]

Are we talking like 24/7 carbon? And how much would you run in a 180?

 

[teen]

i leave the carbon in there almost always. i run a carbon floss though, so it looses its potency after a day (maybe a little more, maybe a little less). i try and change it every week though.

 

[zanoshanox]

i know that murph has a huge yellow figi leather in his 180 thats filled with SPS...
I've just got a couple leathers including fingers and toadstools in with my acros and montis in a pretty SPS dominated tank.

 

[fishfanny79]

Do you notice any stunted growth in the sps??

 

[volcom69]

You will be fine just run carbon in ur tank i have two leather corals in a sps dominant tank and there is no stunt growth, u will be fine.

 

[murph145]

as u can see i have one large finger leather on the lower right side....
i have not noted any slowing in growth or coral overall health due to having a large leather in my tank....
i do run carbon in my 180G tank i run 2 bags of chemi-pure carbon in the sump and i change them every 4 weeks
im not a big water change person either i do about 30gallons every 6+ weeks
so u can keep leathers in an sps tank....
the reason they dont exist together in the wild is geographical and sps like very clean water while softies prefer dirtier water.... this being said they can both live in the same tank but usually the softies do a lil poorper in an sps tank due to the very clean water and the high light and flow.... softies like softer light dirtier water and less flow ... my leather has shed and its never harmed a single sps coral in my tank....
IMO not keeping softies and sps together is an old myth that should be busted by myth busters lol

 

[viper_930]

I have a couple leathers with my SPS corals. At most the leathers will stunt the growth of SPS, but not kill them. The process is called allelopathy.