LPS harder than SPS??

[haid]

Why is everyone always saying SPS are so hard to keep? I have an SPS tank and a LPS tank. By far the SPS are easier to take care of. High flow and light and they grow like crazy. They can take falls, don't get ripped. Anyway just my opion but LPS's are the toughest to keep(and continue to grow/frag). What are you opinions?

[milhouse74]

Toughest how, on the budget then SPS wins hands down.

[milhouse74]

Okay, some secondary thoughts:

I think a lot of the reason people say SPS is harder is because a lot of people put more on their SPS tanks then LPS folks. Ca reactors, multiple skimmers, MH lighting, and on and on.

Then suppliments, my LPS I only use B*Ionic. I know a lot of SPS people that use every magic potion or snake oil on the market.

Also with my LPS, I can tell something is off in the tank way before it crashes, because the corals have so much more life to them, and react to it so much more. With SPS I would never know unless I tested for it, or it was probably too late.

David

[haid]

I just meant in terms of getting growth and keeping the corals happy. I run my systems tied together through a basement sump. I actually have a leather only tank, SPS, LPS and seahoarse tank. I use a calcium reactor/big skimmer but that is about it. I control most everything through water changes. It just seems to me that LPS are a lot more nitch orientated, you have to have just the right flow and light for each species. Where as SPS just MASS flow and MASS light and the things are growing like crazy. I have obtained most of my SPS through Aquacultured frags though so maybe I only have species that are proven in aquaria. I have a much harder time keeping all the LPS happy and not stinging each other than I do in the SPS tank.(although it is not as full yet either). Just in my opinion I don't believe SPS to be any harder to keep then LPS. You make a good point about seeing the corals react to stress though.

[redFishblue]

I hear what you're saying. Once a tank is set up for sps, it's not as difficult keeping them alive as some people think.
But the difficulty in acros is getting really nice color out of them instead of brown sticks.

[davejnz]

Agreed,but SPS are more likely to SDR,RTN,bleaching,acclimation problems,temp swings,etc.. than LPS.I disagree that all SPS need is high-light,high flow environment to thrive..I have acro's that do best on the SB with mod/random current.Not all SPS are collected from the crest and upper slope.Your SPS growth is great but remember SPS generally grow a lot faster than LPS.I think that both types present a challenge in husbandry but my LPS tank is by far my simplest,easiest to maintain.

[Flanders]

They're both challenging in their own ways I think. With the advances reefkeeping has made I wouldn't consider it more difficult to keep sps than lps anymore.

[brahm]

lps are cake, 10 gallon tank, some pc's, a small powerhead.. and a little food.

[milhouse74]

Anything is cake with the right equiptment was the point. Hard part of SPS is the wallet it seems.

By the way I keep SPS with a 20 gallon, 2 powerheads, a heater, 250W HM HQI, and thats it. Growing nice too. Only difference is cost really.

[brahm]

my sps tank is a 29 gallon, before it was a 20. It's alot harder.. I mean 250w over a little tank with massive flow, my evapartion rate is huge.. I loose more acros then lps.. lps at least looks bad before it dies, acro you go to the bathroom come back and you have a white stick.

[s13silvia]

Originally posted by brahm
lps at least looks bad before it dies, acro you go to the bathroom come back and you have a white stick.

i couldn't agree more... with LPS, i can put them in the tank and now worry about them dying on me, but my SPS i have to watch out like a hawk over them. i recently lost 4 sps frags through a zeo mistake i made..in the same time my lps look great

[bluereefs]

Every year is imported about milions of LPS corals and probably 90 % of them die,SPS corals are imported in much much less numbers and loot of them survive,sps corals actually have much better survivale procent.
There is one thing what you can make with sps corals and what you cant do with the lps,if your sps corals get disease you can frag him and save it,that is almost imposiblle with the lps corals.
Majority of LPS are much more dificult to keep then sps.SPS corals in nature is more like weed,they grow and reproduce fast.
Is more dificult to create right enviroment(circulation particulary) for lps then for sps.

[wrasstaman]

Haid,
For me I asked myself, what is my oldest surviving coral? A poll would most likely give you an idication btw! My hammer coral and green star polyps are my first and they are both still alive! They have endured plenty, trust me! I have had to move the tank a few times, also have had a crash or two...but these 2 have taken all the abuse that the sps couldn't come close to tolerating. This may be in part because most LPS are found in more turbid parts of the reef.
Wrassta