Best Filler Corals?

[fecgoh]

Hi guys,

What are some of the good small coral choices to use as a filler between and below sps (acro) corals?

Frankie

[bubble_gum]

star polyps?

[Joe_P]

I would go for montis esp the plating kind as filler pieces...

Due to the lower lighting requirements, they should do fine under and between acro specimens..

Try to avoid the softies as companions ....

Unless your reef is powered by a excellent skimmer and you practice regular chemical filtration...

[Glare]

frags

[ervine]

I would go for montis esp the plating kind as filler pieces...

Due to the lower lighting requirements, they should do fine under and between acro specimens..

Try to avoid the softies as companions ....

Unless your reef is powered by a excellent skimmer and you practice regular chemical filtration...

Monti caps can do with low light?

Funny my tank is the opposite.. using SPS to fill in gaps at the top where it's a waste to put buttons, shrooms and other softies...

[Joe_P]

Monti caps can do with low light?

Funny my tank is the opposite.. using SPS to fill in gaps at the top where it's a waste to put buttons, shrooms and other softies...

Lower in lighting requirements with relation to some light demanding SPS...

eg.. you can keep montis under 150ws lightings and still retain rather good colouration .... compared with acros who would normally need much stronger lighting....

[Tanzy]

Coralline algae and encrusting montis are good for fillers. Avoid softies as they will grow very quickly in a high energy SPS tank.

[ervine]

Coralline algae and encrusting montis are good for fillers. Avoid softies as they will grow very quickly in a high energy SPS tank.

Hm... what about people who have mixed reefs? Or is it the softies generally occupy the lower half of the tank

[Tanzy]

Softies will become a real pain in the future when they start taking over the tank. GSP and shrooms are notorious for stinging SPS.

[Jackson6745]

Monti caps

[ervine]

Softies will become a real pain in the future when they start taking over the tank. GSP and shrooms are notorious for stinging SPS.

Shrooms can sting?? Never knew that!

[Terryz_]

Shrooms can sting?? Never knew that!

And they sting very bad... Saw somewhere once the shroom sting the monti cap till it bleaches... Think that shroom is hairy or yumas...Cannot remember liao...

[fecgoh]

I know this is a soft coral but can I use small zoanthids (sea mats)? I've seen lots of sps tank that have zoanthids use as a filler. Monti caps would require a big horizontal space. I have mushrooms but I place them at the bottom and on the edge of the tank.

[Terryz_]

They release toxic if i am not wrong... Too play safe den place them too near to the sps...

[Tanzy]

I have an acro frag with zoanthids growing around it. They are not stinging each other but the acro base is not expanding because there is no space to. Zoos can spread incredibly fast so becareful and are very difficult to totally eradicate.

[AlfaRomeo]

Digging up a rather old thread since i am facing the same situation now.. Once we are satisfied with the placement of the acros etc etc, issit safe to place Zoos as fillers inbetween the colonies?

Or would it be safe/better to let coralline be the filler and let the acros grow and thicken round the base further? Looks kinda bare tho.. it would be nicer to look at if the zoos occupy the spaces in between the colonies especially if the colors are contrasting to the acros..

Advice/Opinions/Experiences?

[LinkinPark]

I use green and/or brown monit digi to fill bigger gaps.

For smaller gap, I use monti cap or acro frag.

Softies might harm your precious precious

[scarab]

IMO, place staghorns to protrude above your colonies. Was taught to me by some experienced reefers.

This will break the monotony of the corymbose or rounded shape predominantly of the SPS colonies. Just frag it if it grows sideways so that it won't block the light to your colonies. Think it will give your reef a very natural shape.