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Corals come in many different forms and shapes and have an equally vast array of weaponry for each other and predators. Sooner or later every reefer loses a prized coral to another coral's attacks. These guys are simply designed to be fight for space and some are simply better suited at this than others. As such, I thought it might be nice to compile a lil list of coral interactions that I've witnessed over the years. Having this information can help you plan out your tank better in terms of coral placement.
Acropora sp. vs Acropora millepora - The A. millepora species wins against most other acros. The millis don't even have to be touching as they can actually send out lil strings of mucous that will dissolve neighbors from up to an inch or so away. I've lost more than a few prized frags by underestimating this coral's reach and aggressiveness. It's also one of the most beautiful of the acros imo and is definitely the most commonly available species in the hobby.
Acropora sp. and A. millepora vs Pocilipora sp. - Pocilipora also called cauliflower coral will actually win the battle against most Acros but not against the A. millis. Like millis I've seen poccilipora stretch out and digest a neighbor SPS but without the extended range of a milli. As for millis, they will destroy poci neighbors that get too close. Also be aware that pocis have the tendency to practice polyp bailout which is where the polyps will actually become free floating and settle down and colonize another spot in your tank. This can be troublesome as new colonies can put up anywhere and start killing neighbors. Fortunately, they grow slow in comparison to other "pests" and are easy to kill.
Acropora sp. vs Montipora sp. - This is really easy... Acros will destroy montis when they come into contact with each other. I figured since this section is short I might speak a lil about Acro vs Acros. Unless the acro is of the same species or a very closely related species, when they come into contact... one of them will be destroyed. Typically the slimier an acro the better protected it is against assault and the more likely it will win a fight with another fellow acro. Also the longer and more plentiful the polyps, the more likely it will win against another acro. These are all generalizations of course... results will vary!
Acropora sp. and Montipora sp. vs Zoanthus - There are three different basic varieties of zoanthus that we collect, the regular zoanthids, palythoa, and protopalythoa. I'm not going to go into depth on their differences. The key here is that montis and acros both will dominate zoanthids and palys when they come into contact. I've seen both of them basically grow over the zoa and palys with little fanfare. Protopalythoa though are a completely different story. These guys will destroy any stony coral they come into contact with unlike their pansy cousins. Keep in mind that these guys are all toxic to some degree although Rit's foxface isn't faced by it. That thing has eaten more rare and expensive zoas than most people will every see in their lifetimes...
Acropora sp., Acropora millepora, and Montipora sp. vs Bubble tip anemones - The bubble tip anemone will eventually destroy the Acropora sp., Acropora millepora, and Montipora sp. However, the Acropora millepora and certain members of the Acro family can put up a decent resistence to a bubble tip anemone. I've surrounded my bubble tip with acros and millis that the anemone doesn't enjoy coming into contact with. This is simply from observation but I've seen my nem actually retract back when coming into contact with some of my millis and acros. Other acros and montis are just steamrolled without so much as a flinch... Montis in particular have no protection against a bubble tip although some of them can take quite a pounding and still be alright... other are very frail and die out after just a few touches from the nem.
Bubble tip anemone vs zoanthids, palythoa, and protopalythoa - First of all, the nature of an anemone is to sting whatever living thing it touches. Some animals have thick enough skin or mucous membranes to be resistant to those stings. Some nems of course have stronger stings than others but the BTA is widely considered to be one of the nems with weaker stings. So zoanthids, palythoa, and even protopalys can take stings from a nem and not be stung to death. However, the nem can be an irritant which will cause the Zoanthus to close which if repeated over a long period can lead to death. The exception in the family, is the mighty protopalythoa which is completely... and I mean completely unphased by the sting of a BTA. My RBTA can keep on dishing it out but the protopaly doesn't even flinch and stays open the entire time. I have quite a few of these around my nem and they flourish where other corals would have a hard time.
Zoanthus sp. vs. Seriatopora sp. - Seriatopora is commonly referred to as bird's nest and there are many different species in this genus. They are very fast growers and can be quite colorful and beautiful. Suprisingly they have no protection against Zoanthus, which do not seem to sting or mucous them to death but can physically block the light and flow to them. I once planted a birdsnest in a colony of zoanthids to give it a tree in a field of green look and was surprised to find the zoanthids killing off the base and climbing the birdsnest. Eventually, the entire center and bottom of the colony of birdsnest was dead...
Anyways, this is all for now. I'll complete this later when I have more time.
Thanks.
Acropora sp. vs Acropora millepora - The A. millepora species wins against most other acros. The millis don't even have to be touching as they can actually send out lil strings of mucous that will dissolve neighbors from up to an inch or so away. I've lost more than a few prized frags by underestimating this coral's reach and aggressiveness. It's also one of the most beautiful of the acros imo and is definitely the most commonly available species in the hobby.
Acropora sp. and A. millepora vs Pocilipora sp. - Pocilipora also called cauliflower coral will actually win the battle against most Acros but not against the A. millis. Like millis I've seen poccilipora stretch out and digest a neighbor SPS but without the extended range of a milli. As for millis, they will destroy poci neighbors that get too close. Also be aware that pocis have the tendency to practice polyp bailout which is where the polyps will actually become free floating and settle down and colonize another spot in your tank. This can be troublesome as new colonies can put up anywhere and start killing neighbors. Fortunately, they grow slow in comparison to other "pests" and are easy to kill.
Acropora sp. vs Montipora sp. - This is really easy... Acros will destroy montis when they come into contact with each other. I figured since this section is short I might speak a lil about Acro vs Acros. Unless the acro is of the same species or a very closely related species, when they come into contact... one of them will be destroyed. Typically the slimier an acro the better protected it is against assault and the more likely it will win a fight with another fellow acro. Also the longer and more plentiful the polyps, the more likely it will win against another acro. These are all generalizations of course... results will vary!
Acropora sp. and Montipora sp. vs Zoanthus - There are three different basic varieties of zoanthus that we collect, the regular zoanthids, palythoa, and protopalythoa. I'm not going to go into depth on their differences. The key here is that montis and acros both will dominate zoanthids and palys when they come into contact. I've seen both of them basically grow over the zoa and palys with little fanfare. Protopalythoa though are a completely different story. These guys will destroy any stony coral they come into contact with unlike their pansy cousins. Keep in mind that these guys are all toxic to some degree although Rit's foxface isn't faced by it. That thing has eaten more rare and expensive zoas than most people will every see in their lifetimes...
Acropora sp., Acropora millepora, and Montipora sp. vs Bubble tip anemones - The bubble tip anemone will eventually destroy the Acropora sp., Acropora millepora, and Montipora sp. However, the Acropora millepora and certain members of the Acro family can put up a decent resistence to a bubble tip anemone. I've surrounded my bubble tip with acros and millis that the anemone doesn't enjoy coming into contact with. This is simply from observation but I've seen my nem actually retract back when coming into contact with some of my millis and acros. Other acros and montis are just steamrolled without so much as a flinch... Montis in particular have no protection against a bubble tip although some of them can take quite a pounding and still be alright... other are very frail and die out after just a few touches from the nem.
Bubble tip anemone vs zoanthids, palythoa, and protopalythoa - First of all, the nature of an anemone is to sting whatever living thing it touches. Some animals have thick enough skin or mucous membranes to be resistant to those stings. Some nems of course have stronger stings than others but the BTA is widely considered to be one of the nems with weaker stings. So zoanthids, palythoa, and even protopalys can take stings from a nem and not be stung to death. However, the nem can be an irritant which will cause the Zoanthus to close which if repeated over a long period can lead to death. The exception in the family, is the mighty protopalythoa which is completely... and I mean completely unphased by the sting of a BTA. My RBTA can keep on dishing it out but the protopaly doesn't even flinch and stays open the entire time. I have quite a few of these around my nem and they flourish where other corals would have a hard time.
Zoanthus sp. vs. Seriatopora sp. - Seriatopora is commonly referred to as bird's nest and there are many different species in this genus. They are very fast growers and can be quite colorful and beautiful. Suprisingly they have no protection against Zoanthus, which do not seem to sting or mucous them to death but can physically block the light and flow to them. I once planted a birdsnest in a colony of zoanthids to give it a tree in a field of green look and was surprised to find the zoanthids killing off the base and climbing the birdsnest. Eventually, the entire center and bottom of the colony of birdsnest was dead...
Anyways, this is all for now. I'll complete this later when I have more time.
Thanks.
