Keeping leather corals with lps corals

[deep_coral]

Hey guys, I recently discovered the incompatibility between certain soft corals and LPS - it seems this isn't a widely discussed topic. I'm curious about your experiences with keeping leathers alongside LPS. In my tank, I have a small thick finger leather coral and a green polyp leather, accompanied by a torch and a chalice. The torch was visibly stressed being about 6 inches away from the thick finger, but it's recovering since I moved it. The chalice also seemed a bit off, although it was accidentally bleached by the lighting, making it difficult to determine if the issue was the leather or the intense light. I'd appreciate hearing about your experiences with these corals.

[pYthonic]

In my experience, using activated carbon can definitely help reduce the impact of allelopathy between soft corals and LPS. Keeping a safe distance between the two is also crucial - I've found that even 6 inches can be too close, like with my torch and thick finger leather.

[zenoxa]

I've had leathers and LPS corals cohabiting in my tank for years without major issues. Efficient skimming, ample flow, and regular water changes (15% every week) were my main strategies. No carbon, GFO, or refugium needed. Occasionally, I'd need to reposition or trim something, but overall, they seemed to get along just fine. It's really about trial and error, but do your research beforehand and visualize your layout before placing the corals. GL.

[deep_coral]

I appreciate the advice from both of you. I was curious if you've experienced any impact on growth rates - I've come across some information suggesting that LPS corals may grow more slowly, or even stop growing, when they're in close proximity to leathers or other soft corals that release chemicals into the water.

[bunnyFlux]

My toadstool leather and frogspawn euphyllia coexisted for over 12 years in my 30g tank. The leather grew significantly, from 2 inches to 8 inches, during this period. Meanwhile, the frogspawn grew rapidly, requiring regular trimming - I'd take about a third of it to the LFS to trade 2-3 times a year. However, I suspect the frogspawn contributed to the decline of my candy cane colony.

Throughout this time, I maintained a regular skimming schedule and alternated between using carbon and chemi-pure.

[fluxe]

I've had leathers and LPS corals together in my 28g for a while now, and I've had zero issues. No problems with growth or health, everything seems to be getting along just fine.

[ratchet]

I've also got leathers and LPS in a 28, albeit for a shorter period. I spaced them out pretty well, figured that'd minimize any potential issues. Don't run carbon, got some on hand but haven't seen the need so far. All corals seem to be thriving, so fingers crossed that continues.