Tip of the Day – 5/9/2014

There is a certain art when it comes to the location in which corals are placed in a reef aquarium. Sure, as long as the basic needs of a coral are met, they can be put just about anywhere in the tank, an important aspect when space starts to become scarce as the tank matures. But the where a coral is located can have an extremely large impact on the overall appearance of a setup. As hobbyists, we all know how important a good live rock layout can be. It can make or break the look of an aquarium. And as corals grow, they can significantly influence that look. Staghorn Acros and plating Montis can all dominate the three dimensional space, and they do so in very different ways. Because of this, coral placemat is crucial, as is some sort of estimation on how they will grow. And as the corals grow, if they start to go in a direction that is visually unpleasant, you either have to constantly prune the coral growth or move the entire colony to a visually more suitable place. Of course, these points are all moot if your aquarium cannot provide the ideal environment for growth.