SPS + sexy shrimp

[MDeth]

Now before anybody worries, it's probably going to be temporary (or dead anyway). My LFS has this monster of a gigas clam that expelled a little too much water and fell off the eggcrate onto some SPS frags.

^Hes busy so just handed me a bag and said take em otherwise they were getting scrapped
One I know for sure is a Monti Digitata (boring brown atm) although the polyps might green out at some point (with better lighting :/ )
The other I think is some sort of _____ i think acropora of sorts

Now what should I look for firstoff with a healthy SPS? The monti has full polyp extension on all the branches.
The 'acro' ...well, I don't know what to look for . Any tips other than as HIGH as can be?

BTW, my BC has 72W of PC in the hood now. Both SPS are in a modified soap/frag dish about 1" off the waters surface.

...edit....forgot why I posted !

2 of my sexy shrimp are hosting the new additions to the tank...will this cause trouble during the day if they still host the coral ?

[jtReef]

As far as the acropora just look for bleaching. That has always been my experience. As far as the sexy shrimp I am not sure how the SPS will handle them. I know when I had them as well as all my cleaner shrimp my softies never cared when they were walked all over and didn't close up at all. Now if the SPS act the same then you are cool because they will extend their polyp's to feed. If however they are not ok with the new activity on them and they stopy extending their polyp's then you will have an issue.
If you do not see polyp extension for a few days I would move the SPS to a new location and hope the Sexy shrimp don't follow.

[amcarrig]

SPS corals host commensal crabs all the time with no ill effects so unless the shrimp gets "picky", I don't forsee any problems. What were the shrimp hanging out in before?

Now, how about some pictures of those new additions?

[MDeth]

Thanks for helping The monti seems to be fine, but I havent seen extention on the acro/birdsnest yet. Is there an 'easy' way to identify the dif. between an acro and a birdsnest ?

The shrimp like to move every couple of days !
I have a group of 2 (sometimes 3) that were hosting my acans...then my rics....then my blasto...
My favorite is the one that hosts my Teardeop Maxima

BTW, has anybody seen a H Hippopus for sale recently?

[amcarrig]

Birdsnest corals are very "unique" looking so it's easy to distinguish it from other sps corals. Here's a pic of a full colony:

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...cfm?pCatId=418

[MDeth]

not a birdsnest :p

Either acro or mille

I'll try to get some pics tonite

[amcarrig]

A mille is an acro

Acroporas come in a ton of varieties with a million different common names so unless it's one of the more "common" types, you can't get a 100% positive id without first killing the coral then studying the corallites under a microscope.

[MDeth]

Hehe, another reason I've stayed away from SPS until now :p

You want em annik ? There small, but your tank would be a much better home


I hate supply and demand...got that EXACT coral (and # of polyps) from Vamp for $25....
http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden...0859&siteid=20

[amcarrig]

Thanks so much for the generous offer but I have absolutely no more room for sps corals. I'm sure that you could sell them to somebody local assuming your lfs doesn't want them back quickly enough?

[MDeth]

Good idea...I seriously didn't even think of that
(no joke)^

For now it'll be a test to see if 72W can keep an SPS 'alive' until it (hopefully) grows.

And I forgot my g/fs camera....