SPS Vs LPS Coral comparison

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 Hi Friends!


Today I am going over how we categorize coral in the hobby. The three main groups we use are:

1. SPS (Small polyp stony coral)

2. LPS (Large polyp stony coral) 

3. Softy

 

I will go over each of these categories in their own posts for more specific care and details. Things change often in the hobby and one of the more typical changes is how a coral is named and classified. These are not hard rules. Instead it is a tool to assist people in the hobby.

SPS coral are what a lot of people imagine when they think about a coral reef. It is typically seen as a "reef builder" and it makes up a lot of the structure on the reef. The small polyps sit over a calcium carbonate skeleton. As the polyps stretch and expand towards the light they secrete the materials to grow their skeleton and tissue. Here are two examples close up. Below is a green Acro with small polyps. Above is a red Monti.

 

Typically the calcium carbonate skeleton grows first, followed closely by the tissue growth. If we have a higher than average alkalinity in the tank, often times you will see rapid SPS growth. One thing to keep an eye out for is "white tips". This is when an SPS coral grows its skeleton faster than it can grow tissue. If this happens algae has a higher chance of taking over the un-claimed spot. 


Here is a list of some common SPS coral in the hobby:

1. Montipora

2. Acropora

3. Pocillopora

4. Stylophora

5. Porites

6. Seriatopora (also known as a "Birds Nest")


 

LPS is the largest group in the hobby because they tend to be easier to care for than SPS.

The example above, an easter egg chalice, is why this can be confusing. At first glance this looks like an SPS. It has small polyps on top of the hard skeleton. But when the coral becomes active at night the yellow polyps will release extremely long and thin tentacles.

This is a more straight forward example of an LPS. It has soft and large polyps over its hard skeleton that you will only see when it closes.

A list of LPS Coral:

1. Acan

2. Chalice

3. Hammer

4. Frogspawn

5. Duncan

6. Blastomussa


As always, if you have any questions or comments let me know :)

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