Im new to sps, and have added a couple of different acropora and a birdsnest coral to my Solana34g.
Are there such thing as higher end or more rare types of acro? rareer colors? I dont know really what to look for when adding sps to my tank. I just purchased a neon yellow acropora that you can see in the pic below.
Thanks


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look for whatever you like. dont let the pricetag influence what is nice and what is not.

I agree, and don't let 'LE' and names tell you what is nice either. Pick things that look like they have potential and good form, rather than buying for color or because it has a cool name. Brown and drab corals often times are brightly colored corals that need some TLC. I experienced this firsthand with a $15 frag of brown palys (actually an amazing golden green color, when they colored up) and again with a $30 rock of zoas (over 20 heads around the size of a nickel each, turned bright metallic pink).

Certainly. People can gripe about LE this or Tyree that, at the end of the day they are some damn good looking coral. Personal favorites: Purple Monster, Oregon Tort, Hawkins Blue Echinata, Tri-color Valida, Caroliniana. Price of admission can be steep but if your husbandry is up to par you'll make it back and more by selling frags.

Definitely not saying that ORA, Tyree, or whatever aren't worth it, since I have a lot of ORA, Tyree, or considered "LE", but thats not what I base my decision on buying corals. Just trying to say, its easier to find a coral you like then finding the name rather than the other way around.

First off, nice tank!

I recently bought my 1st SPS as well. Ended up with a ORA Birdsnest because (from what I have read) corals become hardier as more generations are aquacultured from the mother colonies and ORA has been at the aquaculture game for quite a while. I paid a little extra to give me the best chance of success and the fact that I really liked the coral.

IMO Stever Tyree and Your Reef can go die. they're uselessly overpricing their items which can be found at other places for much cheaper prices. Heck, with a local DBTC program you could get it for free!
Case in point, whatever you think looks good in your tank, you should buy. Dont let the LE and Tyree names trick you.

PS dont let the chalice craze get you either!

i like the ones with flesh and polyps

Oh, I'm not saying to avoid the 'cultivars' such as what ORA and other fine companies are producing... just saying that you should keep an open mind and choose things that you like, rather than picking something just 'cause it's trendy or has a cool name (or both). That said, I've seen a number of very fine corals that are produced by these companies, as mentioned they have a good track record (or are better adapted to tank conditions) and are beautiful.

Yourreef is one of the best fish stores in California. Go to the store and you'll see some great prices.