How fast does Coral grow?

[TheNanoReefer]

sorry for such a dumb question, but i did do a search i promise.

 

Obvioulsly smaller frags and pieces are cheaper, but im kinda impatient (i know wrong hobby to be in huh)... so I would rather buy bigger, but then wont be able to get as much quick enough...

 

im curious how fast does it grow? if i bought some small frags, how long will it take to be a good size coral? i just dont want a naked tank. after seeing everyones pictures look so plush and beautiful, i dont wanna wait years... lol

[Schwazreef]

not just waiting...maintaining.

[mikedege]

sorry for such a dumb question, but i did do a search i promise.

 

Obvioulsly smaller frags and pieces are cheaper, but im kinda impatient (i know wrong hobby to be in huh)... so I would rather buy bigger, but then wont be able to get as much quick enough...

 

im curious how fast does it grow? if i bought some small frags, how long will it take to be a good size coral? i just dont want a naked tank. after seeing everyones pictures look so plush and beautiful, i dont wanna wait years... lol

 

 

They grow so fast, you should already be saving for a bigger tank!

 

 

No really, It depends on too many differnt thing to generalize. I have corals that I wish would stop growing, and I have corals that refuse to grow(much).

 

good luck, Mike

[Derby Reefer]

Depend on the coral. With zoos I get about 2-3 new poly a day, Xenia about a 1/2" a day and so forth. If you want a really fast growing coral, get a Monti.

 

 

Just Kidding, everytihng grows pretty slow (realitive to TV). If i were you instead of buying A large piece every so often buy A small frag very often. It is like legos. Plus I have heard that some coral grow faster with other corals present AKA competition. Just a thought.

[debbeach13]

What size tank are you trying to fill up?

It is very hard to say how fast any one coral will grow depends on that type of coral, lighting, water condition, any # of things affect coral growth.

Besides if your tank is new and you fill it up right away it will crash and every thing die!

[TheNanoReefer]

you can check my sig for my aquarium so far. But its an AP24 w/ 150w Sunpod

[travisurfer]

your tank is looking awesome. i would go with a lot of frags. you get the satisfaction of taking stress off of the reefs and being able to watch your corals grow.

[Izzue]

Depend on the coral. With zoos I get about 2-3 new poly a day, Xenia about a 1/2" a day and so forth. If you want a really fast growing coral, get a Monti.

Just Kidding, everytihng grows pretty slow (realitive to TV). If i were you instead of buying A large piece every so often buy A small frag very often. It is like legos. Plus I have heard that some coral grow faster with other corals present AKA competition. Just a thought.

 

Good thing I read the J/J part...or I was gonna Pm ya for whatever roids you are feeding them...lol

Izzue

[seabass]

TheNanoReefer, most people just starting would say that corals grow slow. However some grow fairly quickly; I refuse to put Star Polyps or Yellow Polyps on my rock for fear of them taking over. Many will say the same thing about Pulsing Xenia or even mushrooms.

 

Of course conditions matter a lot. Photosynthetic corals require proper light; however, for some corals, there is even such a thing as too much light. There are corals that will do better with more nutrients in the water, while others will require almost none. Most corals will get enough food from the water column (making placement and flow important), while a few will require target feeding. And almost all corals will benefit from the food that a mature tank produces.

 

Chemical warfare affects growth, so the type of corals that you have and how close they are to each other also matters. Running carbon in an HOB filter can help with the chemicals that corals are producing to deal with competition.

 

Good water chemistry is also important for growth. Be cautious when you read that a certain coral will benefit by dosing certain elements. In my opinion/experience, dosing can be a slippery slope. Adding an element usually affects one or more other elements (that you may or may not even be testing for). Water changes will increase deficient elements and reduce unwanted/excessive elements, nutrients, and toxins. I recommend no dosing at all (especially for beginners) for a healthy and balanced mixed reef.

 

So back to the question about how fast do corals grow and should you invest in frags. Here is an example of how much a Palythoa frag (that I added on June 8th) grew.

 

June 8th:

 

July 30th:

The $20 for that frag seems like a better deal now.

 

Frags are great to get variety in a nano-reef, but filling a tank full of frags can be more expensive that putting in a few larger corals. I like the look of frags that have grown onto the base structure (it looks more natural IMO).