Lil help on beginner corals

[Gundad68]

I need some sugestions on some beginner corals.And a good place ta order from..I have done reasearch on them but thought I would ask.

[KidCNU]

i would suggest softies, zoas palys shrooms kenya tree. and to order id suggest pacific East aquaculture they have amazing frag packs and are super helpful not to mention a sponsor here.

[Gundad68]

i would suggest softies, zoas palys shrooms kenya tree. and to order id suggest pacific East aquaculture they have amazing frag packs and are super helpful not to mention a sponsor here.

Thanks kidcnu

[dormreefer]

Zoas/Palys are probably the best color and hardiness for your buck!

[MysticReef]

I agree with everyone else. Start off with zoas/palys, mushrooms and ricordea's, and leathers. Saltcritters.com has a great and cheap selection of those types of corals. They are also a sponser on here as well.

[BulkRate]

Zoas with the qualifier - "only buy healthy colonies/frags". They're nigh bulletproof provided you stick with that approach. I've had the best luck with small 5-9 polyp starter colonies that've had at least 2-3 weeks to heal... look for those with a mix of polyp sizes within the same morph, ideally with a couple of new buds that clearly developed post-fragging. Also, when they're that size it's much harder for undesirable hitchhikers to stow away that you won't be able to remove during your QT/dip period and much easier to spot things like pox, etc. Do yourself a favor...steer clear of the Limited Edition mania except for getting a good idea of coloration/care if buying online/without picture or if you genuinely like the look of the morph. You'll get similar enjoyment out of gazing on a healthy frag of neon green zoas in your tank as you will as the proud owner of a plug of Radioactive Green Dragon's Eyes, but you'll pay far less for the former. Ditto on palythoas.

 

Palythoas are also a good starter...very hardy but be picky and keep colonies small(ish) to avoid introducing pests. It pays to be picky with these (and zoas) because given even okay water conditions and lighting you'll end up with more of 'em. Lots more. So make sure the ones you stock look great to you!

 

Mushrooms/ricordeas (although maybe not yumas, initially) are good ones as well, they're inexpensive, vividly colored, and prolific. They're also easy to propagate within your own tank.

 

I've been keeping away from some of the larger-bodied soft corals... right now there's not much in my tank that actively pisses off anything else and I'm trying to keep my build low-stress. I've also had good initial experiences with frogspawn (branching) and acans if you're looking more towards LPS.

 

My one foray so far into SPS so far is a single montipora setosa frag that seems to go through alternating weekly cycles of bleaching/explosive growth. Maybe lighting, maybe something else or may be fine and this is just how it is. On the bright side, lots of local reefers and stores in ATL seem willing to part with inexpensive/freebie frags of many of the more common stony corals so its likely that something will work out.

[PwnMe]

I can't recommend a place to buy, I get mine all local.

However my 8 gallon is almost a year old and I have yet to lose a coral.

Xenia, GSP, Rics, Mushrooms, Zoas, Leathers, Duncans are nice too.

[fretfreak13]

Aquascapers has a fantastic selection of zoas that I've never seen before, beautiful ricordea, and some nice softies too. I just received an order from them (click sig if you want to see pics) and wont hesitate in ordering from them again.

[Gundad68]

Thanks everyone for your time an help.

[Atela]

For my first corals, I chose frogspawn, duncan, candy cane, pulsating xenia and green star polyps. I don't regret any of them. I've also collected zoas.

[PwnMe]

GSP is insane though. My fragging ritual literally includes breaking off a chunk with my fingers and moving it elsewhere. I put it on my display rock so this happens pretty often.