Where to Buy Coral?

[ZachariahBeanz]

Hey, I’m looking into some coral, and I unfortunately can’t go to any LFS. What are some good online coral stores?

 

[Derrick0580]

Check the livestock for sale forums here, many many great sellers that are hobbyists and aren’t trying to pay their mortgage by selling over priced common corals!

 

[liddojunior]

Unique corals has my vote
Tidal gardens is also great for reef staples
Vivid aquariums has a great selection of corals
WWC during live sales are still pricey but are solid corals.
Cherry corals are also a great option

I would keep an eye for the live sales. That’s when you get reasonable prices

 

[jimfish98]

Check the livestock for sale forums here, many many great sellers that are hobbyists and aren’t trying to pay their mortgage by selling over priced common corals!

I would also add to check Facebook groups for locals selling off stuff. There is likely a group or two that encompasses where you live.

 

[19Mateo83]

@Queen City Corals has nice healthy stock and don’t photoshop their pictures to make them look more colorful. I’ve also had good shipments from Jason fox and aqua sd

 

[Derrick0580]

Also watch for frag swaps in your area!

 

[buttonreefer]

yeah, top shelf has an amazing sale going on right now! just picked up some goodies!

 

[jayala12]

Austin aqua farms has reasonably priced corals. They don’t mark down 800 dollar corals to 400 and call it a sale. They just keep the prices low and fair.

 

[smoothie7]

Anybody have thoughts on Lowcountry Coral Boys?

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I got my coral from topshelf and couldn't be more pleased with them

 

[ghill]

I have purchased some fine, healthy corals from Goat Corals

 

[Biokabe]

I've ordered from a few:

World Wide Corals: Great livestock, great selection. Prices can be high unless you order on a live sale. Pictures are fairly true to life, the coral you receive will be very close to the picture you saw of it.

Pacific East Aquaculture: Great livestock, even better service. Prices are moderate, there's usually some kind of a sale to bring them down. Not a great variety of choices for stickheads, but great variety in LPS/Softies/Non-Acro SPS. I feel like they don't get enough recognition for their quality.

TCK Corals: Quite a few interesting color morphs of acros, really good source for those. Pricing is reasonable, but not quite as much selection as some of the bigger shops.

Living Reef Orlando: I always forget about these guys when their live sales roll around (my email keeps shuffling their notices into spam), but they're another underappreciated vendor. Great livestock and great pricing, especially on live sales. Their selection isn't as robust as WWC's, so there isn't quite as much competition - it can sometimes be easier to get what you want in their sales.

Salty Underground: Pictures and selection aren't great, but the actual livestock has been good and they have a very low threshold for free shipping. They also sell berghia, so I always like to pick up a coral or two when I need to bring in some of those heroic nudibranches.

Aqua SD: Pictures and livestock are good, but prices are quite high, even on live sales. Top-notch product though.

Unique Corals: Good quality, selection isn't always the best but they have a lot of info on the corals and their pricing is pretty good even when they aren't on sale.

Tidal Gardens: I don't remember if I've ordered from them, but they have great videos and write-ups about coral care, so I feel like they deserve a mention regardless.

FYI, it's always worth it to try to find an online vendor that's near you. Many of them offer cheaper shipping rates/lower free shipping thresholds for customers that are close to them. My LFS (Barrier Reef Aquariums) has free shipping at $350, or $200 if you're in-state.

 

[mues]

+1 Topshelf Aquatics

 

[penguinexdeus]

Hey, I’m looking into some coral, and I unfortunately can’t go to any LFS. What are some good online coral stores?

Any specific/ kinds? Some places specialize or provide better of certain kinds. The place I'd go for LPS is different than where I'd go for SPS... or zoas vs gonis, etc...

 

[Tired]

I like SaltCritters. They have photographs under both white and blue light, and do a lot of fairly cheap little frags.

 

[smokingReefer420]

Tidal gardens !

 

[fishface NJ]

Piece of the Ocean...nice starter corals and advance SPS.
Battlecorals...if you are looking for nice SPS

 

[braaap]

AquaSD. The pictures are what you get or very very close.

Also the sales threads here. Some outstanding sellers. Especially @Leadfooted has the best corals I’ve ever received in 20+ years.

 

[ScottJ]

ARC has some really good auctions. I've been happy with what I've gotten there. TCK is also good. Their auctions are more frequent.

 

[MrGisonni]

Reefgardener Best rock anemones and Ricordia around and more
Cornbread corals awesome chalice corals
Sunnyside corals great selection large frags
Austin aqua corals reasonably priced colony size pieces