Beginner Hardy Corals?

[125gSW]

Hey everyone!

Finally got "reef" lights and I am currently looking for recommendations on hardy corals that are easy to take care of. I am not always home so corals that require super special care will not be viable for me. Due to this, I've been told I should stick to easy LPS and Soft corals. So I am looking for recommendations from all of you wizards with some pics would be awesome too. I have a 6ft tank so a lot of room. I read online that I should add Zoas last because they can become invasive, is this true?

Thanks!

 

[Captmcfly]

Duncan’s or low level mushroom corals . Most will advise against gsp but I like it myself.

 

[leahfiish]

Mushrooms (including Ricordia, rhodactis, and discosoma), zoanthids and palythoas, leathers, and green star polyps are corals that I usually recommend to beginners. While some corals can overgrown and become a nuisance, as long as you put them on an isolated rock where they can't spread to your main rock structure you should be fine. They don't usually spread across the sand, or if they do its easy to trim them back. They can spread across the glass.

Xenia, anthelia, yellow polyps, green star polyps, green and brown palys, and clove polyps are all corals that can grow pretty quickly to the point that they are invasive.

 

[Captmcfly]

I had issues with zoas when I started out

 

[tdileo]

What “reef” light did you get? There are sooo many and can change what you are able to keep.
Typically good starters are any soft corals. Xenia and green star polyps are virtually unkillable, but may become invasive. GSP can grow an inch a week when your tank is stable and they have good light and I assume Xenia has a similar growth rate.
Instead of them I would recommend photosynthetic gorgonians, leathers, zoas to start and if they do well you can start to monitor your calcium and alk levels and add some LPS of your choice. Hammers, Duncan’s frogspawn, goniastrea, and acans are all great beginner stony corals as they are hardy, cheap, and will readily eat. If they do well and show growth after a few weeks you can add some SPS. I know you said you can’t do super special care, so I suggest you stick to the easy SPS like montipora, pocillipora, and birdsnest. As long as your alk levels are moderately stable and you have sufficient levels they are nice and easy!
As for the zoas being invasive, they aren’t. Some species of palythoa (the big, green ugly polyps) can grow at 2 or 3 polyps a week which can be invasive by you can keep them on an isolated island and they will be fine. However with everybody’s luck, the prettiest zoas grow slow. My rastas only get 2 or 3 heads a month, but certain amazing zoas may sell for $400 a polyp and only grow 1 new polyp every few months.

 

[jeff howard]

Leathers are good starters. I like to avoid the really invasive things. I would avoid Anthelia, GSP, Xenia. Kenya tree is another I wouldn't do again. I also had bad luck with Zoas until my tank had some age. Mushrooms are a good starter. Pick things you would like in your finished reef.

 

[LetItReef]

A Neon Green Nepthea and Toadstool- Softies.

 

[Clownman727]

Mushrooms and leathers.

 

[saltyhog]

I know zoas are usually mentioned as easy corals but I struggled with them mightily when my tank was immature. I think GSP is a great coral if you have room to isolate on a rock so that it can't "escape". I find duncans to be very forgiving. Leather corals (neon green sinularia is stunning) are great too.

Some that a lot of people say are easy that haven't been for me include acans, zoas (the more expensive the harder they are ), candycane/trumpet corals.

Some easier (relative term) SPS that are pretty darn tough include stylophora, encrusting monti's and birdsnest. Cyphastreas are great corals too but you do have to be careful with them as they win every single coral warfare I've ever seen them in.

 

[125gSW]

I had issues with zoas when I started out

What problems did you have?

What “reef” light did you get? There are sooo many and can change what you are able to keep.
Typically good starters are any soft corals. Xenia and green star polyps are virtually unkillable, but may become invasive. GSP can grow an inch a week when your tank is stable and they have good light and I assume Xenia has a similar growth rate.
Instead of them I would recommend photosynthetic gorgonians, leathers, zoas to start and if they do well you can start to monitor your calcium and alk levels and add some LPS of your choice. Hammers, Duncan’s frogspawn, goniastrea, and acans are all great beginner stony corals as they are hardy, cheap, and will readily eat. If they do well and show growth after a few weeks you can add some SPS. I know you said you can’t do super special care, so I suggest you stick to the easy SPS like montipora, pocillipora, and birdsnest. As long as your alk levels are moderately stable and you have sufficient levels they are nice and easy!
As for the zoas being invasive, they aren’t. Some species of palythoa (the big, green ugly polyps) can grow at 2 or 3 polyps a week which can be invasive by you can keep them on an isolated island and they will be fine. However with everybody’s luck, the prettiest zoas grow slow. My rastas only get 2 or 3 heads a month, but certain amazing zoas may sell for $400 a polyp and only grow 1 new polyp every few months.

Orbit IC Pro

Great guide! Seems like something I can follow

 

[125gSW]

Leathers are good starters. I like to avoid the really invasive things. I would avoid Anthelia, GSP, Xenia. Kenya tree is another I wouldn't do again. I also had bad luck with Zoas until my tank had some age. Mushrooms are a good starter. Pick things you would like in your finished reef.

True, any other recommendations? I was thinking of adding Kenya but I do not want to deal with it everywhere

I know zoas are usually mentioned as easy corals but I struggled with them mightily when my tank was immature. I think GSP is a great coral if you have room to isolate on a rock so that it can't "escape". I find duncans to be very forgiving. Leather corals (neon green sinularia is stunning) are great too.

Some that a lot of people say are easy that haven't been for me include acans, zoas (the more expensive the harder they are ), candycane/trumpet corals.

Some easier (relative term) SPS that are pretty darn tough include stylophora, encrusting monti's and birdsnest. Cyphastreas are great corals too but you do have to be careful with them as they win every single coral warfare I've ever seen them in.

Pretty tank! As for Candycane, are brain corals relatively "easy"




As a few have mentioned, are corals growing on the glass inevitable? most of my rocks are clustered but I will be able to add some isolated rocks

 

[Captmcfly]

Pox mostly. If we are talking beginner corals I assume this tank is newish and testing is minimal stability on the less then perfect side and equipment not top of the line. I’m a year in . Equipment on the mid range stability on the upper side of stable and I still fear Zoe’s due to the pox issues lol. For what it’s worth I use rodi a 20 gallon sump a skimmer and t5hos/led hybrid. I do 2part dosing and still don’t think my system is ready for any sps coral but that’s me

 

[jeff howard]

I am constantly giving Trees to anyone local that wants them. That is on my regret list for sure. I think many LPS do well in a new reef if you keep your reef maintained decently. Duncans, Canes and Euphylia all do well in newer tanks.

 

[saltyhog]

Pox mostly. If we are talking beginner corals I assume this tank is newish and testing is minimal stability on the less then perfect side and equipment not top of the line. I’m a year in . Equipment on the mid range stability on the upper side of stable and I still fear Zoe’s due to the pox issues lol. For what it’s worth I use rodi a 20 gallon sump a skimmer and t5hos/led hybrid. I do 2part dosing and still don’t think my system is ready for any sps coral but that’s me

I'm with you jbomb. I moved last year and set my tank back up (it was about 4 years old) in Dec. I rehomed most of my fish and corals except for a few I just could not part with. My SPS consisted of a purple stylo, a large bonsai colony, a moderate size green acro I've had since my first tank start, a green slimer and 3 encrusting montis. Most of them struggled and were without much color until the last 2-3 months. Now everything has blossomed with color.

I think you could start with an easier SPS like a monti and once it's thriving try another easy SPS like a pocillipora or birdsnest.

 

[125gSW]

Pox mostly. If we are talking beginner corals I assume this tank is newish and testing is minimal stability on the less then perfect side and equipment not top of the line. I’m a year in . Equipment on the mid range stability on the upper side of stable and I still fear Zoe’s due to the pox issues lol. For what it’s worth I use rodi a 20 gallon sump a skimmer and t5hos/led hybrid. I do 2part dosing and still don’t think my system is ready for any sps coral but that’s me

My tank has been up and running for the past 6 months, I too use a RODI, Sump and skimmer. Just got the reef lights. I do not do any dosing, tbh I do not mind but its something I can not be consistent with yet.

I am constantly giving Trees to anyone local that wants them. That is on my regret list for sure. I think many LPS do well in a new reef if you keep your reef maintained decently. Duncans, Canes and Euphylia all do well in newer tanks.

yikes, I definitely do not want to deal with that. I will definitely check those out

I'm with you jbomb. I moved last year and set my tank back up (it was about 4 years old) in Dec. I rehomed most of my fish and corals except for a few I just could not part with. My SPS consisted of a purple stylo, a large bonsai colony, a moderate size green acro I've had since my first tank start, a green slimer and 3 encrusting montis. Most of them struggled and were without much color until the last 2-3 months. Now everything has blossomed with color.

I think you could start with an easier SPS like a monti and once it's thriving try another easy SPS like a pocillipora or birdsnest.

From my understanding, SPS require utmost stability with Alk and Calc? I am not sure if I will be able to manage that just yet, maybe down the line when I have more time for myself.

 

[Danny N]

I like the green star polyp. Put on one isolated rock and let it be. It is real easy to remove from your sand, rock work, not so much...

 

[tdileo]

IME only Acropora need crazy stability to thrive, monti caps, seriatopora and pocillipora will be just fine with dosing once every few days instead of multiple small times each day. If you end up wanting acros a few months down you can invest money into a doser so you don’t have to worry about forgetting or not being around to do it.

 

[Ranjib]

GSP, pulisng xenia, blue xenia (vergas cespitularia), some of the palys, radio active dragon eye zoas, platinh monitpora (sps) all are kosher

 

[kasik64]

1+ on the Star polyp, one of my favorites and looks great in every tank. The grass of the sea.

 

[saltyhog]

From my understanding, SPS require utmost stability with Alk and Calc? I am not sure if I will be able to manage that just yet, maybe down the line when I have more time for myself.

Like tdileo said not all SPS are created equal. The term itself isn't scientific but one we use in the hobby. The ones he mentioned plus cyphastrea (gets labeled SPS sometimes, sometimes LPS) which is an encrusting stoney coral are not very demanding.