Best corals for first timers

[Saltwaterbae]

I’ve been doing some research on some corals I was wanting for my tank but I want to hear your guys opinion on good corals for first timers!

 

[Spare time]

Most soft corals (leather, mushroom, palyzoa/zoa) are the easiest. Avoid kenya tree and xenia as they can become invasive. Soft corals do not require the amount of testing that LPS and SPS require. They are also more tolerant to changes. Please dip your corals and don't buy them if they are on a rock with potential pests. Some dips are better than others for soft corals.

Just remember that once you get into corals with stony skeletons, you will need to monitor alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium in that order

 

[Fishy212]

Toadstool leathers are a great bet, perfect for beginners where your water parameters don’t have to be absolutely perfect.

I have recently bought some flavia corals and have been extremely happy with the overall look and growth.

Look into birdnest coral , looks great!

I would stay away from sps until you are a bit more seasoned or have more experience with it. Stick to softies,lps and zoas. Like above stay away from the invasive corals, Xenia’s, certain shrooms and palys. they may be easy to care for and cheap but you will eventually have to maintain them or kill them off.

 

[Jon Fishman]

Torches, Frogspawns, Lobo/trachy, pocilopora or whatever they’re called

 

[fragit]

Agree with above, the big question in my opinion you need to answer is... How much of a financial and time investment are you willing to make. I've been reef keeping for almost 20 years enough experience and know how to keep SPS. When I set up my current tank I planned on it being an SPS tank. Well that fizzled fast as I had my first child shortly after establishing the tank. Thought I could "cheat" with time, effort etc. NOPE! turned it into a soft coral and LPS tank. Now I have 2 kids, not enough time, patience (need a lot in reef keeping), or finances to upkeep a dedicated SPS tank. My recommendation is to consider the time and effort you are and will be able to put in and select livestock around that.

 

[Zan's Aquatica]

where do you live? i’m in los angeles and giving away some beginner coral frags if you want to message me! Green Star Palyps and Zoas

 

[will25u]

Mushrooms and zoas. A lot of Mushrooms are gorgeous, but some can be difficult.

 

[Quietman]

There are easy corals of every type really (soft, LPS, SPS)...SPS - Pavona, Birds nest, LPS - Duncans, Candy Canes, Soft - listed already (and yeah GSP, Xenia can be pest but they sure are pretty and dang near indestructible), Mushrooms and Zoas.

What I would recommend is do not get the upper tier in price at first. Get some "canary in the coal mine" corals that are cheap. See what can survive in your tank before dropping bigger bucks on designer corals. Some tanks do well with LPS and can't grow softies.

 

[Tuffyyyyy]

Don't get sucked in by Xenia & GSP. They look cool but they'll quickly take over your tank.

 

[stephj03]

I’ve been doing some research on some corals I was wanting for my tank but I want to hear your guys opinion on good corals for first timers!

Do you mean first SPS corals or first corals of any type?

 

[Billldg]

First time corals, is this in general or SPS, as you posted this in the SPS forum. Reason I ask is that the best place to go for either tester corals or hardy corals is @Battlecorals. You just let Adam know what you are looking for and he will do you right.

 

[El_Guapo13]

Mushrooms, Zoas, Xenia, Greens Star Polyps, and a whole lot of other soft corals.

For LPS... frogspawn, hammers, torches, acans (especially Aussie Lords, from my experience), duncans, and Blastomussa Merletti are all hardy and thus pretty forgiving to beginners.

SPS... people say Birdsnest is fairly beginner friendly, but I would still wait longer for one than any LPS corals. But once you are fairly stable a few months down the road (as in 5 to 6 months at least), Birds Nest, Montipora Capricornus, Montipora Digitata. Good hardy sps corals.

A few others normally considered fairly beginner friendly from LPS and SPS (although the ones I have I all got around 10 months, and the others I don't own at all so, I can't speak to how beginner friendly they actually are):
Some varieties of Chalice Corals (in particular Hollywood Stunners)
Pavona Corals
Cyphastrea Corals
Leptastrea Corals
Leptoseris Corals
Psammacora Corals

I have also heard somewhere (although I can't recall where) that Pink Passion Acropora are fairly hardy and more forgiving to people whom have never kept Acros before. However, my tank was over 10 months old when I got mine, so not sure how beginner friendly it actually is, but I can say it is definitely growing as in about 2 months it went from only have 3 branches to 4, and looks like it might be growing another one at the moment. So at the very least it is definitely a faster growing Acro compared to my other one.

 

[Saltwaterbae]

Do you mean first SPS corals or first corals of any type?

Any type

 

[Radman73]

Monti-cap. Stuff has grown easily under any light and all water conditions that I've thrown at it lol! My wife still says it was one of her favorites so I just picked up some more.

Hammer or frogspawn always grew well for me and were hardy.

 

[Hyde2406]

There are easy corals of every type really (soft, LPS, SPS)...SPS - Pavona, Birds nest, LPS - Duncans, Candy Canes, Soft - listed already (and yeah GSP, Xenia can be pest but they sure are pretty and dang near indestructible), Mushrooms and Zoas.

What I would recommend is do not get the upper tier in price at first. Get some "canary in the coal mine" corals that are cheap. See what can survive in your tank before dropping bigger bucks on designer corals. Some tanks do well with LPS and can't grow softies.

I've had multiple tanks over the years... I've had tanks I couldn't keep mushrooms and zoas in but had no problem with anything else. My current tank now I can put any zoa mushroom or softy in but can't grow a birdsnest.... Every tank is different, learn to accept your tank for what it does best. Keep it fun

 

[stephj03]

Any type

If it will be your first coral, I would strongly suggest a neon green toadstool leather (sarcophyton sp?).

These grow easy, look great, are easy to frag and are usually in enough demand that you should be able to trade them for other starter corals.

Plan to spend a yr preparing to keep acropora and montipora so that if the SPS bug bites you at 8mo you'll mostly be ready.

And if it doesn't you'll be in a great position with softies/zoas/lps
Try to start with a tank at least 24g in size.

Avoid Xenia/clove polyps/gsp unless you have room in your tank for a rock separated from your aquascape by sand on all sides to put them on.

 

[Blknovass]

Green star polips once they take hold can look awesome in a tank and mushrooms can have great color and are fairly cheep.

 

[Mathman]

Agree with above.... Don't listen to the naysayers. For a first coral gsp and even xenia are great options and they are stunning to watch "take over" your tank

 

[sp1187]

Discosoma mushrooms
Grande Paly's
Green Star Polyps (on their own island)

 

[Bitcoin Reefer]

where do you live? i’m in los angeles and giving away some beginner coral frags if you want to message me! Green Star Palyps and Zoas

That’s so cool of you. Are there any LA reefer clubs btw? I’m in Los Angeles also.