Buying corals

[Mhalko]

Hi I’m sorta new to salt water but now that I have had my tank up for just under 6 months I feel as though I can start purchasing corals. I was wondering where people in the upstate area tend to get their corals and if I’d be better ordering through my LFS or doing it on my own.
Thanks, Matt

 

[SyracuseMatt]

Hi I’m sorta new to salt water but now that I have had my tank up for just under 6 months I feel as though I can start purchasing corals. I was wondering where people in the upstate area tend to get their corals and if I’d be better ordering through my LFS or doing it on my own.
Thanks, Matt

Matt,

It sort of depends. Generally, I think people would say, particularly when starting out, the best places in order are: 1) fellow hobbyists; 2) frag swaps; and 3) local stores/on-line vendors/local people who sell on-line.

Giving a brief description of your setup and what you're hoping to keep long term may help people respond. On a related note, how confident are you in picking the types of corals you want to add? Do you want/need help picking your first corals?

It may seem like a strange question but, you might also want to ask yourself how 'risk adverse' you are. Buying from local hobbyists may be the least expensive but, may also present the highest possibility of introducing pests into your system. My big tank, 180 gallons, still has some aiptasia and bubble algae from my first 8 gallon tank. My 60 gallon cube, set up more recently, has neither, due to care both in picking corals to add as well as doing things like dipping corals and removing the ones I thought might have a risk of pests from their frag plugs before introduction.

You also probably need to think about budget. Others might disagree but, if you buy from someplace like 'Divers Den' from Liveaquaria, I think you're virtually guaranteed not to be introducing pests but, you might be paying 2 to 4 times more than you would from buying local.

Having said all that, I'd start with a hobbyist you know, if there is one. If not, I might reach out to someplace like 'Saltwater 315', tell him you have a budget of X and ask him to put together a starter pack for you with a little variety of starter corals. You could also go to Ack's Aquatics or ABC Reefs (sadly, ABC Reefs selection is pretty thin right now).

I would start with things like polyp type corals (zoanthids), softies (leathers), mushrooms, and then maybe try an LPS or two (candy cane, maybe a euphyllia (hammer, frogspawn, maybe even a torch)) and, if you're feeling super confident, maybe a simple SPS or two (monitpora cap and/or birdsnest). Keep in mind, some people have love/hate relationships with some of the 'easier' corals. At first, they're thrilled to see them survive and thrive in their aquariums only to later curse them as weeds. Pulsing xenia is an example. I love it (and have some) but, I'm a little nervous that it could take over my tank. I also have some simple mushrooms that are getting a bit out of control.

Aquarium forums have lost some steam in the last few years but, don't let that discourage you from asking questions. If you're not getting responses, you might want to try some of the main forums.

Matt

 

[Afrashz]

Where are you located?

 

[Mhalko]

Camillus

 

[Cjud7982]

I agreed fully with Matt. You just want to be super careful when picking which corals. I got a huge lot from a fellow reefer in Rochester and unfortunately I didn't look close enough at them when I bought them. In a few months my coral qt tank was rampit with aptasia and bubble algea. I fragged what I could confidently save and bleached the rest. Not worth upsetting my display.

I would cruise to you lfs and scope out what their tanks and corals look like. If their frags look clean then give it a shot if you see something you like in your budget. If you can re plug them, the. I would. Dip, clean and inspect every single piece. Ideally qt the frags for observation.

Obviously this is quite daunting for a new hobbyist but it's the safest way to protect your display. That being said, we all started somewhere and most all of us start by going to the lfs impulse buying what we like, acclimating and dropping into the display. Nothing wrong with it, that's pretty much the natural progression of the hobby. And honestly I would recommend this approach because your display tank is getting established and less likely for the coral to die. Once you get the techniques for keeping corals alive and you become addicted like all of us, you can then go through with a coral qt tank.

Just remember, not all purchased will live, not all things are easy, everything takes time, and you'll want to give up. But DONT be afraid, and ALWAYS have fun doing it regardless of how things are going with it.