Corals that thrive & those that just survive or die! Plus how old is your oldest?

[redfishbluefish]

This isn’t mine, but thought it was worthy of a mention. This is Steve. Yes, he had a name. His home used to be The Pet Shanty on Route 22 in Scotch Plains, and this picture is from 2012 when Steve was 24 years old. It is believed Steve is a Sarcophyton ehrenbergi or Sarcophyton tenuispiculatum leather. The Pet Shanty has since closed, but rumor has it Steve was moved to Jenkinson’s Aquarium in Point Pleasant. On my next visit I’m going to look for him….he’d be 33 years old.

 

[ultraArcite]

1. What one coral thrives the best in your reef aquarium?

My zoas are looking pretty nice!

2. What corals seem to struggle to survive or even die in your reef aquarium?

My toadstools seem fine but they're not growing all that quickly

3. What is your oldest coral and how long have you had it?

I got both of my toadstools at the end of this April... so about a month xD

 

[James_O]

My oldest corals are finger leather, shroom and gsp bought in 2014.

They are the only three that survived dinos in 2017. The leather and gsp have been fragged many times. The leather was cut into 3 last year.

Do you not find the GSP invasive/annoying? I’m considering getting a GSP frag - it does look good!

 

[EFlop]

1. What one coral thrives the best in your reef aquarium?

My euphyllia cristata just keeps growing and growing and growing

2. What corals seem to struggle to survive or even die in your reef aquarium?

I can never keep micro lords past about 6 months. I attribute it to low nitrates and phosphates and I've had some better success with elevating those more recently.

3. What is your oldest coral and how long have you had it?

Euphyllia cristata at about 2.5 years old.

 

[TheFishTickler]

I have some zoa that I got 2 years ago with a tank that won't die. I've moved 4 times since. Ivd had two filter pumps die crashing my tank and had to get rid of my live rock to get rid of snails. They just keep coming back lol.

I have a birdsnest that is still on the frag but has little color. Has good extension but hasnt hasnt colored up. It's been about 2 weeks. Currently I have a anenome with a torn foot. Every morning he looks shrivelled and dead but sure enough come evening time, he's stretched out looking for food. It's been 3 weeks and he still hasn't healed. We shall see!

Zoa are definitely the oldest in my tank. Can't get rid of them if I wanted to!

 

[2021 reefer]

Aiptasia

After a nuclear destruction of the planet, cockroachs and aiptasia will be the only two things to survive

Star polyps will almost survive

 

[ThatPhillyReefer]

I can’t keep favia and xenia. I’m not sure what it is but i can keep sps acros but not the easiest coral in the hobby.

 

[Jibarra]

When I first started reefing two years ago, I thought I was using filtered water. Didn’t realize until I moved out that the landlord said the rodi filter has been disconnected before I moved in. Fortunately, I was able to keep some coral alive; mushrooms, zoas, and a Kenya tree.
Moved out and set up my own rodi filter, now every coral I buy thrives except SPS and goni’s. They are a hit or miss.
just set up a new bigger tank and hope it goes like this one attached

 

[Reefjockey]

Mushroom corals have always been troublesome in my reef, and I cannot ever keep them thriving. From massive colonies I’ve bought, I only have a few left that are hanging on. It feels like mushroom corals need a lot more stability and care than people give them credit for.

A good number of my corals just survive, not really growing much but certainly not unhealthy. This includes my trumpet, lithophyllon, and blasto corals.

Some of my corals that thrive and grow at a fast and steady rate are my torch coral, my xenia, and my captain jerk palys.

My first and oldest coral is a lobophytum leather that I got way before I knew anything about coral care. I just stuck it in the sandbed, and it slowly but steadily grew. I’ve had it for exactly nine months. The funny thing about this one is that I’ve tried moving it to other areas, but it doesn’t do well in any place except the precise spot it has had since day one.
Here’s two pics, one of it when I bought it, and one of it today.

If you would like a dozen more of these, I can help you out. I have been to a couple of swaps with a bucket full and usually return with the same full bucket. No takers anywhere. Once this guy starts budding, you will be doing the same. I had 53 in my DT last count and some as large as a tennis ball.

 

[Reefjockey]

My 11 year old Scoly that likes to change colors. When we got it it was huge. I can only imagine it’s actual age

Beautiful!

 

[Appoloreefer]

Happy hump day!

There are those of us (not me) who have the "blue thumb" and can grow every type of coral they touch successfully and long term into massive colonies that need multiple fraggings every year! But then there are those reefers, like me, who are very successful with certain types of corals but then are not able to have success with another. Let's talk about it today!

1. What one coral thrives the best in your reef aquarium?

2. What corals seem to struggle to survive or even die in your reef aquarium?

3. What is your oldest coral and how long have you had it?

PC Superman via @DivingTheWorld

I have tried to grow corals even those that are supposed to be so easy and grow like weeds like GSP but I have never had luck with corals even using RODI water, having very good parameters and doing everything so that is why I am back to doing a FOWLR. I would love to have a soft coral tank and might try it again but I am doubtful.

 

[Om84]

Can’t keep Stylos or Birdsnest. It’s a shame because I love them both. I have otherwise a Acropora dominated tank and all frags are slowly becoming colonies. The interesting thing is I used to be able to keep both stylos and birdsnest which grew like weed in the same tank. This however changed after my last tank crash a little over a year ago. Anyone with any recommendations what I can do to get stylos or birdsnest to grow? Thinking about doing a detailed analysis of water parameters.

 

[Leelalie]

Well I got the knack to destroy GSP

 

[Freenow54]

My longest coral is about 15 years old. I got it as a Wellsophyllia, and then there was this big debate and argument around 2010 or so that Wellso's don't exist, and that they are all Trachyphyllia geoffroy . This reclassification lasted a number or years, and then the powers to be announced that Wellso's do exist, and I had my Wellsophyllia back. It will always be a Wellso to me.

Now I almost lost this guy about five or six years ago when I had put it in my sump and didn't realize that Xenia was overgrowing this coral. By the time I noticed, about half was retracted, and two smaller pieces were now growing below the big one. You can see them on the left (larger of the two) and front left (smaller one). It's now the center piece of my DT.....where it belongs.

Now I also have the original lineage of my Trumpet coral for just as long. I say lineage because every time I'd move it (a softball size+) it would break into 30-40 frags and I'd start over. I've done that maybe four times. The mini colony I have from the original is about 30 heads or so right now.

Absolutely Beautiful

 

[Appoloreefer]

My oldest corals are finger leather, shroom and gsp bought in 2014.

They are the only three that survived dinos in 2017. The leather and gsp have been fragged many times. The leather was cut into 3 last year.

Those look great!

 

[blue.flyzz]

Acans are my kryptonite, no clue why, everything else thrives, lucky if acans last 6 months

 

[gray808]

I've only had my tank for about a year, so hopefully this will change, but I seem to have some sort of problem with Euphyllia. I've gotten 1-2 each Frogspawn, Torch, Octo... on torch just immediately melted. I think it just didn't travel well, my best option for in-person coral shopping is Portland, 4.5 hours north of me. But others in the same batch were fine.

Most go in, seem to acclimate well, seem super-duper happy on a frag rack. In a month or so, I move them to rock. They seem to be happy there, even growing a bit... then overnight, they just die, for no apparently reason. I've not seen any parameter spikes, they just... melt one day.

I suspect my clown pair of loving a couple of the torches to death, but they seem to ignore the Frogspawn, which is now seeming to give up the ghost.

About half of my zoas are going crazy, the rest are healthy, but only slowly growing. My kenya tree is doing fine, my pulsing xenia is getting big, seems super happy. My red mushroom is happy, though not quite as happy as it was on the frag rack, same for pineapple tree. I think both need to be moved a bit lower in the rock.

I'm sad: I really like torches and frogspawn, and wish I could get them to stay happy for longer than a couple months.

--Gray

 

[Freenow54]

Ok Forgive me, but I have no idea what the proper name is for any of them. I inherited a big problem tank. Got it straightened out, and my son just kept throwing coral and fish at it. All the fish died when I dropped the skimmer cup in it. Really bad experience to watch them die in the matter of 5 minutes, except the tough Clown.
Could not keep LPS alive for more than 2 weeks. Remember totally Ignorant, and still learning.
However from one frag these 4 If you look close is a really nice violet one just starting to multiply now but the others. all came from one frag.

The leather I split, and now ( not in the picture has given birth just 2 days ago.
Please if you can tell me the correct names for them it would be much appreciated.
If

 

[fishboy1]

1. What one coral thrives the best in your reef aquarium?
Mushrooms

2. What corals seem to struggle to survive or even die in your reef aquarium?
All LPS corals.

3. What is your oldest coral and how long have you had it?
Leather Toadstool I bought in 2014. Still going strong.

 

[Buckster]

Torches, Hammers, Zoa's, Paly's, Leathers are all doing great.
I can't grow GSP in the display but they do great in the QT.
My chili coral is one of the oldest and is doing well. Was just not showing life for two months and decided to pop out last week.