first sps coral recommendations

[ARGYGANG]

hi friends i am wondering what would be a good sps coral to start with or if i even should get into sps at all, let me explain... my tanks are in a basement and the ph is around 7.8 in all the tanks which i know is lower than what sps like. the nitrates sit at around 15 in my reef tank and has been stable there for a few months now. any recommendations or do you think the ph will just be a major obstacle that needs fixed before getting any sort of sps?

 

[VintageReefer]

You could try birdsnest it’s one of the easier less demanding ones they come fuzzy or stick like

ORA Green

ORA Ponape (forget spelling, this is from a few years ago

Frags look like this

But grow into this

 

[Spare time]

Monti caps are the best for beginners


Tbh I find birdsnest to be one of the more finicky sps.

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

Monti caps and monti digitata.


Digitata was my first SPS success. Grows like a weed. It isn't particular about light I have it in 100 par and some in 450 par. It grows in both places. It's also extremely forgiving with nutrients (for an sps). Without hesitation i would say it's easier than monti caps even.

I also agree with birds nest being picky.

Another interesting relatively forgiving sps is anacropora.

I couldn't say on ph. I don't chase PH at all. I do run a fresh air intake on my skimmer. But I don't chase ph. It is what it is in my tank.

 

[PharmrJohn]

I've always had an affinity for Plating Montipora. Done right, it can become part of the aquascape. Generally it likes 200 to 300 PAR range with some reefers starting at 150 or so and ramping up. At about the 3 to 6 month mark, it'll probably need some trimming.

 

[Doctorgori]

Monti caps are the best for beginners


Tbh I find birdsnest to be one of the more finicky sps.

weird, I can’t keep those or style alive for long either

 

[Floyd-]

Also second the digitata and montipora. Both are super easy and fast growers.

 

[PotatoPig]

Thirding Montis and Digis

I’ve got a plating monti frag that I split in two. One half I haven’t worked out where to put it yet (if at all) so it just hangs out on the sand in ~100 PAR and low flow and it still grows.

Also, within each type (including other types of SPS, and LPS and Softies) a fairly reliable indicator of how easy a coral is and how fast it grows is whether it’s cheap.

Many cheap corals aren’t cheap because they’re boring, they’re cheap because they are well suited to aquariums and grow at a faster pace than their peers - meaning the market is flooded because everyone and their dog can keep them alive and there’s a widespread flow of frags into the market.

 

[ARGYGANG]

Thirding Montis and Digis

I’ve got a plating monti frag that I split in two. One half I haven’t worked out where to put it yet (if at all) so it just hangs out on the sand in ~100 PAR and low flow and it still grows.

Also, within each type (including other types of SPS, and LPS and Softies) a fairly reliable indicator of how easy a coral is and how fast it grows is whether it’s cheap.

Many cheap corals aren’t cheap because they’re boring, they’re cheap because they are well suited to aquariums and grow at a faster pace than their peers - meaning the market is flooded because everyone and their dog can keep them alive and there’s a widespread flow of frags into the market.

I will pick some up next weekend and show some pics off to you guys! Thanks for the recommendations and advice. I was hoping these would be the corals recommended im excited to give them a try

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Montipora's of almost any sort, but be very selective and go for the nice ones, most of the monti's are weeds. Whatever you do, don't put that cheap $5 red monti cap frag in your tank.

 

[Seansea]

Purple stylo. Cheap easy and looks cool.

 

[Corals.com Verified Sponsor]

We'd throw in Cyphastrea in the discussion. They're one of the cheapest SPS and good for getting into SPS. Easy to care for coral as well!

 

[ARGYGANG]

We'd throw in Cyphastrea in the discussion. They're one of the cheapest SPS and good for getting into SPS. Easy to care for coral as well!

cyphastrea looks awesome! not sure where im going to get them from but i hope whereever i order from has them they look crazy!

 

[Tompickles]

I agree monti and digi is a great start. If you want to try acros I’d say go for a tort type they grow like weeds for me. This is one I got a few months ago as 1 branch

Also the milka stylo is a classic and easy grower