Good sps to start with

[Zoa_Fanatic]

I’ve got a biocube 32 led. I’m currently growing zoa and LPS like weeds. What sps can I start with that will live in my biocube that is easy to keep and won’t cost me an arm and a leg?

 

[DivingTheWorld]

Most montiporas would be good to start with. Then you can move into Birdsnest.

 

[Zoa_Fanatic]

Most montiporas would be good to start with. Then you can move into Birdsnest.

Are montis expensive? And do they require any special care?

 

[rkpetersen]

Montiporas are generally inexpensive (except for certain ones like Beach Bum) and grow very well with decent light and moderate flow. Some montis are almost guaranteed to do extremely well and try to take over your tank. Some will grow in the form of plates, others will grow by encrusting rock surfaces.

If you want to try an acropora, I'd start with something like a Green Slimer. They are incredibly hardy (for an acro) and also grow incredibly fast (for an acro).

 

[DivingTheWorld]

Are montis expensive? And do they require any special care?

Montiporas can be anywhere from $5 - $100 for a frag, but most are very inexpensive. I recommend checking on craigslist or with your local reefers for the best deals.

 

[ThatPhillyReefer]

montipora’s are good to start with and even a birdsnest. These two are very inexpensive and grow relatively fast. They both are very hardy. As long as you keep up parameters and u give them good light and flow they will do good.

 

[George81]

montipora setosa is an easy hardy one...it survived my tank neglect. It’s still with me today. One of the first sps I bought. Grows fairly quick too.

 

[Alexopora]

The sos which i started out with are seriatopora hystrix (birdsnest), pocillopora and montipora digitata.

On seriatopora hystrix, easy to care for definitely more forgiving and easy to frag for they have thin skeletons.

Pocillopora, they have earned a bad rep for how easily they can spread and take over your tank once they are settled and stable. But if you are among the few that personally like them and don’t mind them spreading like me, go ahead and get some Pocis. Also more forgiving and easy to frag.

Montipora digitata (digis), in my opinion the hardiest of the montis and the gateway monti. It encrusts but is mainly a branching type of monti. Hardy and quite forgiving.

i’ll throw another beginner sps but I highly doubt you will try this one out. Porites, i truly started out sps with a huge colony of Porites than came as a hitchhiker on my live rock. It came as a white piece of mess but quickly coloured up in one week. In my opinion, the hardiest of all of my sps that I have kept. Its much harder to kill the porites than green star polyps based on my experience. My only complain about Porites, is that they are difficult to find for sale.

 

[Cora101]

I would sugest Montipora Stellata "elkhorn" theyre a branching variety and one of the toughest SPS i have in my system.

 

[Oregon Grown Reef]

A few great suggestions here. Montipora digitata is an awesome coral. They're unique in growth pattern and easy to grow. Green slimer acros were also mentioned. One of my all time favorite acros. Another good one is the bonsai acro or any of the tricolor acros. Easy to grow and fast growing too.

 

[vsolovyev]

+1 on the pocillopora, if you don’t mind it over taking your tank that is, it’s like a weed in my tank. It’s common to polyps popping up all over your tank and growing in to small colonies.

 

[SoggyNW]

I'm going to throw in anacropora to the list. I got a few small frags of green goblin from a friend and I've never had an SPS that grew so fast or easy. It doesn't seem to care where in the tank, high/low flow or flow It just grows. I accidentally dropped pea sized bit into a shaded crack in the rocks, 6 month later there is a bright green branch growing out toward the light.

 

[blasterman]

Pocillopora has never behaved badly in my tanks. Ive had one spawn babies once.

Blue and Green digipora are tough as nails and have survived weeks in buckets in my garage. I feel they are way more rugged than caps or straight encrusters.

I've found flames and bubblegum a lot mencrusted.

I've never felt birdsnests were good beginner coral. They can be really sensitive about phosphate. Green slimer and blue stag acros are hardier than many birdsnests in my experience.