Need ideas for a centerpiece Acro $200 or less

[AZMSGT]

I’m looking for a acro to grow into a centerpiece of my tank. Something people will look at and say “Wow”. My budget is $200ish. I don’t need to spend $200 if I can find a piece for less. Just looking for the wow factor.

I already have a Walt Disney.

Please give me your ideas on what I should look at.

Also please don’t message me with things like “I have a xxxx and it would be perfect”. That time will come, just need ideas for what to get.

 

[tqui]

JF HW for sure !!

 

[rossco]

I still think the Oregon Tort makes an awesome centerpiece

 

[nickkohrn]

I’m looking for a acro to grow into a centerpiece of my tank. Something people will look at and say “Wow”. My budget is $200ish. I don’t need to spend $200 if I can find a piece for less. Just looking for the wow factor.

I already have a Walt Disney.

Please give me your ideas on what I should look at.

Also please don’t message me with things like “I have a xxxx and it would be perfect”. That time will come, just need ideas for what to get.

Are you looking for something that will stand out under blue LEDs or something that will look better under whites? I ask because I have a Homewrecker, Jolt, Cherry Bomb, and some others that look great under blue LEDs but not so great under whites. I think that knowing what you use for light will help others give you better recommendations.

 

[Silver14SS]

Any preferences at all? Colors, branching, tabling? @Battlecorals has great photos on their site to give you some ideas.

 

[nickkohrn]

Any preferences at all? Colors, branching, tabling? @Battlecorals has great photos on their site to give you some ideas.

I've been browsing Battlecorals for days, increasing the length of my list of corals to get. Adam has a gorgeous collection.

 

[Magellan]

I still think the Oregon Tort makes an awesome centerpiece

Couldn’t agree more! Just put a nice frag dead center in my tank

 

[SeaDweller]

I think a properly colored tenuis under daylight looks even more phenomenal under blues...
that said...
1) confetti
2) JF HW
3) RR UOP
4) SCOP
5) old school SSC

 

[AZMSGT]

Couldn’t agree more! Just put a nice frag dead center in my tank

Thanks, I already have a Oregon Tort. Actually, I have three all of them are placed near each other so they grow together.

 

[AZMSGT]

JF HW for sure !!

Home Wrecker, right? I thought it was in the $350 range

 

[Epic Aquaculture]

Home Wrecker, right? I thought it was in the $350 range

HW = Homewrecker - generally more expensive than $200

 

[stephj03]

IMO get a large frag of something that is mid end so that it will turn into a centerpiece colony in a reasonable amount of time.

$200 can get you a HW or a Cherry Bomb, but the frag will be smaller and take a couple yrs to turn into a colony.

Nothing against you but it's rare for anyone to stick with the same tank and the same aquascape for a couple yrs anymore.

I would recommend:

ASD Rainbow Milli

Or

Cornbread Maleficent

Or

Rainbow Bright Tenuis.

 

[stephj03]

Also depends on who the intended Audience will be.

If it's a showpiece to catch the eye of non-SPS nerds, them honestly PC rainbow will do the trick.

If for old school reefers then $200 worth of PM or PP regardless of size would do the same.

 

[Billldg]

I got a 1 in TGC Cherry Bomb frag from @TopShelfAquatics for $80 at a frag show. A RR UOP is several hundred dollars. You can get a JF HW for around $200 dollars, but you will have to look. I just got a @Battlecorals battlebox, the frags Adam included are awesome, his lastest is the BC Rainbow Melon and it is AWESOME.

 

[stephj03]

I think a properly colored tenuis under daylight looks even more phenomenal under blues...
that said...
1) confetti
2) JF HW
3) RR UOP
4) SCOP
5) old school SSC

Man I forgot about #5 on this list, and for $200 you could get a large mini colony shipped to you.

I have a bunch of small high end stuff in grow out but ppl ask more about my OG Shortcake mini colony than almost anything else. Looks and grows great under all light. Just make sure you get OG. There's a lot of shortcakes out there and they run a spectrum of color intensity.

 

[SeaDweller]

Man I forgot about #5 on this list, and for $200 you could get a large mini colony shipped to you.

I have a bunch of small high end stuff in grow out but ppl ask more about my OG Shortcake mini colony than almost anything else. Looks and grows great under all light. Just make sure you get OG. There's a lot of shortcakes out there and they run a spectrum of color intensity.

the colors I get from my OG SSC are phenomenal: that bright, vibrant neon yellow-green, to the electric red with noticeable oranges before they tranisition into that red. It's easily one of my favorites.

 

[lemonade]

I"m surprised so many people saying Tenuis.. Any thick branched stag will look unreal if you have the space and ability to get it to colony size A. Robusta, A. Abrotanoides, A.Hoeksemai to name a few. A. Millepora is also one of the best looking acros as a colony imo.

 

[jda]

What does the area need? A stag? A table? A bushy looking one?

Centerpieces will consist of form and color, both. Also, consider color contrast of a colony.

If bushy, then I agree with the Sexy Corals Orange Passion recommendations - this is the best of the modern tenuis. RR Pink Cadillac is a great coral tool.

For a tabler, then look at some Efflos like Ultimate Efflo or $500 Efflo - amazing centerpieces. Even the Copps Green Efflo is amazing in a colony.

For stags, Lime in the Sky, Battlestag or Tyree Ultimate Stag are amazing.

If you are really good at the craft, then look at some of the deepwaters like Aussie Ice Fire or a RMF Red Gecko. These are amazing with white and blue/red when they get to colony size.

An Oregon Tort centerpiece is timeless. So is true GARF Bonsai. If you can wait 5 years, Tyree Purple Monster is a good one too, but hard to find an probably more than $500 anymore.

I would shy away from the "coral of the day" unless you just love how they look. The trick-light tenuis of today will be the Duncan, Encrusting Monti or Acan of tomorrow where people will move away from it.

 

[Marquiseo]

Hawkins Echinata or Red Dragon. Classics.

 

[Bmasculine]

One of my favorites is Tyree pink lemonade. Look great in every tank I’ve seen it in.