Rolled the dice on a 6-pack, got some stinkers. Advice?

[Greenjeans]

If you had a fair idea of what you were getting, why did you get it in the first place?

If I'm honest, booze

 

[Kehy]

If I'm honest, booze

I cannot fault you for this. I have learned that staying up too late and enjoying some "greenery" do not lead to wise decision making. I'm so glad I lost those auctions, haha

 

[bam123]

Kalkwasser kills all corals. Not really sure what the fear everyone has. I have always had xenia on the back wall of my tank. A pulsating softball size colony is still the coolest coral people stare at. When it goes outside its area, I snip it or put a small rock on it and in a day I have a frag to give away. GSP can be a tough as it gets on big rocks, otherwise, easy to control with surrounding corals , anemones, or peeling it away. Good luck with your show stopper 10 year tank. I have found over the years that the ugliest corals often morph into the nicest colonies. THe trend has been people wanting a million rare corals. Some of the best tanks I have seen have been the "dutch" style where they grow the colonies HUGE. An ordinary leather bigger then a basketball looks awesome in person, a plain rainbow BTA that has grown to huge looks amazing. Let things grow and enjoy.

 

[Twitchy]

I personally love Xenia, It was the coral that got me into reefing back in high school... Dumb simple to grow and frag, nutrient export, mostly stays where you put it, new comers are always eager to get a bit, looks cool, it doesn't sting things, and it doesn't try and kill you when you try to kill it... I'm looking at you Palys! It does have to be watched, but it's not like aiptasia where it's gonna pop up all over the tank the moment you try and prune it. If rocks are glued in, best keep it on the back glass, or on an island.

 

[Gon2srf]

I have a few torches near my GSP - it keeps it at bay and creates a nice flow. I’ve used some “territorial” coral to keep control. Has been pretty effective.
I also place rocks and rubble near both my GSP and Xenia to propagate, frag and sell. I’ve earned my money back and then some.

 

[Mikeltee]

None of those are invasive. Pulsing xenias are really cool once you have a big colony, you just have to keep it trimmed. My advice is to never buy a frag pack. They are cheap for a reason. They give you corals that dont sell. the good news, if you want to call it, is that you are new and there a a really good possibility that they are all going to die anyways. I wouldnt buy anything expensive until you prove to yourself that your tank is ready and balanced. This takes a long time...

 

[bam123]

Cheap corals, no stress. Expensive corals stress. I prefer to wait for expensive corals to become cheap after the fad dies down. Remember when acans were a 100 dollars a head. BTAs now go for hundreds but you can get them locally for 40. Heck, I give mine away when they split for 30. Zoa prices go nuts for a bit, then in a couple of months to a year goes by and they are cheap. Buy what you like. If you don't like it, throw it in the back corner under low light, forget about it, and it will likely become the prettiest thing in your tank.

 

[reefhomie]

Would love to see that clove under full blues!