The easiest and hardest coral to thrive in YOUR saltwater reef aquarium is...

When it comes to corals in my aquarium..

  • I have trouble with certain corals

    Votes: 406 72.5%
  • I have trouble growing any coral at all

    Votes: 47 8.4%
  • I can grow any coral no matter what

    Votes: 59 10.5%
  • I haven't tried any coral yet

    Votes: 40 7.1%
  • Other (please explain)

    Votes: 8 1.4%

  • Total voters
    560

revhtree

Owner Administrator
View Badges
Joined
May 8, 2006
Messages
47,602
Reaction score
85,989
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Let's talk about the easiest and hardest coral to thrive in YOUR saltwater reef aquarium. I realize the answer to the QOTD today is going to vary for many different reasons. But I am curious to know what all of you think the answer to this question is for yourselves. I don't want to know based on what you have read or seen but what you have experienced. So let's talk about it!

What is the easiest and hardest coral to thrive in YOUR saltwater reef aquarium?

image via @tom66645
IMG_20170826_191141.jpg
 
Last edited:

Mical

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 7, 2017
Messages
3,790
Reaction score
6,404
Location
Montrose
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Torches are my nemesis!!! I can keep Hammers and frogspawn all day long, they thrive and grow like weeds, but Torches? NOPE!! They all die in short time.
+1 on torches. I have Frogspawn & Hammers but torches have been an adventure. With the prices these days - I'll pass.
 

Sharkbait19

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 13, 2020
Messages
10,833
Reaction score
13,274
Location
New Jersey
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Though I have had success with many seemingly difficult corals like torches and lithophyllon, I've also had many failures. I had a zoa frag that slowly declined until death (though my other zoas seem okay), and a wall hammer that got worse and worse until it contracted BJD.

A particular coral that I can't keep alive at all are any type of mushroom coral. I've been told they're beginner corals, but any I've tried always died (both rhodactis and ricordea), usually turning white then disappearing. I don't know why that particular coral does poorly (maybe nutrients) but it's the one that I just can't ever get right.

So to rank them, I'd say:
Easiest: Leather coral
Hardest: Mushroom coral (though wall hammer is a very close second)
 

hds4216

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 18, 2020
Messages
1,283
Reaction score
1,811
Location
Denver, CO
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
dang Acans! I can grow sps lps softies so far most things I try. In my main tank every time I put an acan it seems to not grow or do much. If I move them to my frag tank they get very puffy and look great. Can’t understand why lol.
C5CA2C7C-79CB-440B-ABC9-4491E547D86C.jpeg
I like those huge palys on the bottom left.
 

stanleo

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 11, 2014
Messages
1,508
Reaction score
1,976
Location
Statesville, NC
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Torches are my nemesis!!! I can keep Hammers and frogspawn all day long, they thrive and grow like weeds, but Torches? NOPE!! They all die in short time.
Me too!! My hammer does exceptionally well but my tank killed a torch in less than a month!
 

hds4216

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 18, 2020
Messages
1,283
Reaction score
1,811
Location
Denver, CO
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
So far I've only managed to kill an Elegance due to Elegance Coral Disease (it was Indonesian) and a bubble coral. The elegance was replaced by an aquacultured Aussie Elegance, which is thriving. I have no idea how I managed to kill a Bubble coral. Just never thrived.
 

Sharkbait19

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 13, 2020
Messages
10,833
Reaction score
13,274
Location
New Jersey
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
So far I've only managed to kill an Elegance due to Elegance Coral Disease (it was Indonesian) and a bubble coral. The elegance was replaced by an aquacultured Aussie Elegance, which is thriving. I have no idea how I managed to kill a Bubble coral. Just never thrived.
I used to have a beautiful elegance coral, but was so afraid of ECS that I traded it in for a wall hammer, which died of BJD. What a fool I am...
 

Luciferene

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 1, 2020
Messages
58
Reaction score
26
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Easiest: Zoa, Euphyllia
Hardest: Xenia, Mushroom

I took the liberty to interpret "grow" as spreading and growing in #. My discosoma grew from 1/8in hitchhiker to 3 inch without any babies and xenia patch is staying the same size for almost an year in one of my tanks.

Everything else grows like weed including acros
 

Sharkbait19

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 13, 2020
Messages
10,833
Reaction score
13,274
Location
New Jersey
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Easiest: Zoa, Euphyllia
Hardest: Xenia, Mushroom

I took the liberty to interpret "grow" as spreading and growing in #. My discosoma grew from 1/8in hitchhiker to 3 inch without any babies and xenia patch is staying the same size for almost an year in one of my tanks.

Everything else grows like weed including acros
My xenia almost died until I put it on a rock, then it started thriving. I guess it's all location...
 

JosephM

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 22, 2020
Messages
1,561
Reaction score
1,049
Location
Lincolnton
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Easiest are my hammers and zoas
Hardest are some new torches I got and Duncan’s (getting a new power head for better flow on the torches and Duncan just chooses when it wants to open)
No deaths yet *fingers crossed*
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 64 36.8%
  • Not currently, but I have had feather dusters in my tank in the past.

    Votes: 59 33.9%
  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 25 14.4%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 26 14.9%
  • Other.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
Back
Top