The most overrated & underrated coral in the hobby?

[revhtree]

The most overrated & underrated coral in the hobby?

Today let's talk about coral. But not just any coral. Let's talk about the most OVERRATED and UNDERRATED corals in the saltwater reefing hobby!

Sometimes we buy coral because other people tell us that in order to have an awesome reef you have to have it. Sometimes we don't buy coral because someone tells us that it's a weed or it's a coral that no one wants. Sometimes both are true and sometimes both are false! HA! Really the decision is up to you and should really be based on what you like, what your vision for your reef is, and what can be healthy in your tank. So with that being said let's talk about these overrated and underrated corals.

1. What do you think the most OVERRATED coral is?

2. What do you think the most UNDERRATED coral is?

 

[Nathan Milender]

I think the most overrated corals are any of the hard to keep sps. They are cool, but are they worth the trouble? Are people just bored and want something to talk about?

Underrated are definitely chyphastrea which has great color and durability. I am not sure why that is not everyone's beginner coral. Any of the 'easy' corals also seem to get overlooked and are great choices that can be found almost any bargain bin. Growth with good tolerability definitely increase the fun.

 

[trmiv]

overrated: wwc og bounce mushrooms, don't get the price on those. also absurdly priced SPS crazy name corals

underrated: psammocora. They come in some cool varieties both encrusting and branching, look great when they are all super furry, are pretty hardy and mostly keep their colors in moderate lighting

 

[solitude127]

anything with a designer name is overrated.

 

[Wolf89]

Overrates: high end clove polyps
Underrated: a nice quality cabbage leather or long polyp green toadstool

 

[ruegaroo]

Overrated: anything I can't grow.

Underrated: everything I can grow.

 

[92Miata]

anything with a designer name is overrated.

Yeah. This.


I'm getting back into the hobby after a decade off - and I'm seeing an awful lot of expensive 'designer' corals with ridiculous prices that look an awful lot like stuff we used to keep in the early 2000s, just under ridiculous lighting. I mean, I've seen $100 small frags of green Acropora Yongei - people use to throw out big chunks of it - or just bleach it out and throw it in the calcium reactor.

 

[monti mike]

1. Overrated = bounce and jawbreaker mushrooms. They’re still just mushrooms. Mushrooms = pest. You can fight me on this.

2. Underrated= Yellow branching porites. It’s just yellow but it has some great polyp extension and unique growth. It’s overshadowed by its flashier sps cousins.

 

[AZMSGT]

Anything with allot of colors automatically goes at a premium. Colors sell. Hence the reason why these vendors doctor the pictures so bad. So any coral that has it’s pictures doctored to show lots of color is Over rated.

Underrated corals are those that there are in allot of the communities and are bi or tri colored but just ignored because they don’t generate much income as everyone has them.

 

[ZipAdeeZoa]

I voted other, I was going to vote Big factor and to me it is but not in the hype way that is implied. It really, really matters to me what other people think of the corals I want because if they didn't think anything about them I would have nothing to do research on. I don't care if people like the corals I keep but I care about what they say about them- how important feeding is, how easy they are to keep, lighting and flow are all things I've read from other hobbyist experiences.

In terms of hype corals- I think its awesome. Not because its for me, I like fairly basic softies personally but I think its awesome that the option is there for people who enjoy that sort of thing. I think the diversity of life in this hobby is reflected by the diversity of people who keep these animals and how we all go about doing so differently. Frankly it kind of upsets me that so many people are against one thing or another in this hobby like hype corals for example, instead of just appreciating that it makes someone else happy.

I know thats not a popular opinion. Because other people suck and are wrong because they like something different than me and I shouldn't care about the feelings of others because thats my responsibility as a user of the internet etc.

I'm happiest knowing someone is out there is just as ecstatic about the pulsing xenia thats doing great in there tank as the person that just received their OG Bounce mushroom and JF home wrecker. The point of having a hobby is that an individual can find happiness. I thinks it's awesome to be part of hobby where there are so many different ways to go about that. Just my 0.02

 

[Beardo]

Overrated: The majority of the rainbow tenius. Pictures always look great but I don't like an overly blue tank so they end up looking just blah for me.

Underrated: I am going to say Bali Green Slimer. Inexpensive, hardy, grows well and just looks good. Second place would be Darth Maul Porites.

 

[Andrew Schubert]

Overrated: anything you don't enjoy ....for me bounce mushrooms are blah....I would much rather have a Yuma over a bounce.

Underrated: anything you enjoy. I like a challenge, and although Torchs, Hammers are awesome, its the little tiny SPS frags I stare at all day, and get excited when I see one grow 1mm over a course of a month!

 

[sarcophytonIndy]

Most SPS are overrated, boring and don't even look good unless they are under unnaturally blue light.

 

[MoreReefPlease]

anything with a designer name is overrated.

OMG I KNOW! Honestly, it's like we're looking at marijuana strains instead of corals anymore. People come up with the goofiest names to market with so they get attention.

Mendocino Purp
Snowcap
Laughing Buddha
Golden Goat
Tangerine Dream
Sunset Sherbet

Are these marijuana strains or different coral names? YOU BE THE JUDGE! (or just google)

 

[Arricefe]

Overrated: "High end"
Underrated: Low end?

Factors to keeping coral: Consciously none, subconsciously probably every single one of them.

 

[Ryan Avery]

It comes down to personal preference, everyone has different taste. Dig what you dig, it doesn’t matter what others think

 

[Payne Train]

Overrated - overpriced SPS

underrated - Duncan corals ... they can almost look like an elegance when taken care of ... and easy to grow

 

[drblakjak55]

Overrated. Zoas by the polyp
Underrated. Stylophorias. Purple, rainbow, pink. Grow fast. Mine actually makes a hedge to keep the anemones from my corals.

 

[MoreReefPlease]

OMG I KNOW! Honestly, it's like we're looking at marijuana strains instead of corals anymore. People come up with the goofiest names to market with so they get attention.

Mendocino Purp
Snowcap
Laughing Buddha
Golden Goat
Tangerine Dream
Sunset Sherbet

Are these marijuana strains or different coral names? YOU BE THE JUDGE! (or just google)

I will say that for me, Galaxea are super underrated. They have great color, they grow fairly quickly, they're interesting to watch and they're hardy provided you have light and flow.

 

[Squidward]

Overrated = Insane priced Torches
Underrated = Japanese Pink Nepthea