Too much of a good thing? Tiny or Large? Many or Few?

[BackToTheReef]

1. Which do you prefer? A few LARGE, not as colorful and less expensive, coral colonies OR more TINY, but very colorful and more expensive, frags covering the rock?

2. Do you agree or disagree that you CAN have too many corals in your reef tank?

Cost/name doesn't mean much to me (within reason). My goal is to use form/color and how it fits into my tank as my deciding factor. I want to set up an aquascape and fill it with just enough that everything begins to grow in and minimize any coral warfare so everything gets a long nicely. That said, there are some prices for tiny pieces or even colonies I'll just pass on. I'm ok spending $30 on a frag I like but equally ok spending around $100 as well. Above that I'm going to have to reeeeally like it!

For me as long as they can all get along and thrive/grow then no you can't have too many.

I've managed to say what I want to say really poorly.

 

[Marc Hagan]

I would prefer a lot of tiny really colorful corals and you can never have enough corals I can usually find one that I like either color wise or just different and unusual. And I now want a bigger tank I think my wife is going to let me move from a 75 to a 150 gallons

 

[Doctorgori]

color and challenge is all that matters to me. I forget the corals names within days. I hardly frag so the actual value is meaningless to me.
Honestly I think all the name chasing is kinda silly but I admit its a large aspect of the hobby

 

[bigjgmac]

Is it possible to have too many corals in your reef aquarium?

I was talking to a local friend the other day, who is getting back in the hobby, and he stated that he wanted to choose a few corals and let them grow big instead of having a bunch of frags covering his rocks. So that got me thinking about the consensus of the community of hobbyists here at R2R and what your preferences are? But I wanted to dive a bit deeper and get a little more specific. More like less expensive and less colorful over more colorful but tiny and expensive. So answer the following if you will!

1. Which do you prefer? A few LARGE, not as colorful and less expensive, coral colonies OR more TINY, but very colorful and more expensive, frags covering the rock?

2. Do you agree or disagree that you CAN have too many corals in your reef tank?


@WWC beautiful tank store!

I prefer lots of small frags. Watching them grow is at least half the fun of reefing.
Yes, you can ABSOLUTELY have too many corals. I’m not there yet, but it’s inevitable!

 

[bigjgmac]

color and challenge is all that matters to me. I forget the corals names within days. I hardly frag so the actual value is meaningless to me.
Honestly I think all the name chasing is kinda silly but I admit its a large aspect of the hobby

I just buy stuff that I like. Like you, I’m not a fragger. It’s not about trying to recover money or find bargains (although if I can fet what I want on sale - BONUS). I’m striving for a beautiful, colorful, and stable tank. With the exception of stability, those thing are different for each of us.

 

[gray808]

I'm just starting and may get my first couple frags this weekend. so I said Other.

I'm leaning toward more, smaller, brighter. I've realized I really like ones with "action", anemones, anything with waving branches or "tentacles".

--Gray

 

[homer1475]

I guess it depends on your longevity in the hobby. We always start out with tiny frags, and of course too many. Eventually some die, some grow, some get replaced. The longer your in the hobby the more colonies you tend to accumulate.

I prefer tiny frags and watching them grow, but you can most certainly have too many frags in a tank.

 

[sp1187]

I like a lot of small to medium size frags. pre-pandemic I tried to stay under $35 per frag.

 

[BillFish Coral Lover]

I've been reefing long enough to be disappointed with my tank overgrown with corals which I ultimately do not appreciate as much as I should. I'll admit it, I suffer from coral envy.

Seeing all the incrediblly colorful tanks full of nature's of the seas, I plan to have my next tank reserved for corals I really think are amazing, which of course, is limited by $$$. But the point is to GROW and enjoy them, isn't it?

It's so hard, though! This or that colony look so nice at the LFS and of course I'm basically impatient and want immediate gratification, too, and oops! Got another one.

 

[Reefs anonymous]

You can always grow the colorful corals but ya can’t change the color of the coral.

 

[waterskiguy]

I prefer to get higher end stuff and let it grow out into larger colonies.

 

[Alexd330]

I prefer full grown colonies of colorful corals!

I enjoy watching corals grow and transition into what Mother Nature should have them become. Larger colonies are much more appealing to me but they tank time to grow.

Yes I agree. Watching them grow is the best and then you will have a lot of big colorful corals

 

[dragon99]

Large, not colorful corals is a maintenance problem.
Small colorful frags is a potentially stunning tank.

Cost isn't part of the equation.

 

[hockeyhead019]

I voted for other.

I like giant colonies of crazy expensive! Lol, just kidding. I like what I can get my hands on and what gives the tank a color balance. Usually I'll try and stay in a low budget but I also think that it's fun to get small colonies and see what thrives in my tank. So I think I would fall into a "cheap and small" category

 

[Anchor]

Why not a little bit of both???

 

[Clownfish_Boy]

I prefer Dead & Artificial coral, being fish-only !

 

[anthonygf]

I prefer Dead & Artificial coral, being fish-only !

What fish?

 

[Chessmanmark]

1. Which do you prefer? A few LARGE, not as colorful and less expensive, coral colonies OR more TINY, but very colorful and more expensive, frags covering the rock?

I think of frags as seeds. You acquire the best seeds you can and try your best to visualize what your reef will look like when it grows out.

I’m not a fan of buying full sized colonies.

The challenge for me is to grow out your own colonies.

I also don’t like the look of a tank that has too many corals crammed everywhere. A reef tank is living art, not a holding vessel.

The first year or two, my vision of a reef tank, will have tiny frags strategically placed.

2. Do you agree or disagree that you CAN have too many corals in your reef tank?

Yes, I believe so. That’s the beauty of a peninsula tank. You get two reefs in one.

To be aesthetically pleasing you have to be a bit snobbish when it comes to corals.

 

[Clownfish_Boy]

What fish?

So far a Maroon Clown and a Coral Beauty Angel in a 60g. Have plans to add a few more fish, species TBD. Maybe some Javanese Damsels and assorted other species..... Would love to have a Dragonet but don't think i can establish a pod population sufficient to keep up with its dietary demand....

 

[vetteguy53081]

1. Which do you prefer? A few LARGE, not as colorful and less expensive, coral colonies OR more TINY, but very colorful and more expensive, frags covering the rock?

I am in the area of A few LARGE, not as colorful and less expensive, and coral colonies. As many are aware especially with my main tank, frags look like jelly beans based on my tank size. in which colonies make more sense for me.

2. Do you agree or disagree that you CAN have too many corals in your reef tank?

There's Never enough coral in my book BUT. . One must be careful with coral placement and coral warfare where there is potantial for neighboring corals getting stung and damged or even killed.

This is an example of what I added just yesterday, , , makes more sense when adding coral: