What is the perfect, all around, coral for a saltwater reef aquarium?

Is there a perfect, all around, coral for a saltwater reef aquarium

  • YES (tell us in the thread)

    Votes: 115 39.0%
  • NO

    Votes: 77 26.1%
  • Not Sure

    Votes: 96 32.5%
  • Other (please explain)

    Votes: 7 2.4%

  • Total voters
    295

i cant think

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Any of the above have proved pretty easy - particularly like the Fox Corals
How big was your fox coral when you first got it?
I’d love one but haven’t seen one in a while and when I do they’re rather large already (I prefer to get small frags with one or two heads - Usually prefer two as it’s easier to find a placement for it). Also how long did you have it for?

That Duncan in the top corner is also a beautiful one.
 

i cant think

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Fimbryaphillia ancora, the Hammer/Anchor Coral. Torch corals are excellent for movement but aren’t actually all that beginner friendly. My first ever coral was a Hammer and I have no regrets! It will sway in the small amount of flow he gets but when fully extended can be the size of a tennis ball. These are some older photos of mine, and they also come in quite a few different colours, I mean if I ever come across a blue hammer I’d take it, but you also have purple, gold and green colours
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Another I’ll say is Ricordea Yuma, the Yuma Mushroom. I hate and love mine, it adds so much movement to my 4’ tank and my nano however it grows out of control under the right conditions, I’m hoping I’ve slowed down the growth of mine in the nano but I have Atleast 4 rocks covered in Yuma now. They also come in a range of colours but orange is the most common.
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That reminds me, I got my Hammer as a 2 headed frag, it’s now 3 heads and looks to be getting ready for another split. I recommend LPS for most people as the life that you can find on the skeletons is amazing. here's a photo of the life on my Hammer, I also have a 20+ head Duncan in my 4' tank that is showing some great growth and life on the skeleton.
image.jpg
 

carbasaurus

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I’m going to get some push back on this, but I’m going to say Xenias, they are hearty, don’t sting other corals, reasonably non toxic, provide movement, are fish friendly and seemingly fish resistant, are easy to prune when they start over growing. I even have some in my sps tank. As a bonus, tuxedo urchins will sometimes wear them!!!
 

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Slocke

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Rock Flower Anemones for me! Not corals I know but they act like it. Can be put anywhere, aren't aggressive, can clean themselves off and defend themselves. Most importantly, though, come in tons of incredible colors.
https://youtu.be/3tcHScMrXcY
 

i cant think

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Any answer here would be subjective, so
for me, it's Acropora, not because of some practical criteria, but because it is beautiful (IMO) and because of the satisfaction it gives me when I succeed in growing them happy and healthy.
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I totally agree with this! When I discovered growth in my A. yongei “Purple Slimer” I was so happy!
Here’s the day after it went into my tank
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And this is this morning’s photo.
image.jpg


You can really see differences already. Here’s a few to name, it appears to have managed to upright itself and begin to encrust onto the rock it was placed on, all 6 arms have some how moved round the coral with 1 becoming much longer.
 

Mark Bradley

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How big was your fox coral when you first got it?
I’d love one but haven’t seen one in a while and when I do they’re rather large already (I prefer to get small frags with one or two heads - Usually prefer two as it’s easier to find a placement for it). Also how long did you have it for?

That Duncan in the top corner is also a beautiful one.
The smalller Fox Coral is actually older than the bigger one so it’s obvious that the bottom left is the ideal location. The bigger one was bought circa six months ago and was about a third of the size. They have become quite rare but my LFS (Living Reef - Dartford, UK) has a large colony that he splits periodically to sell - but it’s become quite an expensive coral now.
 

Mark Bradley

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Any answer here would be subjective, so
for me, it's Acropora, not because of some practical criteria, but because it is beautiful (IMO) and because of the satisfaction it gives me when I succeed in growing them happy and healthy.
_DSF2130-Edit copy 2.jpg
Any answer here would be subjective, so
for me, it's Acropora, not because of some practical criteria, but because it is beautiful (IMO) and because of the satisfaction it gives me when I succeed in growing them happy and healthy.
_DSF2130-Edit copy 2.jpg
My LFS is constantly trying to get me to keep Acropora but they seem to be more work to keep and I’m happy with the time allocated to keep my reef without the thought of increasing it - I do, however, agree that they are quite beautiful.
 

i cant think

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My definition of perfect is what looks most like the natural reefs (after all its what many of us are trying to achieve). And for that reason I think nothing screams REEF like plating acros.
I love watching tabling acros grow. It’s just getting your hands on one or growing one out which is the tricky bit.
 
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