Koswizzle Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 Just wondering what type of coral to buy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharklover Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 Just wondering what type of coral to buy?[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]If your asking here it’s like asking a sugar addict which type of candy to buy. Tell us what’s your experience, what you are looking for and what you are working with. Then you will probably narrow it down to about 50 opinions. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youcallmenny Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 There's no both option, flawed poll! 🤣 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharklover Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 They do say that in the saltwater world ask one question to 10 people and you’ll get 12 different answers. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylorhardy1 Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 3 minutes ago, Sharklover said: They do say that in the saltwater world ask one question to 10 people and you’ll get 12 different answers. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk I'd say it's more like asking 10 people, and getting 30 different answers.😂 As far as the original post goes, when I choose corals I really have a method for it. I go to the lfs, then go straight to their sps, namely acros, if I find one that seems interesting I ask about it, and usually buy it. Why do I go straight to the sps tanks? Because I enjoy the challenges that come with keeping sps, as well as I believe I can grow and color up sps quite well, and most sps corals are ridiculously easy to frag after they growout. From there I go to the meaty lps tanks. Mostly for acans/micromussa. Why? Again because they grow well, and show fantastic colors in my system. Then I give all the softies, and other lps a quick glance. Softies don't do the best in my system, so I tend to just stick with what I know does well. Occasionally I'll pickup a new coral I haven't tried or seen before, but I have a somewhat small space to work with, so I really go after the corals I personally want the most. If I do buy something and decide down the road that I'd rather use that space for something else, Ive rarely had an experience where I wasn't able to make my money back. I truly believe that anyone can keep any type of coral they want if they're willing to invest in the right equipment, and put in the extra few minutes of work. Reef keeping is about the furthest thing in the world from a black and white hobby. Just a whole lot of gray areas written by hobbyists like ourselves. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkAngel Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 I like to pick out things that catch my eye. They are 98% of the time deadly and don’t play nice with others. [emoji13]Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manny Tavan Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 both 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisQ Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 An old adage comes to mind......... "If i only knew then what i know now" Firstly, don't let anything i type/say in this post discourage you!! Currently, after about 6 years I can probably fill a moderate size calcium reactor with SPS skeletons Inexperience(chemistry and stability), buying from people without checking in on their past tank history, not dipping new arrivals (on trust) or improper dipping, not replacing the plug the frag is currently on, and so on and so forth. Unfortunately, there are some "variables" right there. The care requirements between SPS and LPS are quite staggering IMO as you can probably see from the poll, again IMO, it takes a special bred of person to care for and understand the chemistry that comes with SPS, not alone be a spectrum genius to not only keep it alive but make it thrive. When it comes to the chemistry of caring for SPS there also comes added special equipment such as controllers and calcium reactors. With SPS it's all about stability, lighting and nutrient export much like most all coral, but think of it at maybe a 10 fold situation, but i still look at it like a Mosquito can fly over my tank and fart as i'm feeding the fish and kill half my SPS colony and all my LPS are yelling, hey! Hurry up and get some of that meaty goodness over here! SPS/arcos are also very susceptible to rapid changes in water parameters such as alk, lighting changes and a rapid drop in phosphate. Meanwhile, most of the LPS are sayin' what's going on here? Did something happen? I'm confused. Sadly i can still fill about half the reactor with some rare LPS skeletons as well, it happens. Most of my personal box of shame has mostly come from equipment failures but a great deal of them were through my own negligence, ignorance and life inevitably getting in the way sometimes. Don't get me wrong though, you or anyone can achieve stability with the "low tech" approach of dosing 2-part and grow huge colonies It's about just how much of your time and "hands on" you prefer. At the end of the day with whatever it is it's all about stability anyway i guess. And at the same time like others have said, build around what appeals to you. Do you prefer Cactus like structures that don't move but can be VERY vibrant in colors and fluorescence? Or would you rather prefer to view your tank/achievement with the flowing movement of corals that sway with the current? (Torches/Anemones/Elegance? It's all personal preference. Like Manny said "both" it's very possible to have a mixed reef. The trick is, different corals want different things. I have no idea if you're new to the hobby or not but nevertheless, welcome to the PNWMAS! Any questions just ask away, lots of very friendly and knowledgeable people here ready to help. Okay, so i went and read your "introduce yourself" thread. Lots of truth there, if you don't know patience, this hobby will help teach you that, others have said nothing good happens fast in this hobby. Very true. But the payoff is unreal in the end. Just wait until you learn to frag your corals! Very fun and rewarding. To help us help you better can you share some of your current tank details? Tank size? Equipment? Parameters? Age/cycled-not cycled? Current inhabitants? Rock? Test kits? DISCLAIMER! I'm in no way a expert in any fashion in SPS/LPS Just sharing. Haha! 5-6 cups of morning Joe will create post's like these 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdxmonkeyboy Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 Ok, I will be the dickhead member and say what every experienced coral grower is thinking. If you have to ask, then you are NOT ready for SPS. You can buy them, sure, they will probably last for a couple of weeks, then... uh ooh. SPS are awesome, they are pretty much the only coral that interests me. That said, they take an incredible amount of dedication. They are EXPENSIVE and if you are willy nilly about tank maintenance, parameter monitoring or quarantine protocols, then you may have a very disheartening event, and one that costs you a LOT of money. I, like many, learned the hard way. Not testing newly mixed saltwater, not doing maintenance on my RODI, not testing water parameters regularly... or the "I will just dip it and put it in, he/she probably doesn't have bugs". Ammonia crash, acro eating flatworms, ich, alk spike, too much GFO, name it, I made those mistakes. My new system however is on lock down. I check my alk EVERY day. Every, single day. I have a hanna meter and it is easy and it is THAT important.. or at least I think it is. I check phos, nitrate, calcium, and iodine once a week. Everything goes through QT. Fish, corals, everything. I spend an average of about 3-4 hours a week reading about water chemistry, sps needs, nutrient export and monitoring, but mostly water chemistry. Obviously you don't have to do this, people do fine without QT or checking levels often. Do what makes you excited about the hobby but just know that there are not many shortcuts and your excitement may end up with a collection of dead SPS skeletons, each of which could have funded a nice meal out on the town with your GF or wife. I live in SW pdx, I have some purple montipora cap that I can give you and see what happens. At least you can start seeing what happens to alk and cal when you start adding calcifying organisms to your tank. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkAngel Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 Ok, I will be the dickhead member and say what every experienced coral grower is thinking. If you have to ask, then you are NOT ready for SPS. You can buy them, sure, they will probably last for a couple of weeks, then... uh ooh. SPS are awesome, they are pretty much the only coral that interests me. That said, they take an incredible amount of dedication. They are EXPENSIVE and if you are willy nilly about tank maintenance, parameter monitoring or quarantine protocols, then you may have a very disheartening event, and one that costs you a LOT of money. I, like many, learned the hard way. Not testing newly mixed saltwater, not doing maintenance on my RODI, not testing water parameters regularly... or the "I will just dip it and put it in, he/she probably doesn't have bugs". Ammonia crash, acro eating flatworms, ich, alk spike, too much GFO, name it, I made those mistakes. My new system however is on lock down. I check my alk EVERY day. Every, single day. I have a hanna meter and it is easy and it is THAT important.. or at least I think it is. I check phos, nitrate, calcium, and iodine once a week. Everything goes through QT. Fish, corals, everything. I spend an average of about 3-4 hours a week reading about water chemistry, sps needs, nutrient export and monitoring, but mostly water chemistry. Obviously you don't have to do this, people do fine without QT or checking levels often. Do what makes you excited about the hobby but just know that there are not many shortcuts and your excitement may end up with a collection of dead SPS skeletons, each of which could have funded a nice meal out on the town with your GF or wife. I live in SW pdx, I have some purple montipora cap that I can give you and see what happens. At least you can start seeing what happens to alk and cal when you start adding calcifying organisms to your tank. What?? With all your fancy fish and corals, I figured u have an Apex Platinum 6000 that does all that for you. [emoji14]Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdxmonkeyboy Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 Wouldnt that be niceSent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylorhardy1 Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 (edited) 27 minutes ago, pdxmonkeyboy said: Obviously you don't have to do this, people do fine without QT or checking levels often. Do what makes you excited about the hobby but just know that there are not many shortcuts and your excitement may end up with a collection of dead SPS skeletons, each of which could have funded a nice meal out on the town with your GF or wife. Your entire comment was spot on. But this definitely impacts me the most considering the losses Ive had over the last 6 weeks. There's plenty of "cheap" ($10-20) sps out there to get you into that world a bit. However cheap sps usually means bland, boring colors, and much less interesting growth patterns. I added a lot of cheaper sps. Never qt'd, dip processes varied, and I was quite honestly setting myself up for failure. Then after I had all those cheap pieces growing like weeds, I figured it was time to dive into the really high end stuff, $200+ acro nubs. Lost almost every named piece in my system now. My highest value acros would be tough to sell frags off of for more than $20. If you ever plan on keeping a coral or fish worth more than $30, I'd definitely say quarantine EVERYTHING. It's the most heartbreaking thing in the world to see corals you spent months working towards, and countless hours looking for, just get devoured by a pest. Knowing how little you can actually do to save it. After this whole ordeal I've actually begun building dedicated quarantine systems for my new house. Never ever gonna let another pest get into my main system. Edited June 1, 2018 by Taylorhardy1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdxmonkeyboy Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 It is hard to qt stuff. Not because of the work involved, but because you want to pull them out and put them in your tank. There are only two rules that coral people need to abide by:1. Don't shag hookers in Haiti without a condom.2. Trust nobodys frags.Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisQ Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 40 minutes ago, Taylorhardy1 said: Your entire comment was spot on. But this definitely impacts me the most considering the losses Ive had over the last 6 weeks. There's plenty of "cheap" ($10-20) sps out there to get you into that world a bit. However cheap sps usually means bland, boring colors, and much less interesting growth patterns. I added a lot of cheaper sps. Never qt'd, dip processes varied, and I was quite honestly setting myself up for failure. Then after I had all those cheap pieces growing like weeds, I figured it was time to dive into the really high end stuff, $200+ acro nubs. Lost almost every named piece in my system now. My highest value acros would be tough to sell frags off of for more than $20. If you ever plan on keeping a coral or fish worth more than $30, I'd definitely say quarantine EVERYTHING. It's the most heartbreaking thing in the world to see corals you spent months working towards, and countless hours looking for, just get devoured by a pest. Knowing how little you can actually do to save it. After this whole ordeal I've actually begun building dedicated quarantine systems for my new house. Never ever gonna let another pest get into my main system. After i lost that special OBT i still have that skeleton and will never throw it out, it serves as a constant reminder. What is really upsetting it it was probably one of those 15-20 frags that brought the egg clusters and worms in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisQ Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 23 minutes ago, pdxmonkeyboy said: It is hard to qt stuff. Not because of the work involved, but because you want to pull them out and put them in your tank. There are only two rules that coral people need to abide by: 1. Don't shag hookers in Haiti without a condom. 2. Trust nobodys frags. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk Haha! i wish i can "like and laugh" at the same time, i guess i just did! Whether it's my best friend that taught me reefing or my most trusted and well respected local vendors (2), it still goes through a very vigorous Bayer dipping routine. The routine got even more vigorous when i had a short but very nice chat at the May meeting Bert that explained to me that when dipping some LPS in Bayer such as a trachy for instance the rinsing routine becomes that much more important because corals such as this can fill themselves up with new water and expel the old fairly quickly, during it's time in the Bayer it's doing this and it becomes extremely important to add a couple more rinsing vessels and just go ahead and let him sit in the rinse for 15-20 mins at a time to give him the time to expel as much as possible or you WILL have dead shrimp if you don't take some extra simple steps. My acro dipping routine was easy 10ml of Bayer to 1 cup of tank water, 2 dedicated rinsing containers. The Acro gets blasted with a Bayer turkey baster for 10 mins straight nearly then it goes to the first of 2 rinsing containers containing twice the amount of tank water as the dip. They spend just a few minutes in there being basted the whole time with a separate dedicated rinsing baster then to the third and final with around the same time and process. Then it's mounted to a fresh plug and receives it's immigration papers and placed in the tank. I do my LPS much differently now. Never put a mounted acro in your tank from anyone, i know it's a bit heartbreaking to take your bone cutters and cut the "nub" off an encrusted plug and remount it on a fresh plug and literally tossing the encrusted plug over your shoulder, but it must be done unless you're going to take a fine toothed comb to it under strong magnification. It's simply not worth the risk. I haven't had an acro in so long i'm surprised i remembered the process With my parameters in much better shape these days i kinda want to try a Spongodes Montipora again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stylaster Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 More of an SPS fan myself i enjoy the challenge of keeping them and watching them grow into large colonies in a relatively fast amount of time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisQ Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 8 minutes ago, stylaster said: More of an SPS fan myself i enjoy the challenge of keeping them and watching them grow into large colonies in a relatively fast amount of time But you're the epitome of the "special bred of person" i spoke of earlier in a post 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdxmonkeyboy Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 Good points. I would even say you cut plugs off even if you have a fine tooth comb. Those planaria are very thin and they can lay eggs underneath the frag if there is a little crack. I do the things you listed then give them a week or two in a qt tank where i look at them with a magnifying glass. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisQ Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, pdxmonkeyboy said: Good points. I would even say you cut plugs off even if you have a fine tooth comb. Those planaria are very thin and they can lay eggs underneath the frag if there is a little crack. I do the things you listed then give them a week or two in a qt tank where i look at them with a magnifying glass. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk The comb, it was kind of a metaphor If i ever buy a piece again it gets chopped at the base of the "trunk" even slightly above it. This is and was the sacrifice when i joked about chopping and tossing the rest over your shoulder, hard for some people to see and have all that growth and just throw it in the garbage. I know i did when i first started buying them and not doing it and then................ That was an absolutely beautiful teal piece too Nasty buggers, and yes, look how small and hard to see they can be. Edited June 1, 2018 by ChrisQ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdxmonkeyboy Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 They are VERY hard to see. You can see bites with the naked eye buy the flatworms are clear and you need a lens to see them.Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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