"Built not bought!"

[Mark75]

So,..I am looking at my new sps tank with several 3/4"-1" frags randomly place on the rocks with the realization that it will be several months to a year before my tank actually looks nice.

I spent my youth drag racing and prided myself on building my own cars as opposed to the rich kids that bought the fastest thing at the track yet had no knowledge of why it was the fastest,...that is where the saying comes from,.."built not bought".

Is this the same in keeping sps? Should I be buying colonies for a quicker result? Any advantage to starting with sticks?

 

[joshky]

I prefer frags because you get to enjoy watching them grow from nothing, opposed to an "instant reef" by throwing in a bunch of wild and maricultured colonies. The biggest advantage of starting from frags is your frags will have the opportunity to grow based on your flow and lighting; if you take a colony from the wild you may never be able to replicate where it grew which can adversely affect the coral. Also aquacultured SPS with a long lineage are generally much easier to keep happy and colored up, opposed to a wild/mari counterpart.

That being said there are plenty of people who buy wild and maricultured colonies and have absolutely jaw dropping reefs. It takes a lot of skill, and a little bit of luck to keep some of the wild/mari pieces colored up.

I'm sure other's will be able to chime in on this subject more.

 

[dadummy]

Instant gratification, fill up a tank with beautiful coral and six months later do it again. I bet after those kids wrapped their car around a pole, dad bought them a new one. Starting with frags and growing them out into beautiful colonies, you have achieved something. Have to learn to drive the tank before you can win the race.

If you have the experience, knowledge and large enough system for colonies to grow in why not.

 

[tripdad]

I aim for somewhere in the middle. ( By the way my first drag car I put together from pieces so I get your passion) I try and buy a few larger frags/mini colonies to help fill in the reef while my more expensive frags grow out from 1" or less nubs. Helps to keep me enthused and helps my wife "see" where all my efforts are going.

 

[cFloor]

I like the idea of starting a tank with frags. I like the way they grow together more than placing colonies all over. That being said, both look amazing.

 

[Mark75]

If this tank grows out I can say with certainty I built it! My largest frag measures maybe 2", from more than 10' away the tank just looks like a bunch of rocks.:lol:

My wife is really not impressed with my $4500 investment.:uhoh3:

The tank has 10 frags and I think I will stop for now and watch them grow,...hopefully. I am looking forward to having to start dosing 2 part.:dance: Being able to keep up with alk/cal using only kalk is not where I want to be.:rolleye1:

 

[Myka]

The other thing with buying colonies is that their growth pattern changes when you put them in your tank. I like to buy some frags and some maricultured mini-colonies.

 

[Icefire]

I like to buy Maricultured mini colony for the same price as frag (40-60$cdn)

 

[SPS911]

You'll have more success with frags because they will go in a shape that is conducive to your tank and where they are placed. Keeping a colony that was grown elsewhere can be difficult.

 

[Wazzel]

I have always started with frags. I have a builder mentality. I like watching the corals take shape over time. For some reason starting wit colonies does not seem like it would be as rewarding.

 

[Myka]

For some reason starting wit colonies does not seem like it would be as rewarding.

In a way it's more rewarding because maricultured mini colonies are generally more difficult to acclimate than most frags.

 

[billdogg]

I prefer to use frags and grow them out. IMO it looks more natural that way.

Here's my tank at 1 year (on the left) and at 2 years:



And at 2 1/2 years:




and again at 3 1/2:



As you can see, things are beginning to grow together/around each other, just like in the real world.

 

[Deftones2015]

Looks like your tank has filled in nicely billdogg

 

[billdogg]

Give it another 10 years or so.....