easier colorful sps

[Mrbeachbum2]

Have t5 lighting on my 75 g. I have a few caps now and not exactly sure what else. What would you recommend?

 

[mrstihl]

Digitata and birdsnests are pretty easy.

 

[dieselgrk]

orange and red digis, monti caps, sunset monti, green slimmer, setosa are all easy to care for and easy to keep colorful in my opinion.... hope that helps

 

[epleeds]

how many bulbs do you have over the 75? if you have 6 or 8 and you use good bulbs, you can grow almost anything..

 

[Mrbeachbum2]

I have the tek 8 bulb fixture. But since there's only 2 switches and heats has been an issue, it's been only on 4 bulbs. I have the lights to turn off on 80.4F and am scared to see what 8 bulbs would do!

 

[Giglamesh]

green dallas?

 

[JALREEFER]

Put a fan on it. I have a 8 bulb with no chiller just a fan and my temp swings from 79-80. Fan comes on at 80

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[Mrbeachbum2]

Do you use the clamp on fans? Everyone seems to be out of them? I have a fan over my sump now.

 

[SaltwaterAdict]

Yeah, I like this thread. Not looking for hard to keep ones. Anyone else have good recommendations for easy to keep sps corals?

 

[velvetelvis]

They're really common, but for my money nothing beats a nice big colony of digitata. The maricultured orange ones that come in from Bali (you can get them on DD) are a little pricey, but good-sized, with nice heavy branches instead of the spindly ones you see on a lot of digis. IMO, they can be really beautiful once they get some size on them.

I used to have a small green slimer acro that grew rapidly and was very hardy--it also stood up well to plenty of (unintentional) abuse.

 

[allsps40]

I personally dont think any sps are hard to keep and grow. Its keeping the colors that is hard. But ones for beginners are caps, digis, green slimmer, some birdsnest, porities. But like I said I feel that one is no harder than the other to keep and grow well. Good lighting and water quality is all there is to it in a nut shell. I feel that is the part of this hobby that thats the most work and is the hardest thing about it. Even then thats not really hard, water testing, water changes and dosing that all of maybe 1-2 hours MAX a week.

 

[sedor]

I agree...SPS in general aren't all that difficult to keep so long as you have the proper equipment and you pay attention to your tank. Softies in general are considered "easier" because they can tolerate dirtier water, but they also come with their own difficulties. The types previously mentioned are good starters, and stay away from wild caught coral. These days aqua-culturing is becoming so much more prevalent that generally they are the majority in the stores though so you shouldn't have a problem.

 

[Laurier]

I agree. Try to get as much stuff from local people who grow sps. IMO i have had better growth and color our of frags from other people that are now the size of aqua cultured colonies that I have purchased.

 

[Radioheadx14]

Can't go wrong with Digis. I love them, they grow fast, are very colorful and pretty hardy. Green stylophora and pocillopora damicornis are both good, colorful fast growers that are colorful.

 

[divewsharks]

I have the tek 8 bulb fixture. But since there's only 2 switches and heats has been an issue, it's been only on 4 bulbs. I have the lights to turn off on 80.4F and am scared to see what 8 bulbs would do!

why do you turn the lights off at 80.4? that is not a dangerous temperature.

 

[flamron]

why do you turn the lights off at 80.4? that is not a dangerous temperature.

Mine are set to turn off at 84.8 - and my tank runs 82.5-83.3 every day of the year.

 

[cwegescheide]

go with aquacultured stuff. Only time I have problems is with wild stuff.

 

[allsps40]

Yeah I hear you on the wild stuff. It never makes it. LFS as a nice one that is growing and getting blue tips. Almost want to get it but dont want to chance it dieing and wilds seem to do. I do have one wild but it got fried by a recent light issue.