first time trying sps corals

[ilikepie777]

Hi RC after doing countless amounts of research, dosing, testing, and switching to LEDs I think I'm finally ready to get my first sps coral so I was just wondering in your guys opinion what is the easiest, hardiest sps coral you have taken care of please reply thanks!

 

[Atomikk]

Montipora digitata:

 

[ilikepie777]

alright thanks

 

[sasharotty]

Monti caps, digi's and stylo's

 

[pantherguy30]

Green slimmer is fairly hardy and a good starter along with monti caps.

 

[ilikepie777]

isn't the green slimmer an acro though and arnt acros one of the hardest sps corals to keep?

 

[bobkill]

isn't the green slimmer an acro though and arnt acros one of the hardest sps corals to keep?

Yes acro do require a higher level on practice to maintain , however the green slimmer is one of the easier acro to keep.

I would start with the first suggestion on this thread or some birdnest , both cheaper and can take some beatings

 

[pantherguy30]

Think I got my first slimmer frag for around $5, though birds nests are good too, I just never cared for them. So it's more of a matter of taste. Another option is to buy a mystery browned out frag at your lfs, and see what happens.

 

[brad65ford]

Hard to kill a green slimmer (see pic on left ) Agree with the above monti's, pocillopora, birds nest are the first things that come in to my head for easy sps. Just keep alk/cal/mag in the check and you should be find. I would stay away from Milli's / Red planets and torts etc.. until the easy sps's are a walking the park.

 

[Andyf30]

^agree with this. get the beginner stuff going like crazy first, then try more difficult stuff. I've been getting good growth out of all of sps for over a year now, and still struggle with red planets. My milli's and oregon tort are doing great though. Everyone's tank is different

 

[epicurus84]

There is no such thing as an easy sps. They are all on the hard side of the coral table. When you can keep them, monti's are easy and grow like vermin. When you can't they can still be a pain.

 

[ashish]

Just stay away from acropora until you try some of the easier sps corals. Take it from me the hardier corals are far more enjoyable then the delicate one's that require absolute water chemistry consistency. For me and many people I know the best starter sps corals tend to be montipora (cap, digitata, branching), styropora, and birdnest. Add some cool LPS corals aswell as these give the tank a great movement and color. Assuming you purchase the 3 SPS I mentioned, if you can't keep them happy or alive I would re-evaluate your husbandry, flow, and lighting before adding more sps. It's important you allow your tank to mature aswell as many sps don't do well in tanks less then a year old. good luck

 

[Charley Diesing]

Honestly sometimes it just depends on the tank. In my tank I can't keep birdsnest, or stylo for some reason. But most acros, monti's, digi's, etc thrive. Just when you start out don't put too much of an investment on one single coral. Good luck!

 

[ashish]

The hardest part about new sps hobbyist is: Not taking acclimation to lighting seriously, Not know where to put them and keep moving them, Not knowing if there un-happy until it's 2 late, Not having a good sense of how to display them, not having the correct flow, not knowing how to keep chemistry stable, thinking they can handle just one more fish, not knowing how to glue or epoxy sps(loctite super glue gel or loctite expoxy is avail at walmart) - if there on a rock use expoxy, if not on a large rock use super glue..

Thing I wish I was told before adding SPS:
Create an aquascape that is fit for SPS with flat overhangs and minimal rock. Underhangs will provide a good acclimation point for new corals. Buy some controllable pumps, vortechs or tunzes (I know it sucks but they take out all the guess work in the flow department). Figure out how to keep your calcium & alk stable -everything else is secondary and will fall into place (as long as you don't overcrowd with fish)... Study other's tanks on TOTM and realize that the key is 2 physical things - turbulent gentle flow and very high lighting. If these things are adequate you can afford some instability in the chemistry department. Provide bad flow and lighting as well as chemistry then your doomed. Sometimes it's as simple as your tank is not mature enough to handle SPS and it's in mother natures hands. Take your time do it right the first time..

 

[epicurus84]

Provide bad flow and lighting as well as chemistry then your doomed. Sometimes it's as simple as your tank is not mature enough to handle SPS and it's in mother natures hands. Take your time do it right the first time..

I don't agree about the mature part of the tank. My current tank was cycled with dead rock for 2 weeks, then moved my old live rock and water to the new tank. I would NOT advice anyone to do this. But the tank is now starting to mature after 6 months.

Where in my old tank any acro would die of STN (with some exeptions) in this tank everything i dump in grows.

Imho its all the other parts. Decent flow stable parameters and decent lighting (good lighting for good coloring). When a tank is cycled you can add any coral you want as long as you got the expirience of keeping SPS corals already. A complete newbie to the hobby (without friends that directly help him) should start with soft or LPS corals and see how they react.