Picking SPS Corals - How do you pick the 'right' corals?

[Grandlotus]

Their are so many corals out their and I am on the tail end of the learning curve, IMO. 4~5 years in the hobby.
I have a lot of simple sps's in my 29 gallon, but I now have a 65 RR tank and want to put better SPS's in my tank.

So, How do you guys go about selecting the perfect corals and more importantly, where do you go to buy your SPS's?!

Thanks.

 

[creefer01]

That's kind of an interesting question to ask. SPS are interesting beasts. You can pick up a browned out, crappy looking frag and it can become something stellar in 6 months or so. You can also pick up a gorgeous looking frag only to watch it change and not thrive in your system for man months then suddenly take off.

For me, I get most at frag swaps or from local reefers. I've picked up a few pieces on-line, but prefer local reefers for the best quality. Well....that and my office is a mile from Cherry Corals. Bad thing for the addiction.

 

[franklypre]

If you've kept acros for a while and have kept them colorful I'd recommend Copps personally as far as a hobbyist, if you want a good vendor check the sponsor threads.

 

[UTCReefer]

There are so many choices. Look for what is pleasing to your eye and not just what is popular at the moment. Since you are limited on space stay away from plating montipora's, encrusting ones are good. Acro's are easy to control and are a good choice.

 

[fijisrfr]

Their are so many corals out their and I am on the tail end of the learning curve, IMO. 4~5 years in the hobby.
I have a lot of simple sps's in my 29 gallon, but I now have a 65 RR tank and want to put better SPS's in my tank.

So, How do you guys go about selecting the perfect corals and more importantly, where do you go to buy your SPS's?!

Thanks.

.+1 on all responses, however if you think you're at the end of the learning curve, your happily mistaken. After 20+ years keeping marine aquariums I'm still learning. This is one aspect of this hobby that makes it rewarding.

 

[cugly]

I think best part is getting something that you like because it looks good to you you're the one looking at your tank make it to how you envision it..its the challenge that keeps me going...im always on a hunt for sticks I havent seen before. But I also like to see a brown frag turns into something really nice..

 

[MammothReefer]

I think we all have our favorites. I know over the years there are just some pieces that appeal to me for whatever reason, and some I just avoid because of poor track records I've had with them in the past.

 

[Grandlotus]

Thanks for the many reply's. Everyone's advise will be taken since I will have to purchase a few more acro's. I will also look into the websites that have been provided and will also look at the sponsors page.

 

[Rollins4Miles]

I wouldn't say you're at the tail-end of the learning curve. You have a year or two more experience than I do in the saltwater hobby. You'd be surprised at how much you actually know but don't realize that you know it. If you're already keeping SPS alive and well in your system then you're ahead of the curve. You state that you're keeping simple SPS at the moment, but in my opinion 99% of the SPS in the trade are simple to keep.

I buy all of my SPS from fellow reefers in the area. I've just found that buying from stores who have to mark up their prices to cover their overhead gets too costly after a while. If I'm looking for a very specific piece and only a store has it then I'll buy it if the price is reasonable. Primarily, I use either Craigslist or a local reef forum and hunt that way. You get much better deals on the coral and you get an insight on the aquarium setup that the coral is currently in. You can usually trade corals as well which is always a great practice to get involved in. Plus there's no added money for shipping and less stress on the coral.

The coral itself is also important. I always look for good coloration and polyp extension. Too many times I have purchased corals that were either off colored or didn't have good polyp extension when they should have. I ended up wasting a lot of money by buying these corals. If you can get a great deal on a piece of SPS that may be browned out then by all means go for it. It can be very rewarding in the end. I avoid maricultured and wild pieces as they've proven to be a bit temperamental compared to aquacultured pieces.

It's all subjective. As someone posted above, purchase what you like and not what's popular. Down the road, when you start getting into coral propagation, you can pick up some higher end pieces which will eventually pay for themselves.

 

[squaretankguy08]

I agree with what everyone else has said about getting them from local reefers. There are a few guy that have amazing stuff locally to me that always are reasonable with their prices. Even for some of the ones with direct lineage since most people around here aren't into sps. I find myself drooling over the pieces on ATL on a regular basis just haven't ever ordered anything…yet.

 

[Grandlotus]

I am by far a pro, I guess the 'end of the learning curve' comment got a few people upset so let me clarify:
noun: learning curve; plural: noun: learning curves: the rate of a person's progress in gaining experience or new skills.
Their is always more to be learned, but now I am giving advise to LFS's and local reefers.

I have been trying to meet local reefers, but their are few in my area with any sps's that are worthwhile. I actually bit the bullet and placed in an order from mrcoral. I will have to do a separate post with my FTS/new corals sometime in the near future.

Thanks again for the advise. I was always looking for those designer corals, but I feel like all the corals in my tank can't be designers or else I would go broke.

 

[Jmcgreef]

I too started my first SPS venture after a few years in the hobby. I picked up ~8 frags about a month ago. 2 are having a tough time and the other 6 are growing and thriving. They seem to be fairly finicky but a stable environment seems to provide them the best chance for success. Good luck!

I got my frags from a LFS but I'd probably say local reefers would be just as good, if not better to buy from

 

[Rollins4Miles]

I am by far a pro, I guess the 'end of the learning curve' comment got a few people upset so let me clarify:
noun: learning curve; plural: noun: learning curves: the rate of a person's progress in gaining experience or new skills.
Their is always more to be learned, but now I am giving advise to LFS's and local reefers.

I have been trying to meet local reefers, but their are few in my area with any sps's that are worthwhile. I actually bit the bullet and placed in an order from mrcoral. I will have to do a separate post with my FTS/new corals sometime in the near future.

Thanks again for the advise. I was always looking for those designer corals, but I feel like all the corals in my tank can't be designers or else I would go broke.

I understand that it can be very difficult to grasp the tone of written communications, but that first statement with the definition comes off a bit condescending. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and say it's just me, lol.

Congrats on the coral purchase! I can't wait to see the new pieces. Keep us posted!

 

[GhostCon1]

I am by far a pro, I guess the 'end of the learning curve' comment got a few people upset so let me clarify:
noun: learning curve; plural: noun: learning curves: the rate of a person's progress in gaining experience or new skills.
Their is always more to be learned, but now I am giving advise to LFS's and local reefers.

I have been trying to meet local reefers, but their are few in my area with any sps's that are worthwhile. I actually bit the bullet and placed in an order from mrcoral. I will have to do a separate post with my FTS/new corals sometime in the near future.

Thanks again for the advise. I was always looking for those designer corals, but I feel like all the corals in my tank can't be designers or else I would go broke.

Good luck to you with mrcoral. Will follow along to see how yours go.

 

[JP SPS]

A coral or frag of a coral that you can get that was grown in a tank by somebody local is 1000x better than buying anything from a LFS or online straight from the ocean simply because they are so much more hardy.

I have some awesome tricolor acros, staghorns, and green slimers that I got locally that I absolutely cannot kill no matter how bad I mess up. These things are a few generations removed from the ocean and very well acclimated to tank life. On the other hand I find a good percentage of new corals I buy die off even under perfect parameters.

Local corals from colonies that have been in a reef tank for years for me is the absolute best. And most often they are way cheaper. Reef clubs and craigslist are your friends!