Softies most prized and/or avoided

[benray4fun]

Hi guys, I'm now ready to get into full blown reefing and I'd like to know
which softies are your most prized and/or avoided. I don't know much about'm and I'm trying to learn as fast as possible...."thanks for any input".

 

[BLKTANG]

avoid xenia, colect neon green Sinulara. IMO.

 

[Skateboarder]

Neon green Sinularia, Green polyped toadstool. Both which I own Definately avoid xenia unless you want a tank full of it.

 

[Hormigaquatica]

Toadstool and finger leathers- Sarcophyton and Lobophytum sp. Xenia are general easy to keep- but can grow FAST, same with Star Polps and encrusting Gorgonian. Green Sinularia is pretty easy to keep normally too.
Definitly avoid Scleronephthya and Dendronephthya, and any other branching soft coral with really bright, flashy colors- theyre pretty much doomed in captivity.

 

[benray4fun]

I have a star polyp right now, I just bought it cause I want it to grow on the wall of my overflow. hopefully it will grow there and stop, if I'm wrong please let me know so I can isolate it immediately...

 

[johnnybravo234]

You can keep it under control if you cut it back. I have my colony on a rock out in the sand in order to keep it from spreading. I "trim" it every couple of weeks and elastic band the trimmings to small rocks and bring them to the lfs to trade for other stuff.

 

[benray4fun]

damn, great idea johnny, I'll definitely have to try that...

 

[Cody Ray]

Theres no reason not to keep xenia and gsp. They just need to be trimmed back.

 

[fsn77]

You can keep xenia from spreading everywhere by only having it on a rock that limits its growth. For the longest time, I had only one stalk and it had grown to the diameter of the piece of rubble it was attached to (slightly smaller than a golf ball). Since the stalk wasn't able to spread anymore, it started growing branches like crazy. I decided to move it to a larger rock, but first fragged off all of the branches onto small pieces of rubble. Every couple of weeks, I can take in a couple of frags or re-frag them onto other pieces of rubble. Yes, it does grow quickly if it likes your tank, but it is rather easy to control. Limit its space (and anything the stalk can touch), and you'll limit its growth.

If you want highly desired, neon green polyped leather. I certainly wish I had one.

I'd avoid yellow leathers, unless you can find one that looks healthy, which I have not been able to do locally. They can be touchy.

 

[gasman059]

Xenia only at the top!

Xenia only at the top!

If you are keeping it only at the top and corners and keep an eye cause d f*&$^*&^$ loves the light LOL

 

[JasonLL]

Neon green polyped toadstool gets my vote as well. It's my favorite coral in the tank. Here's a pic of a frag of mine. I don't have a good pic of the mother colony.

 

[djmuzzi]

if you do not live in southern California, you can sell Xenia offspring back to the stores. If you do live here however, you might get a fair trade for a frag of algae....

 

[kiknchikn]

I personally love ricordeas. My entire nano will be filled with them at some point I'm sure. They're like pokemon or something, you have an urge to collect them all (the different color morphs).

 

[Skinwatch]

My favorite is my yellow fiji leather, I also would recomend Ricorida as well, orange ricordia in particular. It's a little pricey but relativly easy to care for and looks awesome! Avoid mushrooms, much like xenia they'll take over.

 

[kiknchikn]

I personally think mushrooms (discosomas) are a great choice for a starter coral. They're practically indestructable, grow and spread quickly, and they're a great introduction into coral propagation. One $5 mushroom can also save you much more money on future corals if you propagate them and trade them in to the LFS for store credit.