what's the hardest to keep acro?

[Drae]

Is there any acropora that are NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE? And what acro's are just tough to keep?

 

[franklypre]

wild acros are probably the most difficult, other than that the icefire echinata's dont' seem to fair well overall. Most SPS is do to knowledge/patience and persistence, personally I have decent luck with chop shop vendors to locally aquacultured acros. Sometimes you get a piece that doesn't thrive but good WQ, flow and good lighting will keep most any acro. Just my .02

 

[karsseboom]

Wild aussi echinata

 

[Drae]

So do aquacultered colonies genetically adapt to the slight instabilities we put them through? In other words, if someone has a colony they have good luck with in their tank and they frag it a few times is the next reefer more likely have luck with it?

 

[Drae]

I looked that coral up on vivid and on difficulty they say they're easy in a sps tank! Lol

 

[karsseboom]

So do aquacultered colonies genetically adapt to the slight instabilities we put them through? In other words, if someone has a colony they have good luck with in their tank and they frag it a few times is the next reefer more likely have luck with it?

Wild corals are pulled right from the ocean. They are not adapted to life in an aquarium. They are very unpredictable and can live for a long time or just RTN out of no where.

Aquaculture corals are already adopted to aqaurium conditions and are a lot more forgiving with parameters.

 

[karsseboom]

I looked that coral up on vivid and on difficulty they say they're easy in a sps tank! Lol

That's false wild echinata is very very difficult to keep in home aquariums. I have done it before but have lost a few colony's on the way. Even aquaculture echinata is challenging.

 

[franklypre]

In vivid's defense all SPS are easy, so long as you have a good SPS tank. Seriously though if you're interested in SPS as a challenge start with some local frags or something that is aquacultured. Mariculture FYI is just like wild only grown on plugs for our hobby, same pests, same issues as wild. I thought about this question most of the day and aside from wild the hardest acro to keep is an ideally colored rainbow as I have yet to see one in person that holds any type of rainbow once in a tank.

 

[Drae]

I do simple sps. I'm going to try my hand at some acropora though. I have good luck with seriatapora, stylophora, montipora digitata, and porites. No acro's yet though. I'm going to order a couple milli frags, torts, and a prostata frags. Are certain colors harder to maintain?

 

[franklypre]

Harder isnt' really the best way to put it IMO, some tanks do best with some but can't keep others, some never have issues with anything. Just keep it simple and build slowly, get the coral you like and spend what you can afford. Getting corals from locals is my personal pref.

 

[smtank]

A.Gomezi for me.

 

[Piper27]

Harder isnt' really the best way to put it IMO, some tanks do best with some but can't keep others, some never have issues with anything. Just keep it simple and build slowly, get the coral you like and spend what you can afford. Getting corals from locals is my personal pref.

I agree, everyones tank is different so there aren't going to be many "right answers". Although I am sure there are a couple that a large group have trouble with. A side note, I am not sure what a rainbow is anymore. I see many people calling two colored corals rainbows. What is a rainbow? 4 colors?

 

[bobkill]

That's false wild echinata is very very difficult to keep in home aquariums. I have done it before but have lost a few colony's on the way. Even aquaculture echinata is challenging.

I agree with this - I have tryed wild enchinta and aqua and it's not a nice coral to play with- I am 2/6 on it - they 2 pieces I have now are doing well but if you look at them they loose there striking blue tips -

I think they are some easy genalzed quantitative grouping
More changeling = wild > mari > aqua
Acro > stylo/seria +_ monti
Acro deep water > other sp > milli

Not perfect science

 

[JAustin]

Smtank, funny you say that. I have a gomezi that is exploding with growth.

I have a mari abro I'm dealing with now that refuses to be anything but dark red and pink.

 

[smtank]

Smtank, funny you say that. I have a gomezi that is exploding with growth.

I have a mari abro I'm dealing with now that refuses to be anything but dark red and pink.

I absolutely love A.Gomezi.

It was not a coral I could keep though.

In my attempt to make it happy I tried higher lighting, lower lighting, more flow.....All over the course of a year.

Perhaps I should try it again. Here is an image of mine, the coral never showed much in the way of PE despite all other acropora growing well and showing good PE.

I would love to see an image of yours, it's such a beautiful coral.

 

[JAustin]

Smtank, there is my green gomezi on the left. Where are you located?

 

[Drae]

Smtank, there is my green gomezi on the left. Where are you located?

That tank looks great!

 

[smtank]

@JAustin, I lost the piece some time ago. It was at the high in the tank under halide. I have read that A. Gomezi does better lower. Thank you for the response.

@Drae, sorry for the highjack.

 

[64Ivy]

As far as I'm concerned: A. abrotanoides.

 

[cmaxwell39]

Any that you spent too much money on, or that you really, really want. In all seriousness though, like others have said, it just depends on the tank. There are a few corals that have come from very reputable sources that no matter how many times I try I cannot get to keep colored/survive in my tank. Other corals that a buddy has a hard time keeping grows like a weed in my tank. I also have not had good luck overall with wild/mari stuff, but have a few that have done really well for me.

If you want to try SPS, find someone local that will give you a few cheap frags to try and see how they do over the next couple of months. Use that time to learn more about these rewarding, yet frustrating consumers of calcium that take up real estate in our tanks.