A Hardy, Fast Growing, Pretty & Inexpensive Coral...Does it exist?

[Lazysavage]

Jack o Lantern Leptoseris. This pic is not the best but if you could imagine high orange on those stripes.

 

[Gogol_frag]

Is this even a serious question? I can think of half a dozen off the top of my head...

Pray share the info with us plebs, pretty-please with sugar-on-top.

 

[Calizoa]

Getting the colonies going. Rainbow Ectlectus and Eclectus jawbreakers that look like a bleeding Apple Scoli

 

[rhostam]

I was going to go fish only. But then I saw some tanks and discovered that some of the creatures I noticed first were things that [met this criteria] right off the bat for me like:

* sarcophyton
* pachyclavularia
* duncanopsammia
* zoanthids
* mushrooms (rhodactis in particular)

Quite literally a whole new world opened up because of these budget friendly, attractive, and hardy creatures. Perhaps basic, but they still are a pleasure to observe.

I decided I would try corals because of them and am so glad I did. Now my eyes are open to other creatures like:

* goniopora
* euphyllia
* cynarina
* trachyphyllia
* acanthophyllia

 

[WallyB]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder! I'm sure there are some who find Kenya Tree pretty. I know in talking to an LFS owner a number of years ago, I asked why he didn't have any Kenya Tree. He told me he couldn't keep it in stock....it quickly sold out. So folks are looking for, and buying, inexpensive corals which some might consider pest-like.

I agree with @Mike from TN and @fachatga , I always liked my GSP, watching it wave back and forth in the motion of the tank, and I'm also not a "name-freak" when it comes to buying corals. There are many no-name corals for very little that, by my eye, are beautiful. I just like to watch them grow.

I totally Agree.

When you start in this Hobby, having a Beige Leather and keeping it alive is Beauty and achievement.

Most corals after you have them for a while loose their excite factor.

I remember a long time ago when I started reefing, I was in a store with a bunch of Corals on Display.
I knew nothing about corals, and pests, and stuff.

There was a something in that Tank that caught my eye. Look beautiful, errie and I wanted one.
It was realy Big Green and Shiny. Perfect Symetry.

I asked for the price. The store owner told me I don't really want one.

What was it?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valonia_ventricosa

While on the Topic of Cheap and Fast Growing (Interesting) Corals.

Back then I really liked Pulsing Xenia.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=puls...ECAEQAw&biw=1314&bih=930#imgrc=y7K4BkGsSn15ZM

I could never get them to Pulse, or multply.
But I gave one piece of Xenia to a fellow reefer. They grew, multiplied and pulsed beautifly.

Over time his 90 Gallon Tank was nothing but Wall-to-Wall Pulsing Xenia.

That was a Spectacular Sight!!

 

[Just John]

Dude, you said it in your description, Invasive! I am almost positive that the author of the survey didn't mean to include Invasive in the list. I think what the point is to find some amazing looking, lower priced, faster growing corals that aren't Invasive either.

It's only invasive if you let it be. Give it it's own island and it is happy by itself. Just keep it in check.

 

[A2dahlberg]

As a noob I would say GSP. First one I fragged, easy to grow, was pretty cheap. My entire Nano is easy corals that look good. (when it will fill in) Zoa island (11 Zoas) Mushrooms ( 3 different kinds including a yuma) Devil's Hand, Kenya tree, Pulsing Xenia (Nub), and 3 Feather Dusters.
Hardy, inexpensive, and fast growing, plus easy to frag too.

 

[iMi]

I would say GSP and Xenia both fall into this category. Also, there are plenty of zoas and shrooms that are dirt cheep and beautiful. Green finger leather can be very pretty. I have one and LOVE it.

 

[Gogol_frag]

I was going to go fish only. But then I saw some tanks and discovered that some of the creatures I noticed first were things that [met this criteria] right off the bat for me like:

* sarcophyton
* pachyclavularia
* duncanopsammia
* zoanthids
* mushrooms (rhodactis in particular)

Quite literally a whole new world opened up because of these budget friendly, attractive, and hardy creatures. Perhaps basic, but they still are a pleasure to observe.

I decided I would try corals because of them and am so glad I did. Now my eyes are open to other creatures like:

* goniopora
* euphyllia
* cynarina
* trachyphyllia
* acanthophyllia

Very cool looking corals!! Well done.

 

[Young@Heart]

Well I got one medium sized (what the guy I got it from Called a Japanese Toadstool - Grows like a week - Had it for 2 Years. Have it has 9 off spring - just feed it and good flow - its happy. Have it split between two reef tanks as this point.

 

[elysics]

Favias are amongst my favorite. I've always liked favias, favites, maze brains and the rest but nowadays with the small frags being norm I'm not planning to really keep many. They grow way to slow for me. 10 years ago I remember getting 6"x6" chunks for what a 1-2" frag tends to sell for now.

That's not neccesarily a bad thing though. Like you said, they grow slow, so all those big chunks were ripped out of reefs, maybe with prices going up, aqua- and maricultured ones will replace that.

 

[gdw]

I would say that there are several fast growing, hardy and inexpensive, I consider them all beautiful.

1. Actinodiscus mushrooms
2. Pulsing xenia
3. Blue clove
4. Sinularia
5. Seriatopora -any and all variants
6. Green star polyp (or the zergs )

I see above the issue of treating them as a pest, I believe that under that definition of a pest, any fastgrowing coral is a pest. That being said, I did not add the parazoanthus yellow polyp because it does sting its neighbors, so its growth MUST be controlled or the others will suffer.... all other fastgrowers mentioned above do not have this issue,

 

[ThatPhillyReefer]

ZOANTHIDS!!!!

 

[Junkmanthom]

Zoas would have to be my top dog in this fight.

The amount of color variety is by far larger than any other coral.

Majority are inexpensive and majority grow fast and take over.

These golden variety have grown the fastest in my tank, someone here will know the name
hahah

The big colony are Mohican Suns

 

[TexanReefer]

Not a coral, but rock flower anemones can be fairly cheap and are stunning.

 

[izzyishh]

There is plenty of cheap, nice looking coral you can more than likely get from local reefers:

Zoas-
Utter Chaos $10pp
Rastas $2-5pp

SPS-
Birds Nest $10-20
Purple Planet $15-20
Indo No names $10-50

Bizzaro Cypestria $20

Shrooms-
Golden Dragons $30-50pp

 

[tamanning]

I have two stylophoras with great polyp extension and I got them very cheap.

 

[Wayne Kruger]

The Neon Green Cabbage Coral, I have one in my tank, its the hardiest coral I have in my tank apart from my Palythoas.
It looks like a type of montipora, but its just a leather coral. Bought mine for like N$150.00 about $10.47 for a small piece.

 

[Gogol_frag]

I would say that there are several fast growing, hardy and inexpensive, I consider them all beautiful.

1. Actinodiscus mushrooms
2. Pulsing xenia
3. Blue clove
4. Sinularia
5. Seriatopora -any and all variants
6. Green star polyp (or the zergs )

I see above the issue of treating them as a pest, I believe that under that definition of a pest, any fastgrowing coral is a pest. That being said, I did not add the parazoanthus yellow polyp because it does sting its neighbors, so its growth MUST be controlled or the others will suffer.... all other fastgrowers mentioned above do not have this issue,

You had me "Seriatopora". I am planning my foray into these inverts in a coupla weeks. If successful, i plan on loading up on these puppies. Fingers-crossed.

 

[Gogol_frag]

The Neon Green Cabbage Coral, I have one in my tank, its the hardiest coral I have in my tank apart from my Palythoas.
It looks like a type of montipora, but its just a leather coral. Bought mine for like N$150.00 about $10.47 for a small piece.

Nice Wayne!! So, N$ ... are you based out of Namibia?