Best tester coral

[Naiad]

I am going to stick this here even though it isn't just softies I am interested in. What is your guys opinions on the best corals to "test" a new tank. I am not talking about indestructible newbie corals *Kenya tree cough* but a coral that will give you a good gauge of your tanks setup. Of course one doesnt want corals that melt if you look at them sideways either [emoji33]

 

[twilliard]

Green star polyps

 

[KJ]

Green star polyps

A+

 

[twilliard]

A+

Hi KJ!
Its so amazing that so many think these are almost considered a pest. But the truth to it is I bet money if you introduce these into a ULNS tank they will die.
GSP's are the best indicators of the lack of nutrients.
You can blast them with light all day long.. but without nutrients they will wither and die.
That is why I use them in my tank

 

[Naiad]

Hi KJ!
Its so amazing that so many think these are almost considered a pest. But the truth to it is I bet money if you introduce these into a ULNS tank they will die.
GSP's are the best indicators of the lack of nutrients.
You can blast them with light all day long.. but without nutrients they will wither and die.
That is why I use them in my tank

You have a point. I think pulsing xenia would work similar to this as well. Too much nutrition and they take over but if something such as iodine is lacking they will melt away. Having good growth yet slow spread of these corals would be a good monitor of nutrients. I would expect nutrients to be somewhat high in a freshly cycled tank though.

 

[Squishie89]

What I did when I was testing my coral quarantine tank to make sure I had the lighting/parameters/flow correct is first my local club had "frag-fest" where colonies are cut up fresh and given out. Everything died but a duncan, but this gave me insight into some things I needed to change (but also I think fresh cuts + new tank = death). After a few weeks I went to a LFS and picked out a handful of cheap corals that I at least somewhat liked. I know I picked up an octospawn, zoas, stylo, slipper coral, poci., I think that was it.

My best advice is to get something you may want later on, don't get corals you don't like. I got a variety of corals because I like a mixed reef, so I needed to make sure everything would be good. Leathers, zoas, euph, stylo, birdsnest are all, I feel, some good tester corals. (FWIW the corals I got from the LFS all survived and are still with me)

 

[Sabellafella]

Hi KJ!
Its so amazing that so many think these are almost considered a pest. But the truth to it is I bet money if you introduce these into a ULNS tank they will die.
GSP's are the best indicators of the lack of nutrients.
You can blast them with light all day long.. but without nutrients they will wither and die.
That is why I use them in my tank

Bingoooo