Hi I’m sorta new to salt water but now that I have had my tank up for just under 6 months I feel as though I can start purchasing corals. I was wondering where people in the upstate area tend to get their corals and if I’d be better ordering through my LFS or doing it on my own.
Thanks, Matt
Matt,
It sort of depends. Generally, I think people would say, particularly when starting out, the best places in order are: 1) fellow hobbyists; 2) frag swaps; and 3) local stores/on-line vendors/local people who sell on-line.
Giving a brief description of your setup and what you're hoping to keep long term may help people respond. On a related note, how confident are you in picking the types of corals you want to add? Do you want/need help picking your first corals?
It may seem like a strange question but, you might also want to ask yourself how 'risk adverse' you are. Buying from local hobbyists may be the least expensive but, may also present the highest possibility of introducing pests into your system. My big tank, 180 gallons, still has some aiptasia and bubble algae from my first 8 gallon tank. My 60 gallon cube, set up more recently, has neither, due to care both in picking corals to add as well as doing things like dipping corals and removing the ones I thought might have a risk of pests from their frag plugs before introduction.
You also probably need to think about budget. Others might disagree but, if you buy from someplace like 'Divers Den' from Liveaquaria, I think you're virtually guaranteed not to be introducing pests but, you might be paying 2 to 4 times more than you would from buying local.
Having said all that, I'd start with a hobbyist you know, if there is one. If not, I might reach out to someplace like 'Saltwater 315', tell him you have a budget of X and ask him to put together a starter pack for you with a little variety of starter corals. You could also go to Ack's Aquatics or ABC Reefs (sadly, ABC Reefs selection is pretty thin right now).
I would start with things like polyp type corals (zoanthids), softies (leathers), mushrooms, and then maybe try an LPS or two (candy cane, maybe a euphyllia (hammer, frogspawn, maybe even a torch)) and, if you're feeling super confident, maybe a simple SPS or two (monitpora cap and/or birdsnest). Keep in mind, some people have love/hate relationships with some of the 'easier' corals. At first, they're thrilled to see them survive and thrive in their aquariums only to later curse them as weeds. Pulsing xenia is an example. I love it (and have some) but, I'm a little nervous that it could take over my tank. I also have some simple mushrooms that are getting a bit out of control.
Aquarium forums have lost some steam in the last few years but, don't let that discourage you from asking questions. If you're not getting responses, you might want to try some of the main forums.
Matt
