Morning everyone. I was just looking at some tanks posted on here, and am amazed at the size of the corals. Does everyone buy them that size or grow them from frags. I have had three small corals (hammer, pink goniopora and a blue ricordea) for about 3 or 4 months and at the rate their growing (not at all that I can tell)., they will look as nice as the ones in the other tanks oh...…..about 2040.
Corals?
- Thread starter wasafuzz
- Start date
- Tagged users None
BrandonS
Well-Known Member
Keep in mind age of the tank. Many of the tanks on here are several years old. Also some corals don't grow much in the first 6 months to a year and then grow a lot. I personally buy frags. I can get a greater variety for the money if I grow it out myself.
Auquanut
5000 Club Member
Partner Member 2024
Excellence Award
Reef Tank 365
RGB
Reef Squad Emeritus
Hospitality Award
Midwest Reefer
My Tank Thread
If it helps at all, my corals didn't really start taking off until about the 8 months to a year point. Now I have some pretty massive corals (all started from frags). I couldn't tell you what the catalyst was, as I made several changes during that time. There has been a lot said about the idea that corals like a mature tank. Not sure how valid that concept is, but it seems for me there was a tipping point where everything just kind of took off.
SPR1968
No, it wasn’t expensive dear....
Reef Squad
Reef Squad Leader
Excellence Award
Reef Tank 365
UK Reef Club Member
Hospitality Award
I personally prefer to buy frags and watch them grow and I also find they seem to adapt to my water parameters better than large colonies which have been around for a long time and adapted to the water they have grown in
I realised after around 3 years that most of the large colonies I had ever purchased didn’t survive more than a few months, yet I’ve hardly ever lost any purchased as frags, or fraged myself.
I realised after around 3 years that most of the large colonies I had ever purchased didn’t survive more than a few months, yet I’ve hardly ever lost any purchased as frags, or fraged myself.
vetteguy53081
Well known Member and monster tank lover
Partner Member 2024
Excellence Award
Reef Tank 365
RGB
Article Contributor
Tampa Bay Reef Keepers
West Palm Beach Reefer
Hospitality Award
Ocala Reef Club Member
305 Reef Club
Wisco Reefers
Midwest Reefer
Fish Medic
MAC of SW Florida
Rock Pool Reef Keepers
R2R Secret Santa 2023
My Tank Thread
My Aquarium Showcase
I see numerous tanks on here and even locally where frags have become colonies.
Quietman
2500 Club Member
Just starting out here, but i don't think I'd want anything other than frags for myself. I love the idea of watching everything grow in and develop. Plus giving me time to learn how to respond to their needs. And then the satisfaction of having those large colonies, or perhaps small colonies that have had a long healthy life - I don't think everything is about size and rapid growth.
I buy only frags. I feel that allowing them to grow into the tank looks way more natural than plopping in a large colony or two.
That being said - remember that coral growth will be exponential. Each individual coral polyp is it's own animal that will grow by division. 1 becomes 2. 2 becomes 4. etc etc. So although your coral may look like it's hardly growing at all, it is. This is where the patience that is so difficult to contain is so very important.
I started my current SPS dominant 120 reef in 2013 with nothing but frags from the local swap. 3 years later, one of my montiporas had clearly outgrown the tank so I traded it to my LFS for store credit. I had to bring it in in a 40qt cooler.
Sure, some corals grow faster than others. Some will out compete others and begin to grow over/around them. I tyr to let them figure it out for themselves.
Here's a side view of my tank from about a year ago. You can easily see that there is a competition going on!
The red digitata has no grown over about 1/2 of the confusa and will eventually overtake the entire thing. I'll be fragging the confusa long before then so that I can start it out again on the other side of the tank.
Have no fear - give them the appropriate environment and they will, indeed, grow just fine!
That being said - remember that coral growth will be exponential. Each individual coral polyp is it's own animal that will grow by division. 1 becomes 2. 2 becomes 4. etc etc. So although your coral may look like it's hardly growing at all, it is. This is where the patience that is so difficult to contain is so very important.
I started my current SPS dominant 120 reef in 2013 with nothing but frags from the local swap. 3 years later, one of my montiporas had clearly outgrown the tank so I traded it to my LFS for store credit. I had to bring it in in a 40qt cooler.
Sure, some corals grow faster than others. Some will out compete others and begin to grow over/around them. I tyr to let them figure it out for themselves.
Here's a side view of my tank from about a year ago. You can easily see that there is a competition going on!
The red digitata has no grown over about 1/2 of the confusa and will eventually overtake the entire thing. I'll be fragging the confusa long before then so that I can start it out again on the other side of the tank.
Have no fear - give them the appropriate environment and they will, indeed, grow just fine!
