Favorite Cheaper Corals

HeulittSalmi · May 19, 2017

So I am fairly new to the world of reefing (6 Months) and especially R2R (Few weeks) and don't necessarily know where to post this. But anyways. I always am looking at the Marketplace feed and all the time i see posts about corals that are $500+ and even today I saw a tiny frag that was $999.99, so what I am asking is, are there any budget friendly corals that really pop and aren't as common? As much as I'd like to save up and spend half a grand on a coral, I personally couldn't justify it. I know what most of the replies are going to be "Save up" "Wait for later" "Too bad" and stuff like that, but like I said I am fairly new to the reefing game and would appreciate hearing/seeing what you're favorite cheaper corals are!

Dilan Patel · May 19, 2017

I can tell you that reefing is as bad as an addiction as drugs haha. On a serious note there are thousands of corals that won't break the bank. Just depends on what you are looking for, size,color, type. If you give a little specifications on what you are looking for I would be glad to hel you find. I would like to know budget and size mainly for what you are looking for and also type. Keep in mind most corals sold are 1-1.5 inches.

Dilan Patel · May 19, 2017

also rarety is in the eye of the reefer. Something that you have never seen before might be common and vice versa. New strands come out all the time and it really is to your preference. Do not get hung up with rarity as long as it appeals to you that is all that matters.

peteyspizza · May 20, 2017

Candy canes are usually pretty cheap. At my LFS, it's 5-7 bucks a head. There's also another section that not many people know about at most Fish stores. I like to call it the "bargain bin", because all the corals that get damaged or aren't up to selling standards go there. Usually about 5 bucks apiece.

JWalk3r · May 20, 2017

Check out Lazys Frag house... many frags for 20-50$ and recently he had some nice sps colonies for around 200 I believe

ezell_tonya · May 20, 2017

I would also encourage you to think about if you like movement. I have Lps, sps and softies. I love to watch my tank and my favorite part is watching my corals move. After I made this discovery I backed away from LPS.

Ty Hamatake · May 20, 2017

That's a hard question because really, there are cheap versions of all corals. Lol I hope you find what you are looking for eventually.

Roboson · May 20, 2017

Aquarium depot has very very cheap frags, and a good number of those are very bright and pretty. I got some bright green zoas for $10 for them and they are my favorites.

The problem with them is that they're cheap. While I've never had an issue with them, some people have had bad experiences. Still, I think they're a good place to start off as you can get some good variety for cheap and grow it out.

Michael Cronmiller · May 21, 2017

There are lots of cool less expensive corals IMO.. I absolutely love my blasto so and my euphillas and they are anywhere from 20-30 a head.. maybe not stunning to all, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder...gotten lots of lil $10 frags of awesome Zoe's too...all what you find cool my friend

Oohkris123 · May 22, 2017

Buy some cool cheap corals grow them out and trade them for a better looking coral...thats what I do with my lfs
I traded a 30 polyp colonie of eagle eyes for 2 polyp of sunny d

HeulittSalmi · May 23, 2017

Oohkris123 said:
Buy some cool cheap corals grow them out and trade them for a better looking coral...thats what I do with my lfs
I traded a 30 polyp colonie of eagle eyes for 2 polyp of sunny d

I am actually working on this now. I have a duncan, some polyps, and mushrooms that are absolutely booming and growing faster than I could have ever guessed.