I need suggestions for a centerpiece coral

[Dj City]

Hello R2R,

I have a 180g mixed reef tank. It's about 10 months old and doing pretty darn well.
I had an elegance coral as the centerpiece coral but like most elegance, it did great for a few months then all of a sudden it declined and died.
All my SPS are doing very well and my LPS are doing very well too.

I really want to put something nice, big and bold in its place but I have no idea what to replace it with.

I'm not a new reefer and this is not my 1st reef tank but I'm stumped on what I can put in its place that will be large and stunning.

I need suggestions from the community.

 

[Sm51498]

Bubble corals are easy, grow to massive size and are stunning.

 

[PicassoClown04]

Fox corals are much better looking than bubbles IMO and arent very aggressive, unlike bubble corals which are killers.

A nice BTA is always something nice to look at, may give you the same vibe as your elegance

Lobos, welsos, trachy, scolys, and acanthos are always strange and unusual. Lots of colors to choose from!

You could always go big or go home with a centerpiece zoa garden made up of 10+ varieties of zoa. People always ask me about my zoas!

a large hammer garden is always very nice to look at, they can be crammed together to form a beautiful swaying wall of tentacles

Are you looking for a specific vibe/ theme/ color with your centerpiece?

 

[ApoIsland]

I would get a few heads of a some type of gold torch.

 

[Sm51498]

Fox corals are much better looking than bubbles IMO and arent very aggressive, unlike bubble corals which are killers.

Disagree about them being better looking but they are nice. I recommended the bubble precisely because it is very similar in niche to an elegance and are similarly aggressive. They also expand far larger than a fox coral so that it would more quickly grow to an impressive presence in the tank.

 

[smiley28]

Mentioned above the acanthophyllia have always held that “center piece” title in my head although I’ve never personally owned one.

 

[PicassoClown04]

Disagree about them being better looking but they are nice. I recommended the bubble precisely because it is very similar in niche to an elegance and are similarly aggressive. They also expand far larger than a fox coral so that it would more quickly grow to an impressive presence in the tank.

I like foxes better because they undulate in a cushion pattern rather than have individual bubbles, which I feel kind of interrupts the calmness of the coral. Fox are very full and fleshy under good conditions. Bubbles do come in more vibrant colors and are more commonly available, but the aggressiveness and overall look really kinda put me off bubble coral.

 

[JayLu]

Although it is not a coral, I think a clam would make a nice centerpiece. in my experience, they always get a lot of attention from guests and are fun to watch.

 

[Dj City]

In a 180 gallon tank, I think a bubble coral or fox coral may be too small for a centerpiece.

A clan would be great but I would need a very large one and it would be very expensive.

Please keep the ideas coming.
I will post a pic of my tank once I'm done doing my maintenance.

 

[PicassoClown04]

In a 180 gallon tank, I think a bubble coral or fox coral may be too small for a centerpiece.

A clan would be great but I would need a very large one and it would be very expensive.

Please keep the ideas coming.
I will post a pic of my tank once I'm done doing my maintenance.

The idea would be for it to grow into a very large colony. A gigas clam gets really big. Máxima and squamosa both get to 12”. If you want clams as a centerpiece get a few! Can we have a FTS so we can see where you’re wanting to put your centerpiece?

 

[Dj City]

This is a horrible pic but it good you an idea of what in working with.

I'm in the middle of tank maintenance.

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Mentioned above the acanthophyllia have always held that “center piece” title in my head although I’ve never personally owned one.

Agreed. I do love acanthophyllias.

Although it is not a coral, I think a clam would make a nice centerpiece. in my experience, they always get a lot of attention from guests and are fun to watch.

I've seen some really nice clams function as centerpieces too!

 

[Dj City]

I had my elegance where I drew the red blotch. That's pretty much where I need a centerpiece.

 

[Triple.T]

I like movement. If it were me I'd put some type of Euphyllia there.

 

[Weasel1960]

A newbie suggestion and certainly don’t know my corals or compatibility’s very well but learning and following...what about putting some sort of “branching” coral, sea fan or even a thick sea grass in that area.

 

[Dj City]

I'm thinking of getting an old large dead acro skeleton or one of the fake ones they sell at petco or petsmart and getting some kind of GSP to grow over it. Hopefully something nicer looking than your standard GSP.

It's an idea.

 

[PicassoClown04]

I'm thinking of getting an old large dead acro skeleton or one of the fake ones they sell at petco or petsmart and getting some kind of GSP to grow over it. Hopefully something nicer looking than your standard GSP.

It's an idea.

There’s branching GSP if you want to try that. You could look at a tutorial to make broken bottles for the tank, I think it’s Paul B’s but I could be wrong. Someone on here (Buddha’s Reef?) has a Buddha statue and several skulls covered in cyphastrea/montipora which looks really cool

 

[BYU]

why not a torch garden
with different types of torches

 

[Kellie in CA]

Rainbow Trachy or Wellso

 

[Miguel Negron]

Torch gardens ;Shamefullyembarrased