Poll: Frags vs Colony

[mike werner]

I had a discussion maybe more of a disagreement with a fellow reefer.if he had the choice and the money what would he stock his tank with frags or grown out colonies?his choice would be colonies while mine was frags.again if money wasn't the issue what would you do?
I truly do enjoy watching something small grow into something I can be proud of.sure it's alot of work to get it to colony size but that's the cool part.i can say "I did that".
he on the other hand loves him a colony he can place in the display and fill a spot instantly.he's not a real patient guy so this fits him.
yes it's much cheaper to buy frags than whole colonies but doesn't it take alot of the fun out of it?
chime in and let me know how you feel,frag or colony?maybe show a before and after pic of your favorite frag to colony success story.everybody loves to see coral pics yes?
thanks for taking the time to read and hopefully reply to this thread with some pics as well.

 

[SPR1968]

I had a discussion maybe more of a disagreement with a fellow reefer.if he had the choice and the money what would he stock his tank with frags or grown out colonies?his choice would be colonies while mine was frags.again if money wasn't the issue what would you do?
I truly do enjoy watching something small grow into something I can be proud of.sure it's alot of work to get it to colony size but that's the cool part.i can say "I did that".
he on the other hand loves him a colony he can place in the display and fill a spot instantly.he's not a real patient guy so this fits him.
yes it's much cheaper to buy frags than whole colonies but doesn't it take alot of the fun out of it?
chime in and let me know how you feel,frag or colony?maybe show a before and after pic of your favorite frag to colony success story.everybody loves to see coral pics yes?
thanks for taking the time to read and hopefully reply to this thread with some pics as well.

I suppose it’s personal choice but I’ve mainly purchased frags and then grown them in my system and this is the method I prefer. I like you enjoy to watch them grow.

I have also purchased several large colonies, to fill a gap, but one thing I have found is that sometimes the large colonies have not done well or died and it took me a while before I realised this. Ive often wondered if it’s because they become more used to a certain water and don’t like a new environment.

 

[lewisriverfisherman]

I like frags, I like watching them encrust and grow.

 

[RussiReef]

I am more colony guy

 

[Fred Phipps]

I prefer to buy frags. One reason is to watch it grow in, as most do.

Another reason, and it may be all in my head, is that I feel the coral grows into my tank better if I start with a frag. It forms to my aquascape and my lighting as apposed to getting a colony and hoping it looks right where I put it

 

[fish farmer]

I prefer frags because bigger things don't fit in my 29. I don't have a before pic, but this hammer was a tiny pinky sized frag I picked up last year. I'm already thinking about splitting it up. It also has three tiny rice sized stalks coming off the main trunk which I may try to frag.

 

[andrewkw]

Depends a lot what it is. Even cost aside a blastomussa frag I bought 4 years ago as a single polyp is now a mini colony of approximately 20 heads, If I had bought 20 heads 4 years ago I'd have a 200 polyp showpiece now. I like to watch everything grow and it's certainly rewarding to see a single zoa polyp become 100 or a 1" acro become a colony with dozens of branches, but a maricultured colony or a 5" rock covered in zoanthids will become super sized colonies quicker. Rushing is not important to me but I don't want to wait 5 years + for something to become impressive (when possible).

I would say I'm 50/50.

 

[mike werner]

I prefer frags because bigger things don't fit in my 29. I don't have a before pic, but this hammer was a tiny pinky sized frag I picked up last year. I'm already thinking about splitting it up. It also has three tiny rice sized stalks coming off the main trunk which I may try to frag.

I don't know if I would try fragging those little stalks just yet depending on how small they are.if ya cut the larger head above them they will sprout up like topping off a tree.then they are more likely to survive the fragging process.nice picture

 

[mtraylor]

Its just a personal preference and not really anything that should be an argument. Some people like cars, some trucks, some motorcycles, etc. When reefing first became popular, colonies ruled the market not sps frags. Colonies are harder to deal with and keep happy especially wild caught colonies and only very experienced reefers can have much greater success with them. So allot of those decisions have to be made on what an individual may want.

 

[ca1ore]

I much prefer to start with frags. Regardless of the size, every successful tank will become overgrown; starting with frags simply extends this eventuality. Plus, remember that corals grow/adapt to the specific conditions under which they grew - both lighting and flow. Moving a colony, and exposing it to different conditions can cause it to die. Frags are much less sensitive in this regard.

 

[Ento-Reefer]

I thing smaller corals adapt better to new environments. I enjoy watching frags grow like others said, but occasionally I will buy a mini colony if the price is great.

 

[KJAG]

Frags. A “finished” display is the entire pursuit.
Sort of mimics those trust fund kids who have everything handed to them and never had to work/ wait for anything. There’s no soul, appreciation or excitement in instant gratification.

 

[2Wheelsonly]

Frags only, they always grow better and after a year will overtake whatever sized colony you added at the same time. Colonies seem to get my a quick filler but to me just don't look natural because you're gluing some large piece with no encrusting.

Colonies are usually wild anyway and have a much much lower survival rate and risk lots of pests.

When I add SPS (colonies or frags) the original stalks never seem to grow and it's not until they encrust new branches shoot up overtaking the old. With colonies it's very slow and un-natural looking compared to frags in this regard.

 

[2Wheelsonly]

Frags. A “finished” display is the entire pursuit.
Sort of mimics those trust fund kids who have everything handed to them and never had to work/ wait for anything. There’s no soul, appreciation or excitement in instant gratification.

I agree 100%

I also believe that after 1-2 years a display stocked with frags will have more growth and be fuller/more vibrant than one that was started with colonies. I feel when you choose the colony rout your progression path involves a lot of replacing where as the frag path you end up adding and fragging rather than replace.

 

[mike werner]

so it's looking like a lot more frags than colony people.i kinda figured it would be.to me frags just make sense.cheaper and much more likely to live and grow are probably the strongest reasons of all.
we've herd the opinions but I would still love to see some before and after pics. I never took the before pics so I got nuttn. gotta be some guys and gals with impressive results they want to show off.

 

[jayala12]

Frags. I like the satisfaction of my kids saying “ whoa dad that thing is getting big. What is it again?” Lol

 

[mort]

I'm a frag guy as well but prefer the colony look. I tend to buy a frag and let it get used to my conditions as I think this gives you the best growth. I then frag that after it has grown for a year or two and transplant the frags around the mother. By doing this you end up with a massive colony in a few years rather than a decade. I might buy several frags of the same species if they are cheap or buy several species a d move on the ones that don't do as well.
I do this rather than go for the candy shop look. For me a true reef has only a few specimen corals but they are massive colonies.

 

[fish farmer]

Its just a personal preference and not really anything that should be an argument. Some people like cars, some trucks, some motorcycles, etc. When reefing first became popular, colonies ruled the market not sps frags. Colonies are harder to deal with and keep happy especially wild caught colonies and only very experienced reefers can have much greater success with them. So allot of those decisions have to be made on what an individual may want.

I'd like to add that when I started in 2000, I was seeing more colonies vs. frags. I would see hand sized toadstools, fist sized brains, large mushroom rocks, fist sized acro colonies and that was it for me around here. Finally I can enjoy growing brain corals without having to make room for half a grapefruit.

 

[bobbyM]

I like frags for many reasons.

They grow in to the spot you put them in and look better then taking a colony grown in a different environment and trying to make them fit.

Less surface area means less of a chance of bringing in parasites.

Less cost.

More variety of frags available.

Grown in captivity means a healthier hardier specimen.

ECT.

 

[Sipec]

Frags cause you can fit it easier in a tank