Trendy versus Timeless Corals: Which one for you and why?

[Pancake]

One thing that strikes me about my fellow reefers is how many don’t want to give their specific opinions. I just wanted to say, that there are countless threads that could have turned out to be goldmines, rich in content and insight but ended up as being bland and general commentary. I just wanted to say that all your opinions matter and many of us want to know your favorites and why they are your favorites. Personally I use your opinions to hone my eye to observe keen details, things that I might have missed or don’t have the maturity to appreciate. Personally for me my favorites are timeless corals. Specifically slimer, bubblegum digi, bicolor frogspawn, electric miyagi. For me the color saturation is everything and that is why I love the Oregon for it’s one of kind color, but it doesn’t fluoresce and I consider fluorescence to be high priority so that’s why I like it slightly less. For me Color saturation plus fluorescence are the gold standards because that means it will look good under any light condition. It seems to me that the current trendy corals seem to fluoresce, have very unique colors, but the colors are generally muted. In general, I don’t like the current trendy corals as much as the timeless corals because the current trendy corals are unique for the sake of being unique and not necessarily adding to something that is striking to the general audience. These corals get the attention because they are marketed with very specific lighting conditions to really make them appear phenomenal. Be ready to be disappointed. Lol. As mentioned before, I look forward to everyone’s passionate response and hope to gain invaluable insights from all your anecdotes. Thanks everyone for making R2R is a tremendous resource.

 

[P-Dub]

Trendy or timeless, it doesn't matter. I have only what is available to me. If it is appealing and I can get it I have it. Couldn't tell you what the name of any one single coral I have is, even the scientific name is sometimes debatable...

 

[Dragon52]

Both
If I like it & it's within my price range I'll get it

 

[living_tribunal]

Weird question. Whatever looks good is going in my tank, I don’t care what people call it.

 

[JCTReefer]

I’ve always been a sucker for Euphyllia. Beautiful hammers of all colors, torches and frogspawn. So I guess timeless. It’s really hard to go wrong with a staple like the good ole kryptonite candy cane! Also timeless. For that pop of color that’s about the best bang for the buck. Trendy or not, if I like it, I’ll likely buy it. Well to an extent anyways. I’m not spending 3,000$ on a “holy grail” anything. Or any kind of bounce shroom.

 

[H3rm1tCr@b]

I tend to avoid expensive coral, which is the majority of the trendy ones. My favorite finds are the ones hiding in the back of dealer’s tanks that are not listed. They usually sell them off for cheap or just give them to you.

 

[2Wheelsonly]

Doesn't matter, I don't look at rarity when it comes to corals. I don't care about collecting or collectors; I just want to recreate part of the ocean here at home. I enjoy all types of coral; I buy based on color and how it will fill in spaces. If it's a common, hardy and generally easy to grow stick then that's a plus.

Just looking at frags side by side, costs aside: Walt Disney, Orange Passion, Red Planet....i'm taking red planet because I like that color.

 

[Pancake]

I tend to avoid expensive coral, which is the majority of the trendy ones. My favorite finds are the ones hiding in the back of dealer’s tanks that are not listed. They usually sell them off for cheap or just give them to you.

Nice! Thanks for the heads up! Gonna lfs hop and try to look for hidden treasures. Cheers!

 

[Pancake]

Doesn't matter, I don't look at rarity when it comes to corals. I don't care about collecting or collectors; I just want to recreate part of the ocean here at home. I enjoy all types of coral; I buy based on color and how it will fill in spaces. If it's a common, hardy and generally easy to grow stick then that's a plus.

Just looking at frags side by side, costs aside: Walt Disney, Orange Passion, Red Planet....i'm taking red planet because I like that color.

Now we’re talking! Red planet is sweet, red to violet color depending on light. Vibrant and bold under most lights.

 

[living_tribunal]

One thing that strikes me about my fellow reefers is how many don’t want to give their specific opinions. I just wanted to say, that there are countless threads that could have turned out to be goldmines, rich in content and insight but ended up as being bland and general commentary. I just wanted to say that all your opinions matter and many of us want to know your favorites and why they are your favorites. Personally I use your opinions to hone my eye to observe keen details, things that I might have missed or don’t have the maturity to appreciate. Personally for me my favorites are timeless corals. Specifically slimer, bubblegum digi, bicolor frogspawn, electric miyagi. For me the color saturation is everything and that is why I love the Oregon for it’s one of kind color, but it doesn’t fluoresce and I consider fluorescence to be high priority so that’s why I like it slightly less. For me Color saturation plus fluorescence are the gold standards because that means it will look good under any light condition. It seems to me that the current trendy corals seem to fluoresce, have very unique colors, but the colors are generally muted. In general, I don’t like the current trendy corals as much as the timeless corals because the current trendy corals are unique for the sake of being unique and not necessarily adding to something that is striking to the general audience. These corals get the attention because they are marketed with very specific lighting conditions to really make them appear phenomenal. Be ready to be disappointed. Lol. As mentioned before, I look forward to everyone’s passionate response and hope to gain invaluable insights from all your anecdotes. Thanks everyone for making R2R is a tremendous resource.

There is a reason for this. Many reefers, not all, tend to get emotionally attached to their methods. When someone reports research, science, or even anecdotal evidence that conflicts with another’s prescribed beliefs, those individuals tend to get very aggressive.

I posted a few articles the other day and was met with a few individuals who told me that only “smart” reefers with a legacy of community contribution are allowed to post scientific research.

This kind of mentality not only limits the advancement of the hobby but diminishes any willingness to discuss new topics. It was kind of ridiculous.

 

[Pancake]

There is a reason for this. Many reefers, not all, tend to get emotionally attached to their methods. When someone reports research, science, or even anecdotal evidence that conflicts with another’s prescribed beliefs, those individuals tend to get very aggressive.

I posted a few articles the other day and was met with a few individuals who told me that only “smart” reefers with a legacy of community contribution are allowed to post scientific research.

This kind of mentality not only limits the advancement of the hobby but diminishes any willingness to discuss new topics. It was kind of ridiculous.

Wow, that’s unfortunate. I understand that fact is fact and anecdote is anecdote. Our hobby teeters on a fair bit of both. We definitely need to keep our minds open. Everyone who reads a post has to decide for themselves if the post is believable or not. I don’t mind people asking for evidence, but at the same time people need to read the message and see if the person is presenting facts or anecdote. And even if someone misspoke we should definitely give the respect to let people walk their statement back because our hobby is based on discussions of anecdotal experiences. I think it’s completely constructive for any one of us to believe and tout one thing one day and evolve to a different idea the next day based on new experiences or knowledge. To me that’s growth, and I hope that we as hobbyists embrace that learning experience since no one is bank rolling our hobby and we have to lean on each other experiences to find imperfect solutions to our little piece of heaven.

 

[living_tribunal]

Wow, that’s unfortunate. I understand that fact is fact and anecdote is anecdote. Our hobby teeters on a fair bit of both. We definitely need to keep our minds open. Everyone who reads a post has to decide for themselves if the post is believable or not. I don’t mind people asking for evidence, but at the same time people need to read the message and see if the person is presenting facts or anecdote. And even if someone misspoke we should definitely give the respect to let people walk their statement back because our hobby is based on discussions of anecdotal experiences. I think it’s completely constructive for any one of us to believe and tout one thing one day and evolve to a different idea the next day based on new experiences or knowledge. To me that’s growth, and I hope that we as hobbyists embrace that learning experience since no one is bank rolling our hobby and we have to lean on each other experiences to find imperfect solutions to our little piece of heaven.

I wasn’t even stating any of it as fact or the best for a reef tank, I simply presented it as an answer to someone’s question!

Regardless, I’m not attached to any method. If anyone presents a compelling new method with too much evidence to ignore, I’ll implement it after careful consideration.

People aren’t idiots, everyone here is capable of actively assessing what someone is recommending/presenting. I want to hear anything that may innovate the reefing experience.

 

[Braves Fan]

One of my favorite corals in my tank is the Garf Bonsai Acro ,, old school ,, cheap and very pretty ,, dark purple with contrasting green polyps and seems to grow really quick I do tend to seek out and buy mostly old school corals ,, Pro Corals Rainbow Acro ,, ORA Red Planet ,, Oregon Tort ,, RMF Blueberry Special,, Tyree Purple Monster ,, Raja Rampage Chalice ,,

I don't buy trendy corals for the most part ,, one reason ,, the cost vendors charge for them ,, I will buy a TSA or a WWC coral every so often ,, if I can get them at a good price ,, this doesn't work out for me most of the time though ,, getting 3 or 4 corals from TSA at a good price is really hard to do I can never seem to be able to put 3 or 4 corals into my cart to justify the shipping cost ,, these vendors don't seem to need my money lol I have plenty of old school corals on my list that are way cheaper to acquire

 

[JP&JL]

I personally enjoy both depending on what coral supports the overall look of a colorful mixed reef tank. While I do make sure I enjoy looking at it I also take into consideration that the majority of other family and friends that look at it (my wife for instance) have zero clue what any of the different corals are but when they look at a section and see a large monti with eye popping zoas underneath it on the sand, unique shaped SPS around it like the thing or Hawkins echinata and maybe a little ultra acan thrown in there and all with different colors now it’s enjoyable for the non reefer who doesn’t even know the corals are creatures lol.....it can be just as rewarding seeing other people enjoy your passions as it is when you look at your masterpiece DT that you’ve sunk countless hours, brainpower and “oh crap!” Moments into

 

[JP&JL]

And I’m also a fan of any SPS trendy or timeless that is hardy enough to survive a small parameter fluctuation without rolling over on its back and dying......

 

[Randy Ruiz]

Actually I never understood the need to have something because its rare, trendy.
I have never been able to keep any SPS alive. My selection criteria is unusually based on if I like it first, then price & finely if I can find a place for it in the tank where it will be happy.

 

[H3rm1tCr@b]

I really just like the unusual types, not the trendy ones. Like Cespitularia. I have one and it is doing fantastic... oh wait my filefish just ate it. Oops.

 

[dryworm]

MONTIPORA CAPRICORNIS!

 

[Magellan]

I prefer cheap corals

I like taking a $10 frag that was half-bleached and turning into a thriving colony.

This!!!

 

[ZoWhat]

I was into HipHop corals but keep going back to ClassicRock corals like Pink Floyd Acros, The Who Zoos, Led Zeppelin mushrooms