What Coral Do You Most Regret Adding to Your System?

norfolkgarden · Aug 3, 2018

Separate the small mushroom rock at least 3 or 4" away from your main rock work and it should be OK.

You can always enjoy it until it gets covered in shrooms and sell it back for store credit to the LFS. (Most of them)

sleeper said:
So what you guys are saying that I should take that small rock with 5 “Superman” mushrooms that I bought out and just chalk the $25 up to a rookie mistake? Other than that I have some Acans/Duncan/ frogspawn that I like a whole lot more.

Jax7 · Aug 3, 2018

thabizness said:
I just made a video on them. Green trash palys.

Awesome tank!

Brad Vaughn · Aug 3, 2018

Any coral I don't really love from the get-go I usually come to regret. I've learned to be picky instead of impatient ... the hard way. The ones I regretted have grown fast, too.

Jesus · Aug 3, 2018

Sallstrom said:
We got some bubbletip anemones from @Lasse and put them in our 10000 litre reef tank at work. That was a bad idea Now they spread everywhere amongst the SPS corals, and burn everything in their way. And not easy to get out.. So if you know a fish eating only bubbletip anemones, please let me know!

So thank you Lasse!

Sell them I take about a dozen to my lfs every few months and get 250.00 credit

Dianna Marshall · Aug 3, 2018

pulsing xenia, mushrooms, palythoa (removed from tank after reading about julian sprungs paly encounter)

Evan28395950 · Aug 3, 2018

Savo said:
Aiptasia

Hah yeah, luckily I only have 2 in my tank. But still getting a chemical to kill them. More room for corals I want.

Dr.Xipoles · Aug 3, 2018

For me, gsp and pink creeping xenia, as many others have said, will cover any and every thing given the chance .

The worst though is pandora zoas. I put them in lower light to help slow down the growth but it didnt help much.In less than 6 months I went from 20 to over 300 polyps. [emoji58]

Heibel · Aug 3, 2018

Snowflake Anthelia

It spreads randomly throughout the tank, have heard its possible that it sexually reproduces.

Michael Naegeli · Aug 3, 2018

davocean said:
Hands down blue clove polyps were the worst thing I ever added to my tank.
To this day I won't even buy frags from anyone that has them, one polyp is all it takes, your rock will eventually be completely covered in them.

I sooo agree w You. I got a Frag w a couple and within 2 months destroyed my absolute gorgeous 30 gal filled with hig end Zoa. It in my opinion is hell on Reef

starypotter · Aug 4, 2018

Sorry to hijack the thread but I'm a newbie trying to understand the above issues particularly with zoas. All I have in my tank right now is GSP and zoas. I happen to really like the looks of them, I've read that they're fairly hardy to handle a newbie messing stuff up so I have 6 different zoa frags, the person I got my LR from gave me this sad little zoa and a couple sheets of GSP. He said to just make sure that the GSP isn't touching anything else so I rubber banded it to a smaller bit of LR and it absolutely took off and I'm going to be sure to keep them from touching the main rock work so it doesn't take over.
But with zoas couldn't the issue be avoided by using that same method? If you glue them to a small bit of rock then they're free to take over that rock and they should stop there right? Maybe I'm missing something?
Also I see a lot of people here saying that BTAs cause problems, when I get my 75 gallon set up (and running for 6 months or so for stability) I'd love to have an anemone to host my pair of clowns, but I'm a bit worried now. What would you recommend instead so I don't end up like some of these stories?

nickkohrn · Aug 4, 2018

starypotter said:
Sorry to hijack the thread but I'm a newbie trying to understand the above issues particularly with zoas. All I have in my tank right now is GSP and zoas. I happen to really like the looks of them, I've read that they're fairly hardy to handle a newbie messing stuff up so I have 6 different zoa frags, the person I got my LR from gave me this sad little zoa and a couple sheets of GSP. He said to just make sure that the GSP isn't touching anything else so I rubber banded it to a smaller bit of LR and it absolutely took off and I'm going to be sure to keep them from touching the main rock work so it doesn't take over.
But with zoas couldn't the issue be avoided by using that same method? If you glue them to a small bit of rock then they're free to take over that rock and they should stop there right? Maybe I'm missing something?
Also I see a lot of people here saying that BTAs cause problems, when I get my 75 gallon set up (and running for 6 months or so for stability) I'd love to have an anemone to host my pair of clowns, but I'm a bit worried now. What would you recommend instead so I don't end up like some of these stories?

No need to apologize. We are all learning something new as we progress in this hobby. The main purpose of this thread was to provide information to others from the actual experience of hobbyists. It sounds like you have the perfect reason to ask your question and get some sound advice.

I will let others chime in here since I don’t have much experience with corals being invasive.

Jinko · Aug 4, 2018

Pulsing Xenia, dang that stuff goes crazy when it's happy.

I actually have some blue mushrooms which have done nothing until recently and just decided they want to grow everywhere all of a sudden, might be time to get the LED laser pen out.

Robert McCreary · Aug 4, 2018

the kenya tree isnt that bad compared to the horrid yellow polyps!
though cyphastrea is the runner up; does anyone know how to control Cyphastrea once established and encrusting?

EHerbert · Aug 4, 2018

I remember when I first started, I wanted Pumping Xenia so bad but they would last a few weeks and then melt away. A few months back I upgraded my tank and lights and purchased a small stalk expecting it to melt. Well, it's been a few months now and I'm already having to cut it back. Looks like these new lights with have me pruning Xenia until I'm ready to get rid of it altogether... hahaha

reefkeeper51 · Aug 4, 2018

My biggest mistakes were 1) pocillopora. It dropped babies and spread everywhere. I removed the original colony, and I still have to mow down newly grown colonies every 6 months. 2) cyphastrea. It killed everything it touched. I removed the huge chunk of live rock it had fully encrusted, and now it’s fully encrusting my overflow box (I’m pretty happy with that look though). 3) “easy” across like the valida. It’s beautiful, but now that I’ve gotten the hang of it, that colony got to be the size of a basketball, leaving no room for the popular acros. I’ve been pruning it significantly every 3 months, and I’m thinking about removing it altogether. I guess it’s time for an upgrade!

PhreeByrd · Aug 4, 2018

starypotter said:
But with zoas couldn't the issue be avoided by using that same method? If you glue them to a small bit of rock then they're free to take over that rock and they should stop there right? Maybe I'm missing something?

The problem with zoanthids and discosoma (and several other common corals) is that polyps will frequently release from the rock they were on and free-float to a new spot. So no, placing them on their own individual rock does not guarantee that they will stay there. In fact, I could almost guarantee that they will not stay there. If you're extremely diligent and watchful, you could collect any that go rogue before they can reattach somewhere, but in practice this is almost impossible to do.

Brad Vaughn · Aug 4, 2018

Do what you like. You preferences will probably change over time. Your strategy is sound, yet nothing is foolproof for avoiding the spread of some corals. BTAs move around a lot imo, but I still like them. I wouldn't have them in a tank with high end sps.

Gyerfat · Aug 4, 2018

nickkohrn said:
I remember feeding Aiptasia in my first saltwater aquarium because I just thought it was a coral. I fed it shrimp, and it wouldn’t stop growing.

What a n00b.

Haha I did the same thing. I thought I got lucky with a free coral on my love Rock. I fed it for months