What coral or corals have you learned to avoid

[adam finley]

I’m just wondering what are some of the corals you have had bad experiences with for whatever reason that you now avoid. I have only been reefing for a 1 1/2 years. However, I’m about to put anemones on my avoid list lol. The first bta did great for months until I somehow got my salinity off and it moved through the powerhead almost crashing my tank. The second small one I got a few weeks back just went “mia” and my ammonia spiked so I’m guessing he went through the overflow or powerhead as well. Clearly anemones don’t like me lol. I’ve learned they are not very forgiving to any changes in their environment. They are beautiful creatures so maybe I’ll try again in the future but I’m going to avoid them for now.

 

[Tuffyyyyy]

Definitely know what you mean. I love BTAs and love the idea of them hosting my clowns but I’ve tried like a dozen and can’t get them to survive.

Acros are another that I’ll never get because my nitrates are always too high. I try a green slimer every 6 months or so and feel so bad as it turns brown and dies.

Not coral but I’ll never get another fish that isn’t captive bred.

 

[saltyhog]

Acropora spathulata. They are so cool but so hard to keep. I've only kept one of several tries successfully.

 

[adam finley]

I’ve also had bad luck with a plate coral. I’ve only tried once but realized that it wasn’t the hardiest of corals either. I did manage to keep it alive for 6 months but was bummed out when it’s tissue started receding and nothing I did helped.

 

[cancun]

Great topic! For me it is montiporia.....and that is because they are so fragile. I end up breaking them just trying to glue them in place on a rock. I won't buy one again.....lol.....

 

[Jeremy Luke]

Green start polyps.... It's basically putting a plague in your tank.

 

[Ron Reefman]

After 15 years in the hobby and 9 tanks (as many as 4 at a time for many years) I've found that aquariums are different from each other and so are corals. I may be able to grow Acros like weeds but can't keep a Plate Coral to save my life. And my best friend could be just the opposite! And I think this is especially true of slower growing stony corals.

 

[GQuinn]

The real expensive ones.

 

[AdamNC]

No more Zoas for me. I can’t get them to stop growing or die, I guess that’s a good thing if you like them. So new tank now, no more Zoas for me.

 

[Katrina71]

No more Zoas for me. I can’t get them to stop growing or die, I guess that’s a good thing if you like them. So new tank now, no more Zoas for me.

Frag those up. My 10 year old is a huge fan!

 

[AdamNC]

Frag those up. My 10 year old is a huge fan!

Oh those had gone in the bleach bucket when I upgraded. The only rocks I didn’t bleach where those that had no Zoas on them.

 

[Billdogg]

GSP, Xenia, goniopora (especially green), and palythoa.

GSP and Xenia are, at least IMHO, the crabgrass/dandelions of the sea. Goniopora are just too difficult - very pretty, but for whatever reason, doomed in my systems. And palythoa, after missing a week of work and permanently scarring my arm, have been forever banished from my tanks.

Acropora and Montipora sp grow almost too well for me. It's pretty much impossible for me to do a water change without making more frags of my Acro's, and I have a Montipora confusa that I periodically have to break saucer sized chunks off because it is shading out half my tank.

 

[ZoWhat]

Aiptasia and majanos

But seriously I dislike Acros bc:
*they are expensive
*require high maintenance
*even if you grow one out for 2yrs its frustrating to see it die in 3days bc a parameter went sideways before you could correct it

 

[64Ivy]

Do mushrooms count? Not those trendy colored expensive ones. Mushrooms. Yeah, those.

 

[adam finley]

Aiptasia and majanos

But seriously I dislike Acros bc:
*they are expensive
*require high maintenance
*even if you grow one out for 2yrs its frustrating to see it die in 3days bc a parameter went sideways before you could correct it

Yeah those are the kind I’m talking about. The ones you like but frustrate you because everything seems fine then boom one slight change and sometimes for no apparent reason they just die. It’s even more frustrating when you’ve had them for a couple months and they start to become a fixed part of your “reef scape”.

 

[Tuffyyyyy]

The real expensive ones.

I used to feel this way too, but after a couple of years in the hobby there are only so much variety in the bargain bin lol.

 

[vetteguy53081]

High end acros. Nothing worse than acquiring and doing everything correct to watch them happy and then one day turning white.

 

[DancingShark]

Pocillopora, stylophora. dang polyp bail out.

 

[Vin's Reef]

These Palys!!!

 

[RichtheReefer21]

GSP (constantly catching it spreading everywhere)

And I am on the fence about my Galaxia and Falvia's... Beautiful, but they need so much space to avoid stinging others that it's almost not worth it to keep them.