Cats, Birds, or Cauliflowers: What is the best SPS starter coral?

[ZoaAddiction81]

I just picked up a rainbow stylo looks happy after day 3 polyps coming out and good flow. 1st sps In my tank so far will see.

 

[MoshJosh]

I voted birds nest only cause there was no "monti" choice. Red plating monti was my first SPS and I highly recommend!

 

[i cant think]

I just picked up a rainbow stylo looks happy after day 3 polyps coming out and good flow. 1st sps In my tank so far will see.

You’ll love Stylophora, this is so far my oldest SPS in my reef.
My oldest piece of Stylo is purple but my newest piece is neon green
Their polyps aren’t completely extended as it had just gone after lights out and I flipped the light on for one minute to get the photos. Both of these are over 3-4 months old by now, so neither are new new but they still are a favourite SPS of mine and I’m still looking for nice frags of it.

 

[ZoaAddiction81]

I wanna try a digi next if this works out…

 

[Borat]

I feel like birds nest are one of the hardiest sps in my experience, one of the few sps I’ve had that have gone all necrosis on me and then stopped and actually came back without having to intervene with super glue or dips. And they grow like hell.

how many inches a day please?

 

[encrustingacro]

Monticap is the easiest. Birdsnest is arguably one of the worst beginner ones. They are extremely finnicky and brittle imo

I think montipora cap. is a lot easier than those listed.

True Montipora capricornis don’t exist in the hobby. What we call ‘monti caps’ are actually other species of plating Montipora with ridges or papillae such as M. aequituberculata, M. florida, or M. foliosa.

 

[vsolovyev]

Monticap is the easiest. Birdsnest is arguably one of the worst beginner ones. They are extremely finnicky and brittle imo

I agree 100%, they grow fast if they like the environment but, I've always found it more difficult than most sps to initially introduce, and they don't respond well to most dips

 

[Jigity_jigity_joe]

how many inches a day please?

6 or 9

 

[Lionfish hunter]

I’d say stags over all those like the blue or green slimer! They take off quick! I’ve had more problems with birds nest than any acro I’ve ever kept lol.. I think the lighting is too strong in my case..

Yes it baffles me how everybody says birds nest are so easy to keep. They die before everything else and they grow so dense they shade themselves to death. One thing I will say. Mine has died back to nothing multiple times when every other acro was fine, but a few polyps always survive and grow back to a colony again. They do grow ultra fast.

 

[Lionfish hunter]

green slimer and slimeball anacropora were very hard and fast growers for me

Yep

 

[AKG]

Tubb's Stellata.

It's got everything you want in a SPS acropora without being the pain in the butt that stereotypically comes from acropora.

I'd argue if you can't keep a Tubb's, learn to keep one before moving on to more SPS.

Porites is another good candidate.

 

[Lionfish hunter]

Digi, monti caps, anacropora, green slimer. All very beautiful and hardy.

 

[ReefHog10]

Birdsnest gets my vote. Doesn’t need huge light / PAR requirements and is the first to let me know if something is a little off. Great grower. This Jungle Green Birdsnest was a 1in frag 9 months ago.

 

[encrustingacro]

Birdsnest gets my vote. Doesn’t need huge light / PAR requirements and is the first to let me know if something is a little off. Great grower. This Jungle Green Birdsnest was a 1in frag 9 months ago.

View attachment 2998768

That's a Pocillopora, not a birdsnest (Seriatopora). Seriatopora have branches that terminate in sharp tips and have their polyps aligned in rows.

 

[ReefHog10]

That's a Pocillopora, not a birdsnest (Seriatopora). Seriatopora have branches that terminate in sharp tips and have their polyps aligned in rows.

I do have a traditional “seriatopora” with the anatomy you’re describing (it also is a good grower and has been easy to keep). I just continue to call it a jungle green Birdsnest because that’s what world wide corals called it when I got it during a live sale (thank you reef2reef!)

 

[flyfisher2]

friends don't let friends start with Pocillipora - it is the worst pest in my tank

various tenuis strains have been bullet roof for me and easier to keep them in one place

I ended up tearing down a 150 gallon tank last year as a result Pocillipora growing everywhere and overtaking everything. Would never introduce in my tank again. The problem with some of these corals which have been mentioned is that once they take off, They TAKE OFF!! There is no stopping them and if you decided to step up to more demanding corals, (not to say "high end") you'll find it near impossible to protect these more delicate slower growing corals from the beginner corals. I never thought I'd call a red Digitata a pest but today to me it is.

 

[alabella1]

My vote is Other

Pavona is my suggesting as a first time SPS.
View attachment 2998323

Second this. In a year I grew a quarter sized pavona into a piece bigger than my hand. The pieces that broke off are growing fast as well.

 

[Cichlid Dad]

One coral I have that looks beautiful, grows fast but nothing like Bird nest is hydnophora. Very easy and I never see it suggested as a newbie coral

 

[i cant think]

I’m surprised Montipora is mentioned as easy…
I used to be unable to grow Montipora no matter what type it was, it just failed to grow. Yet I was growing other SPS like strawberry shortcake which is supposedly hard (I did loose all SPS as I accidentally introduced melafix but the Monti’s were first to go).

 

[AydenLincoln]

here is my cat coral
View attachment 2998304

He’s or she’s a beauty and so fluffy!