Coral Expo Buying Guidance

[merkmerk73]

Bring a decent cooler. You won't need to add any heat the corals will be fine for many hours as long as they arent put into intense hot or cold enviornments. Research what dip you would like to use. I'm a fan of coral rx and red sea dipx. You will want to float your bags or containers in your tank to match temp when you get home, mix up your dip and have a bowl of fresh sw from your tank next to it. Follow dip instructions, rinse coral in the bowl of fresh sw then add it into your tank.

Not much to it.

Personally I don't like dipping corals at all

It seems like dips don't really help with any of the major problems you might get, and you're better off just buying good frags

If you're looking at colonies that might be a different story.

 

[Tonycass12]

Personally I don't like dipping corals at all

It seems like dips don't really help with any of the major problems you might get, and you're better off just buying good frags

If you're looking at colonies that might be a different story.

You will never see every pest. Even great looking frags can carry them. Better to be proactive then reactive.

 

[hoffmeyerz]

What light did you get?

I got two radion xr15 gen 5 lights.

 

[twentyleagues]

I got two radion xr15 gen 5 lights.

You should be good for a lot of easier corals. At least light wise. Like others I'd be wary of things like kenya tree, gsp, Xenia if the do ok they will spread everywhere given the chance. When they are happy its exponential how they proliferate.

 

[hoffmeyerz]

I'd be wary of things like kenya tree, gsp, Xenia if the do ok they will spread everywhere given the chance. When they are happy its exponential how they proliferate.

I understand they could become problematic. Any other suggestions, leathers, mushrooms, etc. Here's my tank layout:

 

[twentyleagues]

I understand they could become problematic. Any other suggestions, leathers, mushrooms, etc. Here's my tank layout:

Zoas for some color pop, Mushrooms are great, If you like kenya maybe a green sinularia, a nice toad stool. I dont know your parameters or test abilities and this isnt exactly a beginner coral but a branching hammer coral is pretty easy. Another lps that is pretty forgiving is duncan coral.

 

[merkmerk73]

You will never see every pest. Even great looking frags can carry them. Better to be proactive then reactive.

Yeah but it’s the eggs that are the issue, not the pest itself

Dipping just isn’t worth it IMO

 

[Chrisv.]

Yeah but it’s the eggs that are the issue, not the pest itself

Dipping just isn’t worth it IMO

If you dip a coral and it has tank-ending pests on it throw the frag in the trash!

Don't dip a coral, find acro eating flatworms and then just assume you killed them all in the dip.

The idea that tanks will just end up with some coral eating pests and there is nothing that can be done about it is an insane scam that I've seen pushed by certain vendors.

If you think dipping isn't worth it, that tells me you have never had a tank full of acropora taken out by flatworms.

 

[Chrisv.]

As for actual guidance for OP:

1) Buy at the end of the show. The selection will be smaller but the prices will be much better and the vendors will be eager to make deals. No vendor wants to bring corals home from a show.

2) don't fall into the trap of buying things like gsp, xenia, Pandora zoa's, Kenya tree, etc. Most of these quickly become a nuisance. Buy corals you actually want.

3) Take it slow. There is no need to buy a dozen frags at a time. Buy a couple. Assume some will live and some will die. Don't freak out when some do better than others. Place the corals in your tank based on the corals requirements and don't screw with it. Don't move it around 15 times and keep your hands out of the tank. At least as many corals die in newbie tanks due to people screwing with them as die from the parameters being wrong.

4) remember that these things grow quite a lot. If your tank looks full with frags, there will be no room for corals to grow and as soon as they begin to thrive and grow, there will be instant warfare.

 

[Joe.D]

I have seen this a lot with GSP. I am aware and not sold completely on it, just looking for hardy, easy growing corals to start. I do have a couple isolated rocks I can place it on if I do go that route.
Trying to be smart and not buy uneducated or by eye candy factor alone...lol

Well, for me, the coral is all about eye candy .

I love torches, but stay away from the really expensive ones. I typically walk into the store to buy something else and then say, “what coral is on sale that o have to have”, and see what they show me.

I like the stuff that moves: Torches, hammers, goni’s. A nice rock for a bunch of Zoa’s too - but don’t get the really big fast growers, they crowd the others out.

 

[hoffmeyerz]

Had a great time at the expo today. Picked up a Forest Fire Mushroom and Daisy Cutter Zoa from Alien Reefer and an Aussie Goni from Cherry Corals!
Pretty excited as everything is opening up and seeming happy in the tank. Was surprised at what I got off the frags in the dip, seeing that is enough to make me dip any coral that will be going in the tank for sure!!
Thanks to everyone for your advice, much appreciated

 

[Chrisv.]

Had a great time at the expo today. Picked up a Forest Fire Mushroom and Daisy Cutter Zoa from Alien Reefer and an Aussie Goni from Cherry Corals!
Pretty excited as everything is opening up and seeming happy in the tank. Was surprised at what I got off the frags in the dip, seeing that is enough to make me dip any coral that will be going in the tank for sure!!
Thanks to everyone for your advice, much appreciated

Sounds like you got some great corals!

 

[hoffmeyerz]

Sounds like you got some great corals!

I think so too but this was my first coral purchase so I don't have much to judge it against....lol
Tons of gorgeous stuff there, was really trying to keep to the basics to start with and throw in a little movement with the Goni.
Happy for now, let's see how tomorrow goes!!

 

[Chrisv.]

I think so too but this was my first coral purchase so I don't have much to judge it against....lol
Tons of gorgeous stuff there, was really trying to keep to the basics to start with and throw in a little movement with the Goni.
Happy for now, let's see how tomorrow goes!!

Honestly I think there are two rules that have kept me sane in this hobby (first marine invert tank in 1992). First: I buy only aquacultured corals. If they die, I'm bummed out about the cost, but hey, they don't have a brain, and the wild reef was not harmed. Second, I try extremely hard to never spend more than $25 on a frag. Sometimes I have to wait a few years for prices to come down, but that's okay. I've only made a few exceptions, and honestly, they haven't worked out well (looking at you GMK zoas and jawbreaker mushrooms). Third, I don't know if it applies to you, but I don't keep secrets from my wife about how much it all costs. Fourth, take dipping more seriously than religion, and remember that it's cheaper to throw a way a frag that's infested with coral eating pests than it is to have said pests kill all the coral in the tank. Fifth, remember, some corals die. For whatever reason. Some of them just die. Can't be helped.

 

[twentyleagues]

Had a great time at the expo today. Picked up a Forest Fire Mushroom and Daisy Cutter Zoa from Alien Reefer and an Aussie Goni from Cherry Corals!
Pretty excited as everything is opening up and seeming happy in the tank. Was surprised at what I got off the frags in the dip, seeing that is enough to make me dip any coral that will be going in the tank for sure!!
Thanks to everyone for your advice, much appreciated

Yeah it was a nice swap. Glad you found some stuff you liked. I picked up another Torch from Todd (cherry corals) today. Post some pics when you get the chance!

 

[hoffmeyerz]

Yeah it was a nice swap. Glad you found some stuff you liked. I picked up another Torch from Todd (cherry corals) today. Post some pics when you get the chance!

There were some stunning torches at cherry corals, just a little too pricey for me to start with. I was considering one of the hammers but thought I better just get settled with these for awhile first!
I'll try and get some picks tomorrow, right now things are only opening a little so they don't look picture ready...lol

 

[merkmerk73]

If you dip a coral and it has tank-ending pests on it throw the frag in the trash!

Don't dip a coral, find acro eating flatworms and then just assume you killed them all in the dip.

The idea that tanks will just end up with some coral eating pests and there is nothing that can be done about it is an insane scam that I've seen pushed by certain vendors.

If you think dipping isn't worth it, that tells me you have never had a tank full of acropora taken out by flatworms.

I prefer to buy corals from reputable vendors and inspect them for pests like AEFW

Dipping is a great way to unnecessarily stress your coral and kill it, and lots of folks are starting to question whether it's even worth it. I believe Ryan had a video talking about that not long ago - might have been one of the Reefapalooza talks.

 

[merkmerk73]

2) don't fall into the trap of buying things like gsp, xenia, Pandora zoa's, Kenya tree, etc. Most of these quickly become a nuisance. Buy corals you actually want.

Kenya/ Xenia might be an issue, I can't speak to that, but GSP is one of the most attractive and maligned corals in the hobby - and easily contained by restricting it to rock or the back of the tank.

 

[hoffmeyerz]

Here's a couple quick pics with the phone. The pics don't really do them justice, they all seem to be doing well and I'm especially happy to see the Goni so open!
I need to pick the mushroom back up and do a better glue job. When my urchin goes by it keeps knocking it down.....lol

 

[twentyleagues]

Nice! yeah that goni is looking good. Happy for you!