Dumb Coral Question

[Camaronero]

Good afternoon,
•Knowing that unique color/shape variants in corals means higher price, does it also mean higher/modified care requirements when compared to their more readily available “strains”¿¿

I’m building my nano (~25 gallons) around the needs and requirements of a possum wrasse since it will likely be the only fish I to stock (I feel bad having more than 2 fish). Researching their natural living conditions, I read: “These habitats usually have fairly rich sessile invertebrate growth (e.g., sponges, soft corals, cup corals).” So I guess a softie tank is gonna be the right play, but I’m concerned that picking the more uniquely shaped and colored softies might end up being a pain to care for.

Hope everyone who reads/replies has a great rest of the day!

 

[Camaronero]

These two are my MUST HAVE picks. I’m scared they stray from their “easy” care requirements so please let me know¡

 

[blaxsun]

There are no dumb coral questions.

Soft corals are generally cheaper (though not always so) and great beginner corals as they thrive easily, are very hardy and don't require the same level of monitoring for calcium, magnesium and other water parameters.

Zoas/palys are great soft corals, they come in literally umpteen different varieties and color combinations and spread very easily. Mushrooms are also another popular soft coral, along with various leathers and polyps - like the infamouse green star polyp (which can grow like a weed). Leathers, mushrooms and polyps also come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and coloration.

The advice I always give prospective new reefers is this: buy what you can afford to replace. This isn't intended to be negative - it just reflects the reality that sometimes even when we do everything right, corals can and do perish. So those two are really nice corals, but my suggestion would be to start out with a handful of cheaper mushrooms and leathers. That way you can get used to caring for $20-$30 worth of corals and feel much more confident moving up to $250 worth of corals. Best of luck!

 

[Steve and his Animals]

The "more expensive/exotic means harder to keep" rule applies to varying degrees. For fish, a lot of rare/expensive stuff lives in deep water, so they are harder to acclimate to captive conditions.

As for corals, the first thing I think of is the varying degrees of care for different colors of Goniopora, where (at least in the past) neon greens were a lot harder to keep alive than other colors. I think people attributed this to a reliance on manganese supplementation, although I don't know if this is true.

Generally, my observation is that the deeper the coral lives, the more finicky they can be, as deeper water environments are generally more stable and have different lighting requirements. For example, Acropora suharsoni, which is only found growing large in deep reefs, and under the shade of other tabling corals in the shallows.

The examples you have are soft corals, which are generally easy to keep regardless. The only exceptions are certain mushrooms (like Ricordea yuuma) and non-photosynthetic corals. That being said, I don't know much about St. Thomas shrooms.

 

[Camaronero]

There are no dumb coral questions.

Soft corals are generally cheaper (though not always so) and great beginner corals as they thrive easily, are very hardy and don't require the same level of monitoring for calcium, magnesium and other water parameters.

Zoas/palys are great soft corals, they come in literally umpteen different varieties and color combinations and spread very easily. Mushrooms are also another popular soft coral, along with various leathers and polyps - like the infamouse green star polyp (which can grow like a weed). Leathers, mushrooms and polyps also come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and coloration.

The advice I always give prospective new reefers is this: buy what you can afford to replace. This isn't intended to be negative - it just reflects the reality that sometimes even when we do everything right, corals can and do perish. So those two are really nice corals, but my suggestion would be to start out with a handful of cheaper mushrooms and leathers. That way you can get used to caring for $20-$30 worth of corals and feel much more confident moving up to $250 worth of corals. Best of luck!

Forgive me for the way I word things lol, thanks for the extremely useful input¡ Sadly, I am horribly picky and would literally go wild if I ended up with a coral/fish that is taking up living space for the species that I would do anything in my power to keep alive/thriving. Sorry, I know that refutes your point which I do completely understand (I feel bad, I mean no disrespect/attitude with this response btw), so I was wondering if could I take a different approach to this¿ I am not fond of and don’t want a tank overrun by zoanthids/palys, GSP (including ALL of the variants), unsightly mushrooms, and don’t like green/pale leathers (wow I feel like that’s literally all of the inexpensive options lol), so:
•Could I use a coral like let’s say a photosynthetic gorgonian/sea fan as an indicator species?
Prices range from $15-$60, I haven’t seen one that isn’t gorgeous, and they lowkey fall into the softie category. They aren’t gonna completely take over while I “test the waters” and I wouldn’t have an issue owning one... LMK

Again, can’t thank you enough for all the input you’ve given me¡ My LFS is the type to try to convince me to get Chalice as a first coral so you and the others are literally life savers!

 

[blaxsun]

Sure, you can certainly opt for a photosynthetic gorgonian as your first coral. You could even go with your first two choices - it's entirely up to you. I don't know the size of your tank, just note that smaller tanks can be a bit more challenging to maintain parameters if you do get any swings (since parameter swings tend to be exaggerated on smaller tanks).

A good set of test kits (Aquaforest, Nyos, Red Sea, Salifert, Hanna) is essential to success going forward (you can start out with just the parameters you need and expand from there). Best of luck!

 

[Camaronero]

Sure, you can certainly opt for a photosynthetic gorgonian as your first coral. You could even go with your first two choices - it's entirely up to you. I don't know the size of your tank, just note that smaller tanks can be a bit more challenging to maintain parameters if you do get any swings (since parameter swings tend to be exaggerated on smaller tanks).

A good set of test kits (Aquaforest, Nyos, Red Sea, Salifert, Hanna) is essential to success going forward (you can start out with just the parameters you need and expand from there). Best of luck!

Currently have a 25 gallon WaterBox Peninsula, Hanna test kits coming in either tmr or Wednesday. Went with the more pricey test kits due to what you said about smaller aquariums. I’m taking my stocking list very seriously to avoid any issues down the line, so in the end I’m open to all constructive criticism. If you were in my shoes, would you start with an inexpensive photosynthetic gorgonian or go with the expensive variants of the most readily available and kept corals¿

 

[blaxsun]

Myself personally, I have killed some nice corals. Not deliberately, mind you - I just didn't understand PAR and flow and all the parameter interactions when I first started out. Even now I still lose the odd coral every so often.

I would start with the inexpensive gorgonian and use it to gauge whether your reef is heading in the right direction. You can always add more expensive corals once you have some experience and are confident you're managing your reef properly. A good cleanup crew will be important at some point as well as the right fish for your new reef.

 

[Camaronero]

Myself personally, I have killed some nice corals. Not deliberately, mind you - I just didn't understand PAR and flow and all the parameter interactions when I first started out. Even now I still lose the odd coral every so often.

I would start with the inexpensive gorgonian and use it to gauge whether your reef is heading in the right direction. You can always add more expensive corals once you have some experience and are confident you're managing your reef properly. A good cleanup crew will be important at some point as well as the right fish for your new reef.

Understood. I can’t be getting ahead of myself lol. Even though I have no problem replacing any livestock or equipment, you just reminded me that taking my time gaining experience and seeing results is going to be more valuable than gambling my luck with precious livestock. Forgive me for being a nuisance, I’m laughing at myself because just picking the right soft corals is already proving a challenge in itself. Receiving all of this info is priceless in my opinion, so thank you¡

 

[blaxsun]

You're more than welcome. Will look forward to the build thread for your tank!

 

[adittam]

There are many leathers and toadstools that are gorgeous and easy to care for, but won’t take over a tank like GSP, palys, or Kenya tree.